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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Note to self: Don’t start reading an Eddie Flynn novel on a Sunday night! Steve Cavanagh does it again in book 5 of his Eddie Flynn series.
Two sisters, Alexandra and Sofia, are on trial for the murder of their father. Two 911 calls rang through on the night of the murder. Each sister blaming the other for the murder. - Okay, if that premise doesn’t reel you in then I’m not sure what will! - Of course Eddie Flynn lands one of the sisters as his client. The book then alternates perspectives between Eddie, Kate Brooks (lawyer for the other sister) and “She” (the killer). And while you think you’ve figured it out, you may also question yourself once or twice!
This book did have a different vibe than all the other books in the series but was still a page turner. While I think one could read this series in just about any order, this one is by far the best stand-alone that won’t make you feel like you’re missing a piece of the puzzle.
Two sisters, Alexandra and Sofia, are on trial for the murder of their father. Two 911 calls rang through on the night of the murder. Each sister blaming the other for the murder. - Okay, if that premise doesn’t reel you in then I’m not sure what will! - Of course Eddie Flynn lands one of the sisters as his client. The book then alternates perspectives between Eddie, Kate Brooks (lawyer for the other sister) and “She” (the killer). And while you think you’ve figured it out, you may also question yourself once or twice!
This book did have a different vibe than all the other books in the series but was still a page turner. While I think one could read this series in just about any order, this one is by far the best stand-alone that won’t make you feel like you’re missing a piece of the puzzle.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ooh this was a good one! It was fast paced, had short chapters, different POV’s to liven up the story and a great ending.
Honestly, I thought I was going to be disappointed because once again I thought I was super smart and figured it all out - well not even smart because I thought Steve was making it far too obvious but I’m glad the final result was satisfying. This was my first Eddie Flynn crime book and it was interesting learning about his character and his friends; I didn’t realise this was from a stand alone series so I can’t wait to read the rest which will give more context to him and his story. I really felt for him at times, especially after Harper even though I don’t yet know their history.
I really liked the characters and the witty lawyer humour, sometimes I felt I was reading an episode of Suits, specifically the hot dog scene at the end. I found Kate to be a bit of a drag at the beginning and didn’t care much for her story but grew to really like her character and was glad she came out on top on the other side, getting her revenge. The description of the body and the murders were really well written and honestly made me squirm and my stomach clench as it was pretty gruesome stuff.
I didn’t have a favourite between Alexandra and Sofia. From the ‘She’ chapters I was of course convinced it was Alexandra’s POV given the clues and the descriptions. So then it being flipped to Sofia was an interesting take but maybe makes some details not fully add up. I also feel the whole bite mark on Frank’s chest was completely overlooked, like why did no one seem surprised or grossed out by this?
This was a great book and I look forward to reading more courtroom drama’s, especially Steve’s other books which I have stacked on my shelf. Also pop off Belfast author!!
Honestly, I thought I was going to be disappointed because once again I thought I was super smart and figured it all out - well not even smart because I thought Steve was making it far too obvious but I’m glad the final result was satisfying. This was my first Eddie Flynn crime book and it was interesting learning about his character and his friends; I didn’t realise this was from a stand alone series so I can’t wait to read the rest which will give more context to him and his story. I really felt for him at times, especially after Harper even though I don’t yet know their history.
I really liked the characters and the witty lawyer humour, sometimes I felt I was reading an episode of Suits, specifically the hot dog scene at the end. I found Kate to be a bit of a drag at the beginning and didn’t care much for her story but grew to really like her character and was glad she came out on top on the other side, getting her revenge. The description of the body and the murders were really well written and honestly made me squirm and my stomach clench as it was pretty gruesome stuff.
I didn’t have a favourite between Alexandra and Sofia. From the ‘She’ chapters I was of course convinced it was Alexandra’s POV given the clues and the descriptions. So then it being flipped to Sofia was an interesting take but maybe makes some details not fully add up. I also feel the whole bite mark on Frank’s chest was completely overlooked, like why did no one seem surprised or grossed out by this?
This was a great book and I look forward to reading more courtroom drama’s, especially Steve’s other books which I have stacked on my shelf. Also pop off Belfast author!!
