This book kept me guessing until the very end! And for the last 25%, I was on the edge of my seat.

Two 911 calls only minutes apart. Two sisters, Sofia and Alexandra, each accusing the other of the brutal murder of their father. With both of them pointing the finger at each other, how do we know who is guilty and who is innocent?

Fifty Fifty is book 5 in the Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanagh but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. This crime thriller is a roller coaster ride with so many twists and turns it has you constantly questioning who the killer really is! It is a nerve-racking adrenaline rush and a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of Fifty Fifty in exchange for my honest review.

Fifty Fifty is my third Steve Cavanagh book and it won't be my last. I started with the 4th, then 6th, and finally the 5th book in the Eddie Flynn series and will confirm that you can read them out of order. I will continue with the 7th, until the last one, then I will read the 1st ones. I'm in it for the long haul.

Now for this novel, all I have to say is" You got me. Well played".

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 Stars. Well written book with lots of insight into the legal system - didn’t surprise me to find out Cavanagh was a lawyer! Lots of twists that had me guessing up until the very end. Didn’t want to put this book down

Two sisters. One murder. Both claim innocence. Cavanagh delivers another brilliant courtroom thriller that toys with perspective and keeps readers guessing. I loved the narrative structure—it felt like a true mental chess match. The courtroom scenes were especially strong, though a couple of plot twists felt slightly over-the-top. Still, an excellent, twisty read.

Two sisters on trail for their father’s brutal murder. Only one is guilty but which one?
I’ve read my fair share of courtroom drama thrillers. This was probably one of my favorites by far! It was fast paced, exciting, and a twisted ride right up until the very end. This book was the fifth in a series and I hadn’t read the first four books before this but I wasn’t lost by starting with this one. I want to go back now and read the first four! This book is told from multiple perspectives which I really liked. It’s mainly the two lawyers Eddie and Kate but there were quite a few chapters from the killers perspective and I really enjoyed those chapters! I feel like it’s rare when books are written from the perspective of the “bad guy” and it just adds something great to the story! Overall really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good courtroom drama!

Thank you NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

Fifty Fifty - Steve Cavanagh
Pub Date - 6/3/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this gifted advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Steve Cavanagh is an incredibly talented thriller writer, and after reading Witness 8 and Kill for You, Kill for Me, I knew I had to dive into this story. The story hooks the reader at the very beginning, starting with two 911 calls in which two sisters blame each other for stabbing their father to death. Eddie Flynn, a smart and savvy lawyer returns in this story as we find out which sister is the liar and killer, and which sister is innocent.

I finished this novel in about 24 hours because it gripped me tight and wouldn't let go! I enjoyed reading the different POVs of all the characters and how they inch forward towards the real killer. The character "She" was my absolute favorite! With that being said. the story fell flat and was very predictable, leaving the reader a little disappointed. It was wrapped up very neatly at the end, with no real shocker. Overall, very entertaining! I will be reading more of his books..

STEVE CAVANAGH CAN DO NO WRONG!

Honestly, Eddie Flynn is one of my favorite recurring characters to read. This book originally came out in 2020, so it's fun to revisit its publication.

The different POVs kept it fresh and sneaky and just so good. Utterly devourable!

Eddie Flynn is an ex-con now turned lawyer who is representing one of the sisters accused of murdering her father. We follow along as the sisters are both on trial, but one is innocent.

Fifty Fifty has multiple POVs including that of the mysterious killer's. It's also a fast paced thriller with many twists. Once I opened to the first page, I was hooked and flew through this book. This book is broken up into 5 parts and will keep you on the edge of your seat! Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was proven how wrong I was!

Steve Cavanagh is an auto-buy author for me. I love his Eddie Flynn series (and was never big into legal thrillers until these). This is a rerelease with a new cover. It's also part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

Thank you NetGallet and Atria publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I flew though this ARC and was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I really enjoyed the pov from “anonymous” and had fun trying to figure out their identity.

I didn’t even realize this was part of a series until I had already started reading it. It’s a good standalone though and I’ll definitely be checking out the rest of the Eddie Flynn series. Fifty Fifty is publishing later in June, so mark your calendars. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books eGalley for a copy in exchange for my review.

