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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing! I was hooked from the first chapter. This is the first book by this author I have read I’ll have to check out other books in his catalog.
4.5 stars. I always get told to read this series and after finding out they can be read in any order, i jumped into this one and im so glad I did! This is the kind of book that is so cleverly plotted that you get into triple and quadruple bluff territory, the minute you think you know what is going on, the author turns it on its head. Every clue and red herring seems mirrored and you are lulled into a false sense of security that you have solved the case. I did end up being correct but it certainly wasnt straight forward or clear from the start, instead it steadily builds to the reveal. This was just so clever. An absolute masterclass in plotting a novel. Steve Cavanagh is yet to write anything less than a 4 star for me and is fast becoming a favourite author! The writing is spot on, gripping and feels like a running monologue that involves you in the story- not a single note for improvement on that end.
The characters are so well crafted and feel like fully realised and fleshed out people, no one seems like a copy of another, instead they are distinct and life like which lends so much more enjoyment and higher stakes to the story. Absolutely brilliant. Brownie points to Kate for sticking it to the man, we love a feminist icon <3
The characters are so well crafted and feel like fully realised and fleshed out people, no one seems like a copy of another, instead they are distinct and life like which lends so much more enjoyment and higher stakes to the story. Absolutely brilliant. Brownie points to Kate for sticking it to the man, we love a feminist icon <3
I had the opportunity to read Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh, and it was a gripping, fast-paced legal thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is the second book I’ve read by Cavanagh, and he continues to impress me with his ability to blend courtroom drama with intense psychological suspense.
The premise is fantastic—two sisters are on trial for the murder of their father. One is innocent, the other guilty, and the reader is challenged to figure out who’s telling the truth. I loved how the story weaves between the lawyers building their cases and the sisters themselves, each with their own secrets and strategies. The shifting perspectives kept me on my toes the entire time.
I actually read this on a flight, and it made the time fly by. The pacing was perfect, the twists were clever, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. If you enjoy legal thrillers with a psychological edge, this is a must-read. Cavanagh has a real talent for crafting compelling courtroom battles and layered characters.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Former mayor Frank Avelino has been brutally murdered. Both his daughters were at the scene, covered in blood. Both called 911 claiming their sister killed him, the DA has enough evidence to charge both with first degree murder. Eddie Flynn takes on one sister as his client, sure that she's innocent, and bright young attorney Kate Brooks defends the other, equally sure her client didn't do it. They can't both be wrong, and now it's up to a jury to decide.
Eddie Flynn #5 is a great example of switching things up to keep things fresh. The narration shifts between Eddie, Kate, and the killer, and works well to keep the reader guessing. That being said, the twist was pretty predictable. And Eddie is starting to come across a bit holier-than-thou. But the series is still good fun and exciting!
Eddie Flynn #5 is a great example of switching things up to keep things fresh. The narration shifts between Eddie, Kate, and the killer, and works well to keep the reader guessing. That being said, the twist was pretty predictable. And Eddie is starting to come across a bit holier-than-thou. But the series is still good fun and exciting!
Woah this was dark. And I loved it. Some serious psychotic stuff (big big TWs folks). The casual violence, the crescendo and then waves of emotions that left me feeling absolutely exhausted after reading this - are my favorite. This author knows how to shock and stun even until the very end. I could not stop reading this book, and I loved how the author is clearly showed us that there aren't just 2 sides; there are characters who start to feel like found family even if they are not on the "same side". I love how Eddie is no bullshit, doesn't shy away from the shady to make sure that justice is served and always has a stunning remark up his sleeve. This was a fascinating work of legal thriller unlike anything else.
Note: You NEED to listen to the audiobook. The emotions in this book deserve to be read out to you and this interesting cast of characters all have such a unique voice in the narration.,
Thanks to the publisher for an eARC and ALC; my thoughts are my own.
Note: You NEED to listen to the audiobook. The emotions in this book deserve to be read out to you and this interesting cast of characters all have such a unique voice in the narration.,
Thanks to the publisher for an eARC and ALC; my thoughts are my own.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cavanagh definitely knows how to write a great legal thriller. I’m a big fan of Eddie Flynn and happy to see they are finally releasing all of his books in the US. I predicted the twist, but it was still enjoyable.
