Steve Cavanagh writes really good legal thrillers, and while this was book 5 in the series, it could be read as a stand alone. It is a very clever and twisty thriller, but not for the weak! This book is graphic in some parts, and a bit gruesome. I can’t go into too much detail, as I don’t want to give anything away, but this might be my favorite Cavanagh book so far!

If you love a good twisty legal thriller, and enjoy cunning and clever main characters (who may or may not be evil), then this one is for you! Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Frank Avellino, a wealthy ex-mayor old New York has been murdered. Fifty three stab wounds to his body and his two daughters, Alexandra and Sofia, are taken into custody. Both sisters placed 911 calls from inside Frank’s house, each call blaming the other sister for the murder of their father. Eddie Flynn , the ex con man turned lawyer, takes Sofia on as a client. Kate Brooks will be representing Alexandra. Both lawyers think their client is innocent - who is right? The chapters vary between Eddie, Kate and She (the sister responsible for a number of murders). We don’t know who is telling the truth. This is a fast paced, exciting, tense plot that kept me anxious to get to the final reveal. I loved the characters of Eddie, Kate, Harry and Bloch. I really enjoyed this book and loved the style of writing. I give the book 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital copy.

Steve Cavanagh has managed to write yet another book that I just could not put down. His legal thrillers combine engaging story lines, unforgettable characters and an uncanny ability to make me laugh. His characters are ones I won’t soon forget and look forward to seeing more of. Lead character, Eddie “the fly”, con-artist turned lawyer is not your typical protagonist but he fits the role just the same. Though his antics are sometimes questionable, his reasoning behind them are always something the reader can get behind. His smart a$$ remarks throughout the book will keep you laughing and yearning for his next one-liner. This book follows the case of two sisters who accuse each other of killing their father. A vicious and highly brutal murder which would leave the “not guilty” as the sole recipient of his fortune. These sisters are nothing alike but they did each experience a number of traumas throughout their lives that would leave anyone a little crazy. Eddie choses his clients based on his ability to read people. He will only represent those he believes are innocent. His client, Sophia the more “unhinged” sister with a history of drug abuse, mental health issues to boot, and a longstanding issue with self harm. Did Eddie once again pick the truly innocent client? If she’s innocent does the court find her innocent as well? There are so many moving parts in this trial along with new victims throughout that it is impossible to simply guess the outcome. You will have to wait until the very end to know for sure! So excited to start his next book! Five Stars, highly recommend.

How do you have a better dramatic storyline than two sisters arrested for the same murder? You can’t!

SC does it again with Fifty Fifty. He keeps me at the edge of my seat, changing my mind time and time again about who the real killer is all the way to the last page. Absolutely another page turner in the incredible Eddie Flynn series, and the fact that you can’t read it as a standalone makes it that much better. Highly recommend.

I absolutely loved this!!!! This is my second Eddie Flynn novel and third overall by Steve Cavanagh. I think Steve is masterful at writing fast paced plots that keep you locked in from start to finish. Without giving anything away, I have to say I loved not knowing what was going on until literally the end of the book. His endings have been hit (Thirteen) and miss (kill for me, kill for you) but this one was fantastic. Best thriller I’ve read this year!

This is my second Eddie Flynn novel. I'm reading them all out of order but loving them just the same.

Sofia and Alexandra Avellino are both suspected of killing their father Frank Avellino. Both girls are proclaiming innocence and blaming the other sister.

Throughout the book, Cavanaugh does a great job of keeping the reader in suspense. The guilty sister kills others to aid in her quest to have her sister thrown in prison, but descriptions are kept to a minimum, along with items that could be applied to both sisters. The reader doesn't learn who the guilty one was until the last pages of the book.

it was a fast pace read, one that kept the reader interested until the very end.

Can't wait to read more Eddie Flynn books!

Another fast paced read from Steve Cavanagh. I enjoy the cast of characters and am invested in them. I really hope that this Eddie Flynn series is picked up by a streaming service because I'd love to watch it, after reading the books first.

What a thrilling ride! Fifty Fifty will 100% grab you!. While the premise of the book initially caught my interest I have to confess it was the characters that grabbed me and kept me along for the ride. This was my first read of Steve Cavanagh and I will look for more books by him - particularly as other reviewers said this wasn’t their favourite. I didn’t figure this one out - and I often do with thrillers. The twists and turns kept me engaged and 2nd guessing my thinking. While there were some overly graphic scenes that I could have done without, this was an entertaining and gripping read and I particularly enjoyed the courtroom drama. Big thanks to Atria books, Steve Cavanagh and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Can’t wait to see what Cavanagh writes next. 4.5 stars!! Can I please put in a vote for more Kate and Bloch?

I have read several books by Steve Cavanagh including a few in the Eddie Flynn series. I have not read them in order, but that has not mattered much as they can be read as stand alones. I saved this one to read on my beach vacation and long flight home because I knew it would be a four or five star book. With the tumultuous, twisty ending, I rated it five stars. This book had one of the best hooks ever! Two 911 calls are placed from the same home each one is a sister accusing the other one of murdering their high profile, rich, former NYC mayor father.

