Written by contributor Verushka Byrow
Fifty-Fifty is the kind of legal thriller you’d want every legal thriller to be like. It’s the fifth in the Eddie Flynn series, but it is a self-contained case, and a new beginning for Eddie in some ways — and that’s why it is the perfect book to break into this series.
So what’s the case?
Sofia and Alexandra both find their father’s dead body in his house, with enough evidence for the DA to be happy if one of them gets put away for the murder. Eddie isn’t going up against the DA here; he’s going up against the killer, which he’ll say is Alexandra, while her lawyer, Kate, will say it’s his client, Sofia who is the murderer.
And Kate is the new (professional) beginning I’m talking about here. Given the detail and care Cavanagh gives her character, I figured she’d either get her own series, or be a more prominent player in Eddie’s life moving forward. Seeing how Kate progressed in this book — standing up to the sexist bullshit at her firm, before she steals Alexandra from under her boss’s nose is a thing of beauty, and yes, I was #TeamKate all the way.
That’s the beauty of her character, I think — Cavanagh has created a compelling character you’ll relate to, you’ll root for at the same time you’re following Eddie and wishing the same for him.
But the sisters… I think these sisters would be the very picture of chalk and cheese — Alexandra is accomplished, put together and hates her sister. Sofia is fragile, and emotionally spent and hates her sister. So who is the killer? That is the question isn’t it?
Cavanagh has created a case with two lawyers you will want to succeed even though they are essentially hoping the other one’s client is the killer — and then he’ll make you change your mind. Eddie prides himself on being to pick an innocent client and knowing what verdict the jury will bring back, but Fifty-Fifty isn’t that clearcut.
The book tells us what Eddie does, but what’s a reader to do? Go along for the ride, because I went from Alexandra to Sofia and back again wondering who was the killer. Eddie and Kate are as suspicious as you are, and as the evidence piles up, and the bodies, I didn’t know which way to turn, to be honest.
And then there’s the ending… Yeah, I’m going to stop writing here because there’s I will be gushing, and letting things slip if I don’t.
Add this to your TBR. This is a thriller that will leave you torn in the best way.
Fifty-Fifty is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Will you be picking up Fifty-Fifty? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Two sisters on trial for murder. Both accuse each other.
Who do YOU believe?
Alexandra Avellino has just found her father’s mutilated body, and needs the police right away. She believes her sister killed him, and that she is still in the house with a knife.
Sofia Avellino has just found her father’s mutilated body and needs the police right away. She believes her sister, Alexandra did it, and that she is still in the house, locked in the bathroom.
Both women are to go on trial at the same time. A joint trial in front of one jury.
But one of these women is lying. One of them is a murderer. Sitting in a jail cell, about to go on trial with her sister for murder, you might think that this is the last place she expected to be.
You’d be wrong.
