When two sisters are both accused of murdering their father, Eddie Flynn defends one in a joint trial with tons of twists and turns.

This book is a perfect legal thriller! It had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me on the line for the entirety of the story. The story seamlessly blends action with the trial and explanation. I didn’t realize it was part of a series until after I started and now I want to go back and read them all!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing a free ARC for review via NetGalley.

2 sisters are on trial for the gruesome murder of their father. They each blame the other. Their lawyers think each of their clients is innocent.
This was a great story and had me guessing which one did it till the end. Can’t wait to read more of this series.
Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC that will be published June 2025!

This one really got me. As a true crime fanatic, I really thought I knew who it was in the end. I went back-and-forth through the whole book deciding who was the killer and in the end, I still picked the wrong sister. Steve Cavanagh did such a great job with this one. I absolutely love his books. They are so captivating. This book had me so intrigued and constantly guessing that I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an early copy of this re-release.

4.5⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Steve Cavanagh is the king of unreliable narrators. Usually. And that’s not to say, that this time it was bad. If anything, he is just proving again that the perfection of Thirteen wasn’t just a fluke. What I am trying to say is that Thirteen was a little more impactful for me personally.

But let’s start from the beginning.

In this instalment of Eddie Flynn series we watch Eddie defend one of the two sisters that were arrested for the brutal murder of their father. They are accusing each other, there are strong forensic evidence tying both of them to the crime. But which one of them did I it?
We also meet a new character Kate, who is representing the other sister. And occasionally we have a POV chapter of SHE - the killer.

The twists were twisting, the pace was pacing and lawyers were lawyering 😄 in this legal thriller.
I really wanted to give it 5⭐️, but as great as this book is, it just didn’t quite get there.

The entire time the story keeps you in suspense, keeps you guessing which sister is a killer, and makes you second guess yourself on every turn.

🥸✍️Slight spoilers ahead🥸✍️

Now, this is where it lost half a star for me:
The SHE pov chapters are written carefully as to not reveal which sister are reading about, but it does include little hints to look out for and then it would make a point to include that little thing in both sisters narratives. For example, *spoiler* we see SHE unpack some packages 📦 and leave the boxes by the door, and in following chapters, the book makes it a point to point out the boxes by the door in both sisters’ apartments. Or we know that She was running in black Lycra and ball cap, and then we are shown that both sisters own black Lycra and ball cap. And on its own it isn’t bad, and it was done well. I just thought that it was frankly unnecessary, we as a readers are already there as in we don’t know who killed the dad, and adding those details to show that it could be either of them since that little hint about her identity points to both sisters. It just made it seem too coincidental at times and became redundant.

Also, what about the bite mark? *spoiler* So from the very start of the book we are told that the prosecution has 2 strong forensic evidences against sisters. There was Sophia’s hair imbedded in the wound by the knife during murder and a bite mark on their father’s chest that was a match to Alexandra. And unless I’m missing something the bite mark was never really explained. I think it was supposed to be explained as Sophia bit him, but why would it match even just closely enough to Alexandra. And I know, they sort of discredited the expert in court. But, come on, like they literally identify burnt bodies by dental records, and you trying to tell me that it matched Alexandra, coz teeth are so similar and it would match a lot of people plus something about rigorous mortis distortion or whatever. In this case why wouldn’t it match Sophia’s bite, especially considering she is actually the one who bit him.🤷‍♀️?
It feels like a bit of a plot hole left.

And in general, I wanted a bit more of the sisters dynamics and motivations, I felt like there wasn’t enough for the level of hate they have for each other, and I just wish it was explored a little more.

🌼🌼End of spoilers🌼🌼

Overall, except for those couple of small things, I really really enjoyed the book. Even though it’s a 5th in the series, you can read it out of order and not feel like you are missing anything. Though I do recommend to read it in order for a fuller experience, but really not mandatory.

