Chris Brennan applies for a job as a high school teacher and baseball coach, although all his personal information is a lie. The about-face done after
Step One, at the start of Step Two created a brain jolt until I realized what was happening. Step One created a lot of suspense but I felt the story really started at Step Two. From there the story flowed at a good pace with a lot of action and suspense.
The ending was well done as all the subplots closed out and there were no threads left hanging.
I enjoyed the book, it well worth the read and I recommend it to others.

Clear your calendar because you are going to want to read this book in one setting. Ok, maybe two since the book is divided up into three sections and it is not until section two that you get to the non-stop action. Granted, in section three, you are going to hit a part that has you wondering what Lisa was thinking and if she had spent too much time at the circus, but still, you will forgive that as you barrel to the end.

Central Valley, PA is an idyllic town. A place that a man can picture settling down with a family. At least that is what Chris Brennan tells school officials as he applies for a temporary teaching and coaching position at the high school. Chris has prepared his background story; no one could tell where the real man ends and ‘Chris Brennan AP Government teacher and coach’ begins. As your mind wonders who exactly Chris is, there is a slip up or two, but as Chris narrows down his “unwitting” the story takes off.

Chris has only three days to find his person. Three days until the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and he knows that someone on this baseball team is going to be involved in a deadly attack. Chris has done his research. There are four boys that match the profile and as he, and the reader, analyzes each, the full story begins to unfold.

Lisa Scottoline does an excellent job in keeping the reader unbalanced. From the beginning, there is no clear-cut target and you find yourself unsure if you can trust anyone. Each child and parent is held up to a microscope. They are each examined as people and as parents. As worlds are crumbling, in the end, who will be left unscathed?

Lisa Scottoline has become one of my favorite authors. Her books are versatile and range from mystery/thriller, like this one, to humor. How many writers can successfully do that?

This book, like all the other ones I have read by her, hooked me from the first page. I know better than to pick up one of her books when I am working a lot because I’m going to have a hard time putting it down and emerging back into the real world. It isn’t enough to read a chapter during a short lunch break and catch a few hours in the evening. I have to be able to read until I come to a safe spot where I think everyone in the book might be ok for a little bit.


Once more, there were characters to like and get to know. Lisa has a way of reaching deep inside and showing through their actions and words what they are feeling and how circumstances are affecting them in such a way that I completely emphasize with them. Her plots are timely, and this book had a scenario that was believable. The actions scenes definitely keep me pinned to the pages.

I gave this books five stars because it is definitely a five star book.

One Perfect Lie is one terrific read!!!

Chris Brennan applies for a job as a substitute teacher and assistant baseball coach at a high school in Central Valley, a small town in Pennsylvania. Everything on his resume is perfect, he comes across as just the man for the job, and he gets the job; but everything Chris presents about himself is a total lie.

In Step One we find Chris looking around for someone who would let a minor pick up a rented truck (against the rules for all the well-known vehicle leasing companies), and learn he is seeking a vulnerable boy that he can get close to in a very short amount of time (less than a week). We also find out that Chris has researched all the staff at the school before he even went in for the interview. His plan is hinted at, but I don't want to include a spoiler. Suffice it to say, his apparent intentions are not good, not good at all!

Being assistant baseball coach helps him quickly focus in on three boys: Evan Kostis, a privileged son of a surgeon and his socialite wife whose marriage is strained to the breaking point; Raz Sematov, whose father recently died and whose mother is struggling to put her grief behind her so she can be the mother Raz and his older brother Ryan need (but she's just not "there" yet); and Jordan Larkin, the only child of a single mother who works as a waitress and hopes for better days. Chris draws the boys in as the cool coach, the cool teacher, the nice guy who understands, while skillfully manipulating them and their interactions with others. We learn more about the boys and their families, but who will Chris ultimately choose and for what purpose?

In Step Two, everything we thought about Chris is turned COMPLETELY upside down when we find out who and what Chris really is. Scottoline does an excellent job of totally blindsiding the reader with this!! Now that the reader knows what his mission really is, can he complete it in time?

In Step Three, everything comes to a head. We reach the boiling point. It's awesome!

One Perfect Lie is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours. It's full of suspense, twists and turns, family dynamics, and even a little romance. The characters are drawn deeply and richly so that it is easy to relate to each of them. Scottoline works her magic again! Can't wait for her next one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review an e-ARC of this book.

"One Perfect Lie" by Lisa Scottoline

While I felt this novel started out a bit slow, a few chapters in and I could not put it down.

Twisting and turning at every point where the reader thinks they know what is going to happen, who did what and why...

"One Perfect Lie," is not just one person lying about his identity, but the lies and half-truths and hidden agendas that exist between friends, family members, and within a community.

Lisa Scottoline has written an invigorating, enthralling, fast moving and addicting novel that will keep you guessing all the way to the end of the book.

Be prepared to read late into the night...

Rating: 4.0

When we first meet Chris Brennan, he takes on a job as a teacher and baseball coach at Central Valley High School. But all is not as it seems and we soon discover he’s not a teacher and has never been a coach. Chris starts to scrutinize the boys on the baseball team, looking for the perfect “one”. What exactly does Chris want?

