Book Review: Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn, #5) by Steve Cavanagh

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Reading clients and reading juries was my bag. This case wasn’t normal. There was nothing remotely normal about it.”

Two frantic 911 calls - one each made by Alexandra Avellino and Sofia Avellino reporting the gruesome murder of their father, millionaire and former New York City Mayor Frank Avellino. Two sisters, each of whom are blaming the other for the murder of their father. Who did it? Who is telling the truth? Is one of them truly guilty or are they both? The sisters’ relationship has been strained for years and each of them stands to gain if the other is found guilty. It has been heard that their late father was planning to make changes in his will- changes that would result in one of the siblings losing their share of a sizeable inheritance. Was it greed that motivated the killer or was it more than that?

Eddie Flynn, Sofia’s defense attorney has his work cut out for him. With both sisters on trial, each with a fifty-fifty chance of being guilty, it is up to Eddie assisted by former FBI Agent turned PI Harper and his mentor recently retired Judge Harry Ford to prove Sofia’s innocence.

“Before I was a lawyer, I had a life on the other side of the law. Sometimes I had to step back over that line.”

The narrative is shared from three perspectives – our conman turned lawyer, Eddie Flynn, defense attorney Kate Brooks who is representing Alexandra with the firm belief that Alexandra is innocent and the killer “She” who seems to be a step ahead of everyone, eliminating anything and anyone who might prove to be a threat to her. Frank is not her first victim and won’t be her last. Both Eddie and Kate believe that their respective client is innocent but as the narrative progresses and crucial witnesses begin to disappear and/or are killed, it becomes evident that one of them is being played. Will Eddie be able to figure out the truth behind Frank Avellino’s death or will the killer be successful in conning the former conman?

Steve Cavanagh’s Fifty-Fifty is a gripping legal thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. Though there are plenty of breadcrumbs strewn throughout the narrative, the twists and turns and red herrings kept me guessing and doubting my theories till the very end. Tension-filled and intricately plotted this page-turner is truly unputdownable. This series just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to read the next book featuring Eddie Flynn!