A man is brutally stabbed to death and within a matter of minutes his daughters make separate calls to emergency services accusing each other of the murder. Eddie Flynn prepares to defend one of the daughters, convinced that his client is falsely accused by her sister.

I enjoyed the interesting premise, the court room scenes and the device of labelling one of the narrator's 'she' to ensure the reader constantly reconsiders who they believe to be the murderer. Cavanagh has created a particularly vicious and manipulative female lead. The subplot surrounding Eddie Flynn's personal life adds to the development of his character as he confronts another blow.

I did guess the killer but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. A book to read in one gulp.

A brilliant 5⭐️ Read for this book. The first Eddie Flynn novel I have read, but certainly not the last, I have all the others lined up ready to read. Two sister Alexandra and Sofia have both called 911 and asked for paramedics and police, both claiming to have found their father brutally murdered, both claiming the other sister did it. But which one is telling the truth and which one is lying. The dead man Frank Avellino is the ex mayor of NYC. So this is a high profile case and many lawyers want to represent one of the sisters.

Eddie takes on Sofia, he only takes on cases that he believes the accused is not guilty, walking away from the ones he believes are guilty. Working alongside Eddie is retired judge Harry and his investigator Harper. The DA has decided to do a joint trial with both sisters and one jury, this way ensuring someone is found guilty, giving him a win win situation. Kate a relatively newly qualified lawyer takes on Alexandra’s defence with her friend Bloch as her investigator.

So which sister are you going to believe? The confident, businesswoman, immaculately dressed, Alexandra. Or the nervous, self harming, in and out of rehab, Sofia. Or could they both be involved. I have to say as I read this I couldn’t work out who I thought was guilty. With more murders happening throughout the trial related to the trial this was one gripping read.

The tension is held throughout, the pace and characters are just perfect. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Orion for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

I have a confession to make. I have a couple of Steve Cavanaghs previous books and I haven’t gotten around to reading them, despite my wife loving them and telling me they would be right up my street.
So I decided to read this straight away when I got it as an introduction to the series. She was right of course. I devoured this one and loved every minute.

The spiel: Two sisters on trial for the murder of their father in New York. Both made 911 calls reporting the murder and blaming the other as the perpetrator.
Eddie Flynn ends up defending one do the sisters after she convinces him she is the innocent party. But can he prove her innocence or will she go down for the murder of her father? It’s fifty-fifty.

That’s a fairly basic synopsis of this cracker of a story. Told from multiple perspectives, including the killer(referred to as “she” when it’s her chapters) the book moves at an incredible pace.
Im a fairly pedestrian reader, usually taking a week to ten days to read your average book. I read this one in a little over twenty four hours. I couldn’t put it down. Lost track of time, how far I was into the book etc. I was all in with it from the off.
I loved Eddie as a character and am only raging it took me this long to discover him. I am so looking forward to reading the back catalogue in the series.
We also have one of the most memorable and evil killers I can remember in a long time.

The book is largely court room drama as well as many side arcs as Cavanagh weaves the threads to keep you guessing and ultimately make sense of everything that has gone before. Perhaps he showed his hand a little too much and the ending was a little predictable(let’s face it, it was either one or the other)although there were some very clever explanations of what had gone on before that I didn’t see coming that made sense of every little thing that happened in the book previously.

One of my favourite reads of the year so far. An absolute blast and adrenaline rush from start to finish. Add to this a really good story line, some very well written and memorable characters and you have a near perfect book. Seriously. This book gave me so much enjoyment. I’m actually delighted there are more in the series that I can look forward to reading. I may have a started at the wrong end of the series but boy what an introduction. Stunning.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Orion Publishing Group and Steve Cavanagh for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Northern Irish thriller writer Steve Cavanagh sure knows how to tell a hell of a story. After delivering an excellent standalone last year, he returns to his main character Eddie Flynn, the battered but honourable con man turned defense attorney trying to find some measure of justice for his clients in New York.

Once again Cavanagh sets an appetising hook - two sisters on trial for the brutal killing of their father, the former mayor of New York City. Each accuses the other; the prosecution just wants someone to pay. And once again Cavanagh delivers depth and thrills beyond the high-concept hook. He has a terrific touch for in-court intrigue blended with out-of-court action, providing real freshness in a sub-genre that's somewhat circumscribed by the binary 'guilty or not guilty' outcome of most criminal trials. A superb main character, a terrific plotline, intriguing characters beyond Eddie Flynn, and a great sense of the New York legal setting. A really great fifth instalment in a series that may be one of the very best to emerge in crime fiction in the past few years.

Thanks net galley and thanks Steve Cavanagh for letting me have an early edition of this book, for an honest opinion of what I think.
It was one of the most exciting murder and court room books I have ever read,maybe the best.
Two sisters who hated each other, murdered their father, and both sisters said the other one did it.
I must admit I never guessed the ending, and the book was so great could not put it down.
Would give this book more than five stars if I could.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good court room drama.