Ms. Scottoline is an accomplished write and this shows up best in her character development. We really get to know Chris. Not just the man we see on the outside, but who he is on the inside.This story started with good suspense, sagged just a bit in the middle, but then really picked up in the last third. Towards the end, Chris reminded me of Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies and I always thought those were fun. This was a quick read with some good action.

ARC from St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley. Publish date: April 11, 2017

After reading "Step One" in this story I was hooked and couldn't put this book down! I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline for a long time so I was thrilled to accept an ARC from Netgalley of this fantastic new thriller. Scottoline starts the story of Chris Brennan painting the picture of a man who is taking over a new teaching position and assistant coach position. As the story starts, the actions of Chris aren't matching up with all of the things that Chris is saying and the reader is drawn in, wondering exactly what this man is plotting. Focused on three of his sports players, Chris is trying to get to know the boys better and figure out which will be the focus of his plan. As a reader I was drawn in quickly due to the plan (and that I am a teacher) and I was intrigued as to what would happen next. Chris focuses on Raz, Justin and Evan who are all keeping secrets of there own. The story is not just that of Chris but of the boys and their families. I don't want to give much away because this story that shifts quickly and moves along at a fast pace. It is well written and doesn't disappoint!

Is there such a thing as a perfect lie? Can one get away with living a lie? Does a lie, even if it is for the greater good, still hurt other people? Does the lie hurt the person telling it or living it? These are just some of the questions you will have to read One Perfect Lie to discover the answers.
Chris is a man who, from the very beginning, you know isn't who he appears to be. He has a secret and appears to be getting ready to hurt a lot of people. Following his story, you learn that he obtained a job as a high school teacher and baseball coach, with one goal-to become friends with the weak students, all to find out as much as he could about the other boys. At this point, I was wondering exactly who he was and why he was doing it.
I loved how Lisa wrote from multiple view points and the way the stories were woven together, in my opinion, made the story that much better. My heart broke from some of the stories about the boys and their lives. Chris interfering, and trying to hurt them, was disheartening. I couldn't stop reading this book. I had to find out exactly what Chris was lying about and if he was a good guy or a bad guy.
The mystery of what was going on, the realization that you shouldn't judge one family as better or worse as your own because you don't know what they are going through and how hard it is to live a 'normal' life the best you can- when nothing about you is real- had me turning the pages faster and faster.
I had never read a book by Lisa before, but now I will read more by her. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review, via NetGalley,

I'm a big fan of this author, especially the Rosato & DiNunzio novels. Due to that, I'll read whatever she writes and am willing to overlook a lot of flaws that I would downgrade unknown authors for. This book was highly readable and filled with suspense, which kept me turning the pages and wanting to find out what happened next despite the highly unbelievable plot twists and action scenes. I'm all for suspending disbelief and just enjoying a story, which is what I definitely did with this one......released all semblance of reality and went along for the ride.

I received an ARC of The Perfect Lie through NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity.

Chris Brennan has just landed a job as a AP Government teacher and assistant baseball coach at Central Valley High, in the small affluent Pennsylvania town of Central Valley. He as a false background, a well-rehearsed story, and a hidden agenda. There are specific teen boys and their families that he is watching/targeting but the intent is not known to the reader until much later. He is also very predator-like in his thoughts and his actions.

What begins as a seemingly ulterior motive turns into the unexpected. The plot has many twists and turns is a fast read with an engaging, wide range of characters. The supporting characters are teen boys and struggling mothers with a wide range of backgrounds and financial situations and it is very relatable.

Chris Brennan’s one perfect lie builds throughout the book but is blown open at the end when his true identity is revealed. I thought it was interesting that the author didn’t spend much time on his true identity Curt. Even when Curt went back to his own life, he was still being referred to as Chris. Maybe Curt felt more comfortable living as Chris, with the story that he built for himself in Central Valley.

Some parts were a bit farfetched such as Chris ability to bond with the baseball team within a matter of days of starting his new job. Teen boys opening up to an adult and confiding in them after 48 hours? It would never happen in real life.

The pace could have been better timed throughout the book. The most action seemed to be in the last third of the book when all of the pieces fell in place. But it was an enjoyable suburban thriller with an unusual plot. I recommend it.

An absolutely, incredible read!!! Lisa Scottoline takes the reader on such a journey... she clues the reader one way, and then -- dang -- it's totally the opposite! Read this in an afternoon as I could not put this down and just had to see how it would end. She's one of my favorite authors, and this book is terrific!

She’s back!

It’s great to see Scottoline return to writing dramatic stories with twists and thriller elements. I’ve been disappointed by the last few novels by an author I’ve faithfully followed since Mary DiNunzio first walked off the page and into my psyche. I loved her legal thrillers and found them better than the recent Jodi Picoult-esque “what if” dramas she has been publishing. Her strength for this reader is in her ability to draw the reader into trusting her characters to do what’s right in any situation. With this trust in place, we get to follow along with sometimes fun and other times dangerous events surrounding our heroes.