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series. Luckily this book can be a standalone. I really enjoyed the different POVs and how situations played out. I also really enjoyed the chapters from the murderer’s point of view. Somewhere in the middle I did figure out whodunnit, but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of the story. Thank you Steve Cavanagh, NetGalley and Orion for this digital arc.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Legal drama with multiple POVs alongside multiple twists? YES. I am all for it. Really liked this book and would love to check out more books by this author. It looks like this title has been out for a few years, so wondering if he is gearing up for a re-release with a new cover since it looks different on NetGalley.

The beginning of this book had me hooked from the get go and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I enjoyed many of the characters in this book and found Eddie to be quite witty and smart! Also love that he is ethical and only defends those he feels confidently are innocent.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary early release copy of Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh.

We get quite a few different perspectives in Fifty Fifty mainly from the lawyers perspectives. My favorite parts of the story have to be the perspective of “She” I really enjoyed those parts. I liked the gory aspects and thrilling moments but most of the story is a bunch of lawyer mumbo-jumbo that I struggled to understand and honestly found to be a bit boring to read. I didn’t know this author nor did I realize this was part of a series called Eddie Flynn (a lawyer series).It looks like the series can all be read as stand alone books but you’d probably have a better understanding/feel of the characters if you’d read them in order. The book does give some background on Eddie so I wasn’t left completely in the dark about his character.

I thought there were going to be more scenes or perspectives between the two sisters, I would have liked to see how things had played out from their perspectives before and after the crime had happened. The sisters themselves are interesting characters, the story does really make you switch sides between the two making it a literal Fifty Fifty on who to believe. The way things played out were interesting but a bit confusing at times, the story has an equal mix of characters that I liked and despised. Some of the reveals played out nicely but after the end of the story I’m left just feeling okay about things.

I’m a huge Steve Cavanaugh fan; especially his Eddie Flynn series. A con man turned defense lawyer is a unique twist for main character in a legal thriller. i read and greatly enjoyed the UK edition of Fifty-Fifty when it was originally published. However I was thrilled to learn that Atria Books has brought the co-edition to the U.S. so I could add it to my bookshelves. I expect thousands of readers will find the entire book lives up to its tense first few chapters. I was asking “whodunit” after the first few pages.

Two 911 calls within seconds of each other screaming that the former mayor of NYC was brutally murdered in his own home. The suspects? His two daughters, less than a year apart in age, each claiming the other murdered their father. Both expressed their love for their father and hatred for each other. One is a murderous psychopath and the other a truly loving daughter. Which is which is the key to the highly charged murder trial and will leave the reader guessing to the very end.

Steve Cavanaugh cleverly builds the tension by labeling his chapters by major characters with the murderer called out as “She.” The chapters jump between the two defense lawyers, "She" and a few of the other characters. Poor Eddie also has to deal with a major personal loss that tugs at him before and throughout the exhausting trial. Eddie is defending one of the sisters, emotionally unstable Sofia, while the other sister, Alexandra, is represented by Kate Brooks, a young but very sharp lawyer handling her first big profile case. Add the racist jerk of a prosecutor and a dodgy judge and you can expect the courtroom scenes to provide some memorable moments.

I really enjoy the parts of the book where Eddie relies on his con man skills to obtain evidence, clues, and mentally mess with his opponents. He may go over the legal line at times but it’s always to benefit his client’s case. Steve Cavanagh is an engaging storyteller, knowing when to toss in a twist or two. I was constantly asking myself: Sofia or Alexander is “She?” I admit I gave up.

Cavanaugh knows how to offer his readers a legal thriller that asks the reader to come along for the ride of a lifetime. I could not put the book down until the murderer was revealed. I am absolutely delighted to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy one of Eddie’s greatest courtroom exploits in Fifty-Fifty.

I was able to finish Fifty Fifty this week on my lunch break at work and it was soo good!