This book captivated me from the first page to the last! Fifty Fifty is a re-release of the 5th installment in the Eddie Flynn series. You do NOT need to read them in order, they are all stand alones. As a reader who does not gravitate toward legal thrillers, I make an exception for Steve Cavanaugh because his books are so compelling, original, and mind blowing. I can’t get enough!

Two sisters, both accused of murdering their high profile father. One is guilty and one is innocent, maybe. Both sisters are pointing their finger at each other as the killer. Eddie Flynn only represents defendants who are innocent. He can see it in their eyes. He has the ability to peg a liar. Is his defendant a murderer or is she a victim?

This was so twisty and written so expertly I had no idea how it would end. If you haven’t read a book by this author yet, this is a good one to start with.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available to purchase now.

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing and writing were fantastic. I was hooked from the first page, and I didn't put it down until I'd devoured the whole thing. Plus, the characters were great. You really got a feel for them, and switching between different points of view kept things super interesting.

Even though this is book five in the series, it totally works as a standalone. You don't need to have read the previous books to get sucked in. So, if you're like me and hesitant to jump into a series midway, don't be!

Bottom line is I loved it. This book was a blast, and I'm already adding more Steve Cavanagh to my TBR pile. If you're looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing, this is it. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book. I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sort of a slow start but once the trial started I was much more into it! I was going back and forth the whole book about which sister caused the murder. However in the end it was still pretty predictable for me. But overall good book that I would recommend!
Thank you Netgally for the ARC copy of this book!

Really, really good book! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!!

Two sisters are both accused of killing their father. How is that when they both called the police? They are accusing each other of the terrible crime. Determining who is guilty could go either way. It will be up to the lawyers to save their client in a joint trial. It's clear that one of them is a murderer m, but which one?

Fifty Fifty will keep you guessing. The reader is taken through the process of the arrest, selection of the lawyers by the clients, and on to the trial. We get perspectives from the two defense lawyers, the main character Eddie, and Kate.

We also get chapters from the viewpoint of "She" who is one of the sisters and the killer. She walks us through her plans and reactions to the trial. There's no way to know if it's Sofia or Alexandra talking. There are small things that will have you going back and forth as to who is guilty. I have to say I still ended up mostly believing in one of them but I ended up being wrong.

The twists and thrills come from the trial, watching the lawyers examine the witnesses and trying to make their case. Some of the scenes are quite lengthy as evidence is gone through in detail. I would have liked to see more from the sisters to feel like I could get a better grip on who they are.

Eddie Flynn is a fun character. His team is great too. It's fun watching him.go up against the prosecution and the police. At times I was reminded of Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason books, both with the investigation and mystery largely playing out in the courtroom. And with Eddie's narrative voice. Fifty Fifty isn't cozy though. The case of the Avellino sisters is dark and twisted. Unraveling what happened isn't easy but you'll have fun trying.

Fifty Fifty is a fascinating and thriller, one with lots of twists and suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Once I picked up this book, I found myself not wanting to put it down. It is suspenseful from start to finish, and just when I thought I was sure which sister was the killer, something would happen and cause me to second-guess myself. This book has everything that makes a thriller great, and it has definitely made me a Steve Cavanagh fan! A solid 5 star read!
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Steve Cavangh for this suspenseful read!

Another hit from Steve Cavanagh. Even though it's part of a series, you can easily read this as a stand-alone novel. Kept me guessing until the very end - should be a huge hit at the library.

Two sisters are both on trial for the murder of their father. Each sister is blaming the other. Which one is guilty?

Steve Cavanaugh is my favorite author for all legal thrillers. Though I have only read few books from the Eddie Flynn series, it is certainly my goal to read all of them. Eddie is such an unlikely likable character. This book in particular had such a unique storyline and I loved trying to figure out which sister was guilty. The first chapter starts out with a bang with double 911 calls, and really never slows down. I certainly never had the guilty party nailed down throughout the whole book. I also loved Kate's character and hope to see more of her in the rest of the series. The book of course was twisty like most from this author, and end wrapped up perfectly.

I’m generally not one for legal thrillers, but this was fantastic.