Why haven't I found this author before?

I absolutely loved this book, really well written and can certainly tell that he had done his research before writing it.

Two sister - One murdered Father

Each accusing the other

Totally addictive and amazing twists in the storyline.

Highly recommended

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

Fifty-Fifty is the fifth book in the Eddie Flynn series following conman-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn in another whirlwind court case. Frank Avellino, one of NYC's influential men was murdered, with two suspects pointing their fingers at each other. The suspects: his daughters. We follow the case mainly from three POVs - Eddie, Kate (a new lawyer and defendant of one of the suspects), and the murderer herself.

This was really thrilling, and fast-paced. The guess at who the murderer could be is very much back and forth as there's much at play. Steve Cavanagh does well in planting hints that either suspect could be the murderer. He presents the case in such an engaging manner that it's hard not to read the entire novel in one sitting. The novel could be read as a standalone, but if you're a person that likes to follow the backstory of the main character, I suggest reading it from the beginning, as this doesn't give much light to the past of Eddie Flynn to give a solid grasp of the character unlike the previous novels. I like the direction the series is taking, and I can't wait to read succeeding books.

*I requested a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

This starts off exactly as the premise lays out. Two sisters make a 911 call to say their father is dead, but each sister is blaming the other for his murder.
Right from the beginning, you are hooked, you don’t know who the killer is or their motive. You are being given insight into the killer’s mind throughout the book in the’ She’ chapters, but nothing regarding their identity is given away.
I spent the entire book going back and forth on who I believed to be guilty. I was fifty-fifty throughout! Even right up until the end I just couldn’t call it, this really keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I would have liked the book to move at a more brisk pace; it did feel as if it was filled a little too much with the lawyer’s lives. I found myself rushing through these sections to get back to the murder trial and the two sisters. I understand that Kate needed to be introduced as a central player, and by the looks of it, she is going to be in future books.
I think I found the moroseness of Eddie quite hard to handle. I’m not sure if he was like this in the last book I read? I understand something terrible happens, but even before that he felt a little too miserable and depressing for my liking. I think I need to go right back to the beginning of the Eddie Flynn books so that I can maybe get to know him a little bit more and understand him.
This book holds no punches though; it is shocking, graphic and utterly brilliant! Even the slow bit didn’t deter me from being completely gripped. I just wanted to know which of the sisters was the evil one.
Highly recommend and like I say I am going to go back to book one and read the rest of this series very soon.

This is the 5th book in the series but the first one I have read. It worked well as a stand-alone and I found it easy to follow. It was so good though I am going to buy the previous books and read them all in order. Very good storyline and I didn’t know which way it was going to go. Great bunch of characters and I look forward to reading more about them in future books

Sofia and Alexandra Avellino. Two sisters on trial for the murder of their father. Each of them blaming the other. But who’s telling the truth?

This book was tremendous! I genuinely did not want to put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Those 911 calls were so ingenious and unsettling that I actually got chills, which has never happened to me when reading a book before.

Excellently written, Steve’s books always play out with the maximum amount of tension and drama, whilst keeping you enthralled in brilliantly orchestrated plot.

In Fifty Fifty, you never quite feel confident about who the killer is. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, he throws another clue in that makes you question everything you think you know which is annoying but brilliant.

The characters are amazing. Eddie Flynn is a genius and I really felt for him as he is tested in so many ways. Harry is a legend - no further elaboration required. I loved the introduction of the new characters and I’m sure we’ll see more of them.

Genuinely cannot recommend this book or this author highly enough. Steve Cavanagh is a master when it comes to courtroom thrillers, and an auto-buy author for me. If you haven’t read his Eddie Flynn series yet I suggest that you do, you will not be disappointed!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eddie Flynn is back and this time its Fifty- Fifty if he's defending the right girl.

This outing for Eddie Flynn is very court room based as we follow the trial of Sofia and Alexandra Avellino, sisters how are both accused by each other of the murderer of their father Frank.
All the way through this book I was fifty-fifty as to whether I knew who was the actual killer. The book is riddled with clues but still I was unsure.

This is another great book by Steve Cavanagh and one I will be recommending to fans of Eddie Flynn.

I will never be able to listen to She by Elvis Costello again within thinking of this book !

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an unbiased review.

This is the second book I read by Steve Cavanagh and let me fill you in right away, it was just as brilliant as Twisted, the first one I read. The title for this novel is perfect but just the same, he could also have called it Twisted 2 and it would work just as fine.

The general feeling I had when reading Fifty Fifty was that there was a conflicting war raging in my head and it started as soon as I had turned those first few pages. I simply can NOT have not knowing who the culprit is when I know full well it has to be one of only two suspects. I mean, how hard can it be? I’m a master sleuth after all :-). Well it was giving me a splitting headache, that’s how hard it was.