Steve Cavanaugh is the man! I am a superfan now. If you enjoy mysteries, psychological thrillers, and/or courtroom suspense and haven't jumped on the bandwagon, now is the time. His book Kill For Me, Kill For You was amazing and has had such great success recently that the publishers are releasing some of his older work in paperback and with new covers. His newest book Witness 8 (LOVED) is the eighth book in his Eddie Flynn series, and has had great success as a standalone. I read Thirteen (book 4) from the series a few years ago and also LOVED it, so I was excited when I got approved on Netgalley to read Fifty Fifty (book five). Steve is a former lawyer so you get a good dose of legal education, and a look into how things go down in a courtroom and behind the scenes of a trial.

Super quick synopsis:
Sisters Sophia and Alexandra are both present when their dad, a former mayor of New York, is brutally murdered in his home. Each calls 911 on the other and blames them for the murder. Who did it?!

I was fully onboard from the start. The premise is wild and the way he tells the stories from the different perspectives of people involved is so bingeable and intriguing. I was guessing who it was until the end and absolutely flew through this one. Go get it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was everything I've come to expect from Cavanaugh's legal thrillers! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out which sister did what! If you love juicy, twist courtroom thrillers, this one is for you!

(Eddie Flynn, #5) - 3.5

❊ Sibling Rivalry
❊ Murder Mystery
❊ Courtroom Thriller

This one had me invested from the start. Sofia says Alexandra did it. Alexandra says Sofia did it. Someone is lying. This is a sinister story of misdirection. I love a good courtroom thriller, and this book delivered just that.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is Book No. 5 of the Eddie Flynn series, and the first I read. I’m not sure about the other books in the series, but this can be read as a stand-alone.

The story hooks you at the beginning, with two calls to 911. First, Alexandra Avellino calls to say she has just found her father’s stabbed and mutilated body, her sister is the killer and she is still in the house with a knife. Then less than a minute later, Sofia Avellino calls to say she has just found her father’s stabbed and mutilated body, her sister is the killer and she is still in the house with a knife. The remainder of the book is told from three viewpoints: Eddie Flynn as Sofia’s lawyer, Kate Brooks as Alexandra’s lawyer, and someone named She as the killer.

The sisters are going to be tried jointly, and I was expecting a more substantive courtroom drama. The courtroom testimonies and scenes weren’t all that interesting or entertaining. Most of the focus is on the lawyers’ mix of emotions as they present their case, trying to connect with the jury, each realizing maybe they were wrong and their client is the killer, doubting their performance, thinking on their feet, etc. I would have liked to learn more of the process of a joint trial, like who goes first and how is that decided, how does jury selection work, etc.

The plot gets stretched a bit thin, and the ending is a bit predictable. As for Eddie Flynn, I liked him as a character but at the same time there was something off putting about him. He certainly doesn’t miss a chance to tell you he is superior, and his conceit and smugness becomes monotonous. Kate is portrayed as the bright young lawyer, but I found her a bit meek. She is the victim of sexual harassment, and I was looking for her to stand up for herself a bit more. I understand when it’s the partner of the law firm, but when it’s a peer, I wanted her to display her strength and initiative, to stand up for herself.

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special thanks to netgalley and atria books for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars. this was a pretty good read. my biggest issues were that it dragged at times/felt longer than necessary and that the whole legal process being the main focus of the story was a bit boring for me at times. everything tied together very meticulously and enjoyably in the end, but i think i would’ve enjoyed it more had the plot been more focused on the “thrill” of the story rather than the trial process.

would still recommend this for sure, especially to those who enjoy the more legal side of things.

I will read anything by Steve Cavanagh because WHEEWWWWW this was good! This book kept my attention the entire time. I needed to know which sister did it and I did guess it after the first twist was revealed but it was still such a great book in my opinion. Super fast pace and keeps you wanting to read more!

Two sisters have been through a life of misery. Both call 911 one evening and report their father dead, killed by the other sister. So, who did it?

Sofia has a history of mental health issues, while Alexandra seems perfectly well put together. Eddie is called in to interview for representation and automatically is suggested for Sofia. He obtains the case and starts his investigation. Shortly after, his investigator / love interest is murdered and he must continue on.

Will he find the real killer?