This feels more like a mystery with lawyers involved than a true legal thriller, though a good bit of it is courtroom procedural, and I was surprised by how enthralled I was with those components of the story given that it’s usually not to my taste.

I’m new to the series, though it’s clear that these can be read out of order. You don’t need to know anything about Flynn coming in to enjoy this, though I’ll certainly be going back and reading the earlier books in the series now.

That the killer was able to keep to what they were doing for so long and pick off so many people before being stopped feels a bit far-fetched, but I found I really didn’t mind, as the structure is good and this is well solved and sewn up in the end.

The book has a number of twists, but they work well for the story and don’t feel like twists for twists’ sake. I appreciated that it took me a long time to figure out who the killer was and why, and that Cavanagh made sure it all adds up in the end.

Will we see more of Kate in future installments of the series? I certainly hope so, as she makes for an intriguing central character alongside Flynn.

Two sisters accusing each other for murder... and the killer will do whatever it takes to make sure she isn't caught.

Eddie Flynn – and ex conman turned lawyer – and his crew are no typical defense counsel, Flynn only represents those he feels are truly innocent... and they will fight to the end to ensure that justice is served.

Steve Cavanagh books are like Law and Order with a borderline vigilante twist – all of the court drama we crave with a big helping of justice!

This book is the perfect whodunit – with so many twists and surprises throughout, you will NOT want to put this one down!

As a fan of Law & Order, I needed this book. I was so excited to get an early copy of this sent to me by Atria!

I loved the following this story and not only the court room drama aspect, but the building suspense throughout. I love the characters, especially Eddie. The writing was so well done and perfectly unfolded the mysteries in an intriguing way.

I can’t wait to read more of this series.

Fifty Fifty was my first read by Steve Cavanagh. This mystery crime thriller was filled with twists and turns and kept me engaged the entire book! When two sisters are on trial for the murder of their father it's a fifty fifty shot that one of them is the murderer! As told by the evil SHE it kept me guessing all the way to the end who was the guilty one! I'll definitely be reading more of Eddie Flynn's legal dramas!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Steve Cavanagh for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I may be officially hooked on Eddie Flynn books! My decision on which sister did it changed constantly throughout this book. I loved the multiple perspectives, especially that of 'She'. The ending had my jaw on the ground and left me wanting to go back and re-read the book to see if I could pick up any clues I missed in the beginning as to who the killer was.

Well after I finished this I realized it was number five in a series. But honestly it read perfectly fine as a standalone, no regrets and now I kinda want to read the rest of them. Lol
It is such a great book, I really enjoyed it. I loved all the main characters and their relationships with each other. It was well written and fast paced, I had a hard time putting it down. The book has a few different POVs which is instrumental in properly telling the story and keeping the readers on their toes. Loved all the plot twists and it had a very satisfying ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

This is everything I want to read in a thriller! I absolutely love a good court room drama, I could not put this one down.

It was so twisty, fast paced and really keeps you engaged the whole way through! I really felt like I was in the court room in this one, it was so well written and as a result became so vivid in my mind while reading.

I hadn’t read the previous books in this series so I was worried that was going to be an issue, and it wasn’t at all, which I absolutely love!

Overall I really enjoyed this read and I’ll definitely be checking out his other books!

This is a quick, twisty legal thriller centered around a high-profile murder case where two sisters accuse each other of killing their father—former NYC mayor Frankie Avellino. The evidence is stacked in a way that makes either (or both!) of them seem guilty, and I loved trying to piece it all together.

The courtroom scenes were definitely sharp, tense, and full of great back-and-forth. I also really liked the moments where the lawyers were strategizing behind the scenes. If you’re into legal thrillers, this definitely scratches that itch. One of my favorite elements was the multiple POVs, especially getting glimpses into the murderer’s mind without knowing who it was. That gave it an extra layer of suspense. That said, the ending didn’t shock me, and a few of the clues pointing toward one sister felt a bit implausible or forced.

If you’re looking for a smart, fast read that’ll keep you turning pages, this one’s definitely worth picking up.