Eddie ends up representing Sophia, the meeker sister with a history or mental health issues. Alexandra, the polished, professional sister initially hires a top law firm. The DA is unsure which sister committed the murder and tries them together in the hopes that at least one will be found guilty, if not both of them. Let the legal drama begin! This book is told from multiple perspectives which I always love. I also adore a female serial killer which is what we have in this page turner. Of course, Eddie and his squad save the day, but there is some major turmoil for them too. Now, I have to go back and read the books I have missed in this series!

Eddie Flynn used to be a con man, but now he prides himself as an attorney who only defends innocent people. When two sisters point the finger of accusation at each other after their dad is found stabbed to death, Flynn chooses the sister he thinks is innocent. Throughout the trial more people end up dead and it looks more and more like that one of the sisters may be a serial killer.

Steve Cavanagh has become a must read for me. After his book Kill for Me, Kill for you, I have been reading some of his earlier work and it is excellent! I love the Eddie Flynn books and look forward to working my way through them!

In this book, there has been 1 murder of a father and both sisters blame each other, but who is really at fault of the murder? Also there are a few there incidents that happen but until you get to the end you have no idea who is the next doing all the killing.

I love the Eddie Flynn series! I purchased a couple of the titles from the UK because couldn’t find them here and the waiting list was too long through the library. With that being said, this was my least favorite of the series. Eddie was not quite the same character as in the first few books. I liked the addition of the character Katie but found it a little unbelievable that she would be able to do so well in a trial without any experience. I did not like the“She” chapters. The were too unbelievable. I actually skimmed over many of those chapters. I also found it unnecessary to kill start a love interest for Eddie so soon after his divorce just to kill her off just as quickly.

While this book kept my attention idk why it fell flat for me maybe I just wasn’t rooting for anyone
Either way it was good writing I just didn’t connect with the book

thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

this might be the perfect thriller. idk what else to say about it really. absolutely masterful plotting and wow I just could not stop second-guessing myself on every little thing about this book. fantastic characters as well - I wanted everything to work out for both of them because I liked them so much, and yet I kept feeling sooo much dread because I knew that wasn't possible. didn't think I was gonna like a legal thriller this much!

also idk what it says about me but I always eat up shit like the "She" chapters. they really make great thrillers what they are, what can I say.

Fifty-Fifty is one of those thrillers that grabs you with the premise alone—and thankfully, it delivers. Two sisters, one dead father, and both pointing the finger at each other? It’s dark, it’s twisted, and it plays with the idea of trust in the most unsettling ways.

What I loved most is how the book leans into psychological tension. You’re constantly teetering between Alexandra and Sofia, trying to decipher the truth while second-guessing everything. Their voices are distinct but equally unreliable, which makes the unraveling of the truth genuinely fun to track. The courtroom drama adds another layer of intensity without bogging down the pacing.

I wouldn’t say it’s perfect—a few reveals feel slightly telegraphed, and some side characters didn’t leave much of an impression—but the core of the story is rock solid. It’s fast-paced without feeling shallow, and it keeps you thinking long after the last page.

A great pick if you love sibling dysfunction, psychological mind games, and morally gray storytelling.

Two sisters accuse each other of murdering their father. Which is the killer? Steve Cavanagh, a lawyer himself, has Eddie Flynn represent one of the sisters in this fast-paced legal thriller. Not having read a Steve Cavanagh book before, this book was grittier than I expected.

Thank you, Atria and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

This was riveting and really well written. I did struggle a bit with the two sisters, the "she" chapters and keeping everyone straight but overall I thought this was really well written and such a well plotted out mystery!

I was first introduced to defense attorney Eddie Flynn in Witness 8, which is actually Book 8 in the series. I have since gone back and read the previous stories up to this one, Fifty Fifty, which is Book 5. This story kept me on my toes, for sure! Alexandra and Sofia are sisters. Both call 911 after finding their father murdered. Both blame the other. Sofia hires Eddie Flynn to defend her and we get to figure out along with Eddie, what really happened. There are a lot of hints along the way. I enjoyed the peek into the legal system and not surprisingly, the author was a lawyer, I believe. Well done, very twisty and suspenseful. This can easily be read as a standalone, although the series is shaping up to be really good and I look forward to completing it.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Steve Cavanagh and Atria Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of June 03, 2025.

This is the 5th book in the Eddie Flynn series. Apparently it was published in the UK in 2020 but only now becoming available in the US. So I'm reading them all out of order. Which hasn't been a problem so far.

Ok, so two sisters are on trial for murdering their murder, each one claiming the other did it. One is guilty - which one?

Sounds like a riddle doesn't it? One of the interesting things about this book is that we get numerous narrators so we're given different viewpoints. The sections about the person walking to the door almost gave me a fit it was so suspenseful. (Trying not to give away anything).

Even with one of our main narrators being the killer, I couldn't figure out which sister was guilty - I kept changing my guess every few pages. It definitely held my attention and I completely downgraded the importance of the next day by staying up late to finish it.

Cavanagh is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm becoming a huge Eddie Flynn fan. I just love his character and style. Plus, he is really good at his job. This is my second book of the series and I have read them out of order which has been fine, but I would like to read them in order to see if there is an underlying storyline with the characters.

Two sisters are on trial for murder, they each accuse each other. Say no more- I knew this was going to be a good one and it did not disappoint.

If you love a thriller with crime procedural and court room settings- you will no doubt love this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.