Rounding up. This was a book club read, or I probably would have given up early on. It eventually kept me turning pages but never got any less silly. With legal thrillers, it’s important to me that they accurate in their portrayal of legal principles and proceedings (it should be a given if you write in the genre really) and this one fell way short in that regard. This book was both wildly improbable and predictable for anyone who’s watched bad Hollywood crime movies.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rounded up from 2.5 stars. Great premise but disappointing execution.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Break my heart why don’t you 😭😭 I had so much hope that Eddie would finally find love with sharpers this death really hit me hard. Steve Cavanagh can do no wrong in my book but this here was such a tragic tease😭😭😭 the rest of the story was in true crime thriller fashion though.
4/5
Fifty Fifty what an aptly named book. Two sisters both claim the other has murdered their father while they are all in his house together. Sofia calls 911 and blames Alexandra, Alexandra calls 911 and blames Sofia. It really is Fifty Fifty making you change your mind on who the true killer was throughout the book.
This book has 3 main perspectives, the defense lawyer for Sofia, and the defense lawyer for Alexandra, as well as the killer, but only know as “She”. This gave each of the main characters real time for you to form an opinion on them. Alongside these, there are also several different characters, all of which I felt added to the overall story.
The main focus of the book is the trial, mainly following each lawyer as they try to beat the other in a joint trial, but they have more to deal with than just the other defendant's cases of innocents. Both lawyers believed that their client didn’t kill their father so it makes it a case of doing the right thing vs doing what’s best for their respective careers. Flipping from one lawyer to the other, this book does a great job of creating doubt and suspicion, even when you think you’ve got it all figured out.
Now on to the perspective of “she”, this was good, it gave a different perspective of the killer's true motives and thoughts without giving away who the killer was. Despite giving away several hints as to who it was, the author left it open-ended meaning either Sofia or Alexandra could have been telling this story. However, this is where my only real flaw appeared, at times it was a bit far-fetched. Now, this is just personal preference but for me, certain incidents that happen when “she” is on bail are just ludicrous. I get the author trying to add more to the story and make the final reveal all the more shocking, but at times it was just too unbelievable. This made the police in the book seem just incompetent, with the fact they couldn’t link anything back to the true killer, despite it being practically under their noses.
Overall I really enjoyed the book, personal preference aside it was great, and without the previously mentioned issues I have, it might have gotten a 5. It does an excellent job of living up to its name, really creating a 50/50 shift after several chapters. Being my first Eddie Flynn book I still felt all the characters had a purpose with most of the main ones getting a conclusion. Definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series.
Fifty Fifty what an aptly named book. Two sisters both claim the other has murdered their father while they are all in his house together. Sofia calls 911 and blames Alexandra, Alexandra calls 911 and blames Sofia. It really is Fifty Fifty making you change your mind on who the true killer was throughout the book.
This book has 3 main perspectives, the defense lawyer for Sofia, and the defense lawyer for Alexandra, as well as the killer, but only know as “She”. This gave each of the main characters real time for you to form an opinion on them. Alongside these, there are also several different characters, all of which I felt added to the overall story.
The main focus of the book is the trial, mainly following each lawyer as they try to beat the other in a joint trial, but they have more to deal with than just the other defendant's cases of innocents. Both lawyers believed that their client didn’t kill their father so it makes it a case of doing the right thing vs doing what’s best for their respective careers. Flipping from one lawyer to the other, this book does a great job of creating doubt and suspicion, even when you think you’ve got it all figured out.
Now on to the perspective of “she”, this was good, it gave a different perspective of the killer's true motives and thoughts without giving away who the killer was. Despite giving away several hints as to who it was, the author left it open-ended meaning either Sofia or Alexandra could have been telling this story. However, this is where my only real flaw appeared, at times it was a bit far-fetched. Now, this is just personal preference but for me, certain incidents that happen when “she” is on bail are just ludicrous. I get the author trying to add more to the story and make the final reveal all the more shocking, but at times it was just too unbelievable. This made the police in the book seem just incompetent, with the fact they couldn’t link anything back to the true killer, despite it being practically under their noses.
Overall I really enjoyed the book, personal preference aside it was great, and without the previously mentioned issues I have, it might have gotten a 5. It does an excellent job of living up to its name, really creating a 50/50 shift after several chapters. Being my first Eddie Flynn book I still felt all the characters had a purpose with most of the main ones getting a conclusion. Definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series.