One Perfect Lie is a terrific read. We are pulled into the community and into the life of Chris Brennan not knowing who he is or why he is there under the guise of a high school teacher and baseball coach. We are privy to the knowledge that he is not who he pretends to be and his interest in the varsity team boys in his classroom is creepy and almost predatory. Brennan also seems to have a fascination with fertilizer, the kind used in the Kansas City bombing.

Just when you think you know what is going on, boom, one of the biggest twists I have read in any thriller to date. The twist is so huge my brain struggled to believe what my eyes were reading. It’s just that good.

This is a book to sit back and enjoy, one of those rare reads where you can’t help but think, well done, you bamboozled this reader completely.

4.5 stars

ARC received with thanks from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for review.

Loved the twist in the beginning of the book! Took me by surprise, I even went back to see if I had misread. I would certainly read more of these about Chris/Curt. But please, no more unbelievable rescues!

I loved this book! The author takes us on a ride through under cover work, and ends us in exposure. Loved it! ❤️

One Perfect Lie is never short of suspense and thrill. It started slow with all the character introduction and there is a handful of them. But even if there’s a lot of characters to follow, they all tell equally interesting stories. But, of course, there will always be someone who’s more intriguing than the others. And, yes, it is Chris that will really pique your interest, because it is him who’s hiding the big secret. A mysterious character with a mysterious mission. What is it that he have to do that can possibly jeopardize the safety of the townspeople? But aside from him, all the supporting characters are engaging as well. The three mother’s are all having their own struggles and you just have to wonder what role their kids will play in the impending doom.

It was divided into three parts: Steps One until Three. Which is pertaining to Chris’ mission. The twist was revealed as early as step two but it doesn’t stop there. The story contains a lot of intense twist and turns and revelations which is a delight for mystery lovers like me. Most of them are a total surprise and one that you won’t see coming. My guesses were all off! I’d say, Lisa Scottoline is one clever author and this one just proves that she’s one of the best out there. One Perfect Lie is a brilliant thriller book and I absolutely love it. It is a gripping story that it will surely be hard for you to put it down once you started.

One Perfect Lie is a fast paced thriller that is difficult to put down. Scottoline's characters are fascinating. The story is set in a suburban high school. The plot centers on one new teacher and several boys on the Varsity baseball team and their families. Scottoline's story is immensely entertaining. It is a perfect thriller!

Fast paced, intriguing storyline. The author did a good job with the characters and storyline.

Having read Lisa Scottoline before, I was excited to get a copy of One Perfect Lie. I was a bit disappointed in the beginning. Things seemed to take some time to heat up and I was about a third of the way into the book, when things really started smoking!

Scottoline follows the lives of three teenage boys and their family struggles, during which time a new teacher and coach comes to town and becomes involved in their lives. To make matters worse, the new teacher has his own secrets and possibly sinister motives for being there.

The second half of the book was full of excitement and discoveries, as all the pieces to the puzzle were quickly filled in. The pace of the last half more than made up for the slow beginning and I enjoyed reading this suburban crime story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Brennan shows up in town one day and gets hired on at the local high school as teacher and baseball coach. He immediately befriends a few of the boys on the team and zeroes in, watches them. At the outset, the reader is told that everything about this Chris Brennan persona is fake. Something weird is up --

In Part 2 the reader finds out the truth about Chris Brennan and the story takes off. Without spoilers, it was different to what I had imagined the book was about given the synopsis. It was evenly paced and an interesting story/plot. A mystery solved, domestic drama, and tense action scenes wrap it all up neatly. I could have done without the romance which seemed like an unnecessary add on.

I've read most of Lisa Scottoline's books -- series as well as standalones -- and enjoy them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-book ARC to review.

On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He’s applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he’s ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable.

But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.

Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he’s being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.

Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Jordan’s baseball games. But Jordan is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.

Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon’s wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them.

At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

My Thoughts: The story begins with our introduction to Chris Brennan, who has mysteriously presented himself in a false light in order to accomplish some unstated goal. We start guessing about his plans and what might unfold, but soon our imaginings are toppled as his true identity and mission are revealed.

In the small town of Central Valley, Pennsylvania, there are core characters whose lives connect with Chris almost immediately. I liked Heather, a single mom who is struggling to support her son while performing at a job she hates for a boss she does not respect.

Mindy Kostis, whose privileged life sets her apart and might make her unlikable, surprised me when I discovered unexpected depths and a moral compass that puts her in a great position to challenge her husband and her son Evan. Both have been keeping secrets and lying.

Then there is Susan, whose beloved husband Neil has recently died. Her sons, Ryan and Raz, are finding their way in a world without their father’s guiding presence, and they are making mistakes and bad choices.

How will Chris Brennan’s mission affect these small town residents? What will he do to achieve his goals? A page turner that kept me guessing, while biting my nails, One Perfect Lie was a perfectly fine-tuned read. 5 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publishers via NetGalley.