At first both sisters seemed possible suspects but then I thought more clues were leading towards one of them. One of them has mental issues, the other one is pretty organised and calculated, so you have your pick. I was well aware that it could of course also be a clever move from the author leading me on and that I needed to pick the other one… although if I were a profiler, I’d definitely be going with one sister.. at least I think… Argh, after a while I simply didn’t know anymore what to think. The best strategy in such a case I find is settling with ‘your initial thought’ so I did just that and guess what, everything added up for her being the one. Yeah and still I was wrong :-). I’ll tell you who else was wrong: her lawyer! Both Flynn and Kate are convinced that their client is innocent and at least one of them is in for a big surprise. That’s the only thing about the whole book that seems a bit unreal, they are both such goody toeshoes, neither wants to take clients on who aren’t innocent. I learned enough by now to know that a lawyer with a conscience, only prepared to defend innocent clients is not how the world goes round, and two of them in the same room… let’s just say it made me shake my head for far too long.

Anyway it takes a lot of skill for a story to work for both characters and not be obvious who’s pulling the strings. Cavanagh really kept me guessing and spreading uncertainty with each new revelation that was brought up or dismantled in the courtroom. Flynn is one heck of a lawyer and Kate’s not too bad herself. I was hanging onto their words to see how they would discredit a witness or turn a testimony into their favour. I was very excited to see if the baddie would get away with it after all and of course I was more than interested to know why the father had to die in the first place. Everything falls into place in the end and afterwards you’ll just say of course…

I haven’t read the rest of the series yet (I certainly will though!) but I was at no disadvantage, this can be read perfectly as a standalone. Brilliant and addictive!

I am a big fan of Steve Cavanagh having read all his books. Eddie Flynn is a great character. Well-written, great characters, great plot. Recommended.

Wow what a story. I recently read Th1rt3en by the same author and absolutely loved it so could not wait to read this. The story picks up another case for Eddie Flynn from the previous story. The characters are reintroduced but not to the extent of repetitiveness. I love the characters, I love the clever and articulate way in which legal arguments are made in the courtroom and I love the twists throughout. A fantastic read and would say that you do not need to have read the series in order or tried before. Can’t wait for more

I am in love with this series and with Eddie Flynn. I can't get enough. I read Thirteen last year and quickly went back and read all of the previous books in the series. I didn't feel like I missed out on much reading the stories slightly out of order but reading them background was helpful. This book was brilliant, I can't fault Steve Cavanagh and I can't wait to read more in the series.

Another fantastic legal thriller in the Eddie Flynn series. Eddie will never take on a case if he isn't certain of the client's innocence. Two sisters are charged with murdering their father who was an ex-mayor of New York City. They were both at the scene of the crime covered in blood and they both rang 911 accusing each other of the crime. One of them is definitely guilty but which one? I loved every aspect of the book, it has lots going on and kept my full interest right to the last page.

Fifty - Fifty has hands down been my favourite crime read of 2020. It had me gripped from the first page to the last, I honestly had no idea how it would finish. I love Steve Cavanagh books, they are just in a different level to the majority of other books out there. He is an absolute genius at creating suspenseful and well thought out plots. I love the introduction of the character of Kate especially in Fifty-Fifty. I can't wait to read more about Eddie Flynn in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this ARC.

Now it's been a while since I've read a Criminal Trial story so it felt good to get stuck into something other than a thriller.

The synopsis to this one had me sucked in.. 2 sisters both on trial but accusing each other.. intriguing or what!

This has got to be one of the most gripping court room dramas I have read in a long time. Fast paced, tense, full of apprehension and totally twisted.

This is part of a series but I hadnt read the previous books and still found it worked well as a stand alone (I'll be ordering the first 2) which was refreshing to find as most series really need reading in order.

The characters are brilliantly and sympathetically written and Steve Cavanagh always manages to convey the emotion so well.

A total page turner that will leave you guessing until the end!

A solid 4*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC.

This latest Eddie Flynn book is another cracking read by Steve Cavanagh. Full of plot twists right until the end. A real page turner of a book and from start to finish it never let up. Each chapter keeps going from one character to another which I love. Looking forward to the next outing with Eddie Flynn. 5 stars all the way

Two sisters blame each other for the murder of their father. There is evidence tying them both to the crime. Lawyer Eddie Flynn isn't content with just defending his client. He wants to make sure that the real perpetrator is punished, but this killer is willing (and enthusiastic) to kill again to stop that happening.

Cavanagh has a gift for writing stories that will keep you guessing right up until the very end. My head was spinning from trying to work out which of the sisters was guilty. Were they both guilty? Both innocent?

Thank you #NetGalley and Orion Publishing for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.