#BookReview ‘Fifty Fifty’ by Steve Cavanagh

About the book…

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.

Huge thanks to Alex Layt of Orion for the blog blast invite and my gifted review copy of ‘Fifty Fifty’, the fifth in the series featuring Eddie Flynn, Steve’s lawyer/conman leading protagonist.

The central concept of the novel is not as such a courtroom drama, it follows the action from the panicked phonecalls to the police, through the selection of representatives to both sisters, and a whistle stop tour of the US judiciary system.

And then, at the climax, comes the trial that all this has been building up to, at which point you may have next to no nails left, and missing patches of hair.

Eddie Flynn is both sides of the justice coin, having once been the person avoiding the law, he is no perfectly placed not just to find holes in people’s cases, but then subsequently drive a SUV through it. The outcasts representative, he stands outside the system whilst simultaneously upholding the central concept of justice for the victims of crime.Ably supported by his colleague, Harper and retired judge, Harry, plus new sidekick, rescue dog Darrow, he is chosen to defend one of the sisters implicated in the murder of ex-mayor of New York, Frank Avellino.

The title refers to which side of the law both justice, and the reader, will decide Sofia and Alexandra stand on, for one of them to be guilty, the other must be innocent. Is it the business woman executive or the recurring rehab attendee with multiple mental health issues? And the amount of suspiciously ‘accidental’ deaths that have impacted on both their childhoods must have had an effect on one, or both of them, to result in a frenzied, mutilation of a man that shouts nothing but hatred and loathing.

But which one did it?

As Eddie and his fellow defence lawyer, Kate Brooks dig deeper into the case, they quickly realise that the prosecution is gunning for both sisters and the old adage ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ means that working together is in the best interests of all. And yet…one of them must be guilty.

The plot is divided between Eddie’s first person perspective, Kate’s thrid person and a mysterious She ,who is the murder. It’s definitely one of the sisters and as you read, your mind swaps guilty verdicts multiple times as Steve lays out his vertiginous, air sickness inducing plot and then drops you so fast that you feel your stomach shoot up through your skull.

He is a consummate master of his plot, his characters are so accessible and easily warmed to,  that when one is no longer there-no spoilers-you feel the ache of their absence.

What he does so well is have New York as the extra character in the novel, the sense of pace and identity immediately thrusts you into its crowded streets and unique culture which supports the story from first page to last, and it is so hard to believe that Steve is not a US author born and bred. The sense of authenticity reminds me of Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series where Isola occupied the same space as New York does here.

I loved the world building of Eddie Flynn’s circle of acquaintances, the nuances of the relationship between lawyer and client and how Steve discusses the issues of sexism in the workplace via Kate’s story. It shows how insidious work place based discrimination creeps up and how even the strongest person can find themselves a victim without a voice even while they are speaking up on behalf of others.

This book has a cheeky nod to another of Steve’s stories, see if you can spot it, and if ‘Fifty Fifty’ doesn’t make you want to read all of his other novels, well I will be very surprised.

About the author…

Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author of the Eddie Flynn series and lawyer.

His third novel, ‘‘The Liar’, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. He is also one half of the ‘Two Crime Writers And A Microphone’ podcast. His latest novel, ‘‘Thirteen’’, is out now, followed by  ‘‘Twisted’’

Twitter @SSCav  @OrionBooks