Book Review #95: Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

 

This is my first Steve Cavanagh book, but I had read great reviews before buying it. I actually got two of the books in Cavanagh's 'Eddie Flynn' series at the same time, but as this one had the more interesting plot of the two, I started here.

When Frank Avellino dies, his daughters Alexandra and Sofia immediately blame each other, trying to make sure the other sister gets jailed for the murder. But as the case consumes the lives of everyone involved, and true evil is revealed, which one of the Avellino sisters is a liar... and a killer?

I absolutely loved this book. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time.

For a start, I love Cavanagh's writing style. It didn't take long to become addicted to this story because it felt like watching a TV show. I found that there wasn't much character description, and yet I could picture everyone and everything really clearly. 

But as well as the writing style, I enjoyed the way that the story was told. We see this story play out from multiple perspectives, including the perspective of the killer, and I loved that. It's one thing to be able to see the evidence as the jury sees it, but it's entirely different to share headspace with this character and not know who they are.

The most important aspects of the story, and the trial, were teased out really really well. The benefit of the defendants being sisters is that, because we don't get to know them that well, we really don't know who to trust, and this works in Cavanagh's favour.

This book is full of amazing characters. Of course, there is Eddie Flynn, who is the main character and the subject of 6 books by Cavanagh, but I loved every one of the supporting characters too. They all felt distinct and real, and I would read about any of them in another book, because they can all stand on their own.      

Tension is created and built really well. There were times when I was holding my breath, waiting for something crucial to be revealed at the end of a chapter.

And then there's the reveal. The problem with only having two suspects is that there are a limited number of options in terms of how the story could end. But even though I made a guess that I thought was right, I was still surprised when everything was revealed.

What was good?

I loved the sub-plots throughout the story, especially that of Kate Brooks, who was definitely one of my favourite characters. She was an amazing character, she had a lot of development in a short space of time, and I loved the way that the main story contributed to her back-story.

What was bad?

There are some characters that I would have liked to hear more from. I won't name them because it could give something away, but some characters definitely deserved more time.

Overall

I loved this book. It's been a little while since I've read a book that I didn't want to put down. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a mystery, a thriller, or a courtroom drama - and I can't wait to read more of Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn novels.

4/5 stars