A father is brutally killed and both of his daughters are in the house. They each call 911 accuse the other of the murder. One is a psychopath, the question is which one?
A father is brutally killed and both of his daughters are in the house. They each call 911 accuse the other of the murder. One is a psychopath, the question is which one?
dark
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The verdict in this case will be to close to call
Its the kind of lurid, high profile case that lawyers dream about. Frank Avellino, the former mayor of New York City, is dead in his home, brutally murdered. The 911 operators received two phone calls almost simultaneously from the residence, one from each of Frank's daughters Sofia and Alexandra. Each sister is accusing the other of having killed their father, and one of them is telling the truth...but which one? Eddie Flynn, conman turned lawyer, will be representing Sofia, while Kate Brooks, a newly minted attorney trying to rise above the pack in the powerful law firm where she works, has Alexandra for a client. Each lawyer is convinced that their client is the innocent one, but clearly at least one of them is mistaken. As evidence is uncovered it points in both directions; the sisters' upbringing for example was far from idyllic with a mother who at best would be called abusive, but her actions were directed at both her daughters, so it doesn't help implicate or exonerate either one. This case will go down to the wire...will the jury get it right, or will the wrong sister be convicted?
Fifty Fifty is a fast paced legal thriller which throws twist after twist into the narrative, making it hard for the reader to pinpoint the killer. Eddie is an interesting lead character, a lawyer who started life as a successful con artist and found that the same skills that made him good in that earlier career serve him equally well in sizing up his clients (he refuses to defend a guilty client) and manipulating juries. In this latest case even he can't get a bead on how the jury will vote, and for him its an unsettling sensation. Kate is an ambitious young lawyer who finds that her path to a successful career flows straight through a group of sexist, condescending men who control the field in which she works and therefore her future. Its not enough for her to work hard and well, she has to duck groping hands and awkward passes. The story is told in chapters with alternating perspectives from Eddie, Kate and "She" (the killer), and as the killer details the motivations driving her it explains why things have unfolded as the they have...but it doesn't help the reader figure out which sister "She" is. The driving force of the book is not the characters, though, it is the courtroom action and the intriguing story line that keep the reader turning the pages. Readers of Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer series, Harlan Coben and Lisa Scottoline would be likely to find this an enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me access to this clever legal thriller in exchange for my honest review.
Its the kind of lurid, high profile case that lawyers dream about. Frank Avellino, the former mayor of New York City, is dead in his home, brutally murdered. The 911 operators received two phone calls almost simultaneously from the residence, one from each of Frank's daughters Sofia and Alexandra. Each sister is accusing the other of having killed their father, and one of them is telling the truth...but which one? Eddie Flynn, conman turned lawyer, will be representing Sofia, while Kate Brooks, a newly minted attorney trying to rise above the pack in the powerful law firm where she works, has Alexandra for a client. Each lawyer is convinced that their client is the innocent one, but clearly at least one of them is mistaken. As evidence is uncovered it points in both directions; the sisters' upbringing for example was far from idyllic with a mother who at best would be called abusive, but her actions were directed at both her daughters, so it doesn't help implicate or exonerate either one. This case will go down to the wire...will the jury get it right, or will the wrong sister be convicted?
Fifty Fifty is a fast paced legal thriller which throws twist after twist into the narrative, making it hard for the reader to pinpoint the killer. Eddie is an interesting lead character, a lawyer who started life as a successful con artist and found that the same skills that made him good in that earlier career serve him equally well in sizing up his clients (he refuses to defend a guilty client) and manipulating juries. In this latest case even he can't get a bead on how the jury will vote, and for him its an unsettling sensation. Kate is an ambitious young lawyer who finds that her path to a successful career flows straight through a group of sexist, condescending men who control the field in which she works and therefore her future. Its not enough for her to work hard and well, she has to duck groping hands and awkward passes. The story is told in chapters with alternating perspectives from Eddie, Kate and "She" (the killer), and as the killer details the motivations driving her it explains why things have unfolded as the they have...but it doesn't help the reader figure out which sister "She" is. The driving force of the book is not the characters, though, it is the courtroom action and the intriguing story line that keep the reader turning the pages. Readers of Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer series, Harlan Coben and Lisa Scottoline would be likely to find this an enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me access to this clever legal thriller in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated