The book is the first in a series about Sheriff Jane Hardy. As a teenager, Jane fled a religious cult with her dad, when the community was on fire, and she was told that her infant son was dead. Now, Jane is appointed interim Sheriff of Pelican Harbor, after her father retires. Her first murder investigation gets complicated by a second death. Struggling to find the perpetrator and having her every act being questioned by a jealous colleague, Jane is under immense pressure. The unwanted presence of Reid who is supposedly making a documentary about small town sheriffs, makes her life even more complicated. As she uncovers more secrets, she realizes that this case could change her life as well. It was an interesting read.

Enjoyed this latest mystery/suspense by this author. If you enjoy her books, then you should definitely check this one out.

One Little LIe is the first book in the Pelican Harbor series. This is a suspense novel with a bit of romance. The female lead, Jane Hardy is the sheriff in a small town . She responds to a call where a body has been found in a cooler. The story moves along quickly and left me anxious to read the next book !
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* read the second book in this series before i read the first one (i really need to start trying to figure out if books are in series lmao) good read, going to read the third one and eventually reread them, in order though lol

A great story by Colleen Coble! Her books are always a a winner and this one kept me turning the pages.

Interesting storyline with the inclusion of a cult element which made it more unique. Although the book headed in a direction I wasn’t expecting, it was enjoyable nonetheless. I think the protagonist’s character development could have been a little improved though. Overall, this was a decent read for a first novel in the series.

Synopsis: When Jane Hardy is appointed interim sheriff in Pelican Harbor, Alabama, after her father retires, there's no time for an adjustment period. He is arrested for theft and then implicated in a recent murder, and Jane quickly realizes she's facing someone out to destroy her father.

They escaped from a cult fifteen years ago, and Jane has searched relentlessly for her mother—who refused to leave—ever since. Could someone from that horrible past have found them?

Reid Bechtol is a well-known journalist who makes documentaries, and his sights are currently set on covering Jane's career. Jane has little interest in the attention, but the committee who appointed her loves the idea of the publicity.

Jane finds herself depending on Reid's calm manner as he follows her around taping his documentary, and they begin working together to clear her father. But Reid has his own secrets from the past, and the gulf between them may be impossible to cross.

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth.

This is the first in a new series, Pelican Harbor, by Colleen Coble. It's supposed to be a romantic suspense...key words ROMANTIC SUSPENSE. I didn't feel any of that from this book. This is also the first I have ever read from Colleen Coble. I will probably give this author another chance but later down the road. I felt let down while reading this and just wanted it to be over.

This is book 1 of the Pelican Harbor Series. Jane Hardy is appointed temporary Sheriff when her father retires. She has no time to settle in however because her father is a suspect in a theft and murder. She must work to find out who is the real suspect and clear her dad.

I have to admit one of the bookish habits that constantly has people shaking their heads at me is that I tend to read series out of order. The thing is that I never mean to, it just happens as I pick up a book and start reading, and then it's like lo' and behold it turns out to be Book #3 in the series. That is what happened to me with the series Pelican Harbour as 6 months ago, I read Three Missing Days which turned out to be Book #3 in the Pelican Harbour series by Colleen Coble. In One Little Lie, we meet our chief Jane Hardy who has been newly appointed after her father has retired and lived on his estate which is a prepper's dream as you can take the man out of the cult but not all the mindsets of the cult out of the man. The book starts with the day Jane and her father left the cult and the baby Jane had just given birth too who eventually she was told had died. Now 16 years later, Jane is living her life and now and again her heart aches for her baby boy. Reid and his son Will have come to Pelican Harbour to track down Jane, he is here under the premise of being a film director and filming a documentary on Jane being one of the world's first female Police Chiefs. Reid has a dark secret and trying to wait for the perfect time to tell Jane as he ties it to her past life, however, things are about to get way too complicated for Reid when his wife Lauren who had been declared legally dead a year ago has turned up blackmailing Reid. PS - she has been missing for eight years. If that wasn't enough for this action-packed novel, we have a vigilante killer and someone is trying to frame Jane's father for murder and fraud and discredit his reputation. If you love edgy Christian fiction, cults, and murder - then The Pelican Harbour Series by Colleen Coble is the reads for you.

I'm a big fan of Colleen Coble and was intrigued by the aspect of the power of a cult and its effects on the people caught in them. While the motivation, suspense and mystery were there, I was confused at first with what was happening in the story.
The opening scene is powerful, but the story drags some after that then picks up again.
The devotion of the heroine to her father is strong and admirable. I enjoyed the light touch of romance. I do hope that the relationship between Jane and Reid develops more in the next novels.
Parts of the story are gritty - this is not a cozy mystery.
I enjoy how the author describes the small town and the setting. The details made me feel like I had visited Pelican Harbor Alabama.
It will be interesting to see where this storyline goes.

Small towns are relentless. When one solid opinion forms the majority usually follow it..truth be damned. This is exactly what Jane faces with her recent appointment to interim sheriff.

Jane is not only receiving a somewhat icy reception, but she is also now tasked with trying to absolve her father of murder charges that just couldn't be true. Yet she's the only one who seems to be looking through the evidence that is stacking up against him.

With an unlikely new sidekick, Jane runs head first into family secrets and secrets held by others that may just have a huge impact on her investigation.

Twisting and turning, One Little Lie will have you guessing up until the end. Can't wait to see what's in store in the next installment.

This is such a great book! I found the opening scenes to be extremely gripping, and with so many twists and turns throughout, and such fascinating characters... I had a difficult time putting this book down and finished it within 24 hours. I'm now really looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

These are my honest thoughts and I am so grateful to have received a free digital copy of this book from its publisher via NetGalley!

Jane Hardy has recently been appointed interim sheriff when her father retires. She is happy about it, but is not especially pleased when the mayor informs her that she will have a journalist following her around as he is making a documentary on small town sheriffs and being a female, she is going to be included. Shortly after she begins her new job, bodies turn up and the clues and evidence point to her father. Is someone from their past trying to frame him. Jane and her father escaped from a cult fifteen years earlier. She was told her mother refused to leave with them and that her infant son had died. Secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt you. ​Jane knows her father did not commit any of the crimes he is being accused of, but how can she clear him when it is a conflict of interest to be involved in his case. When she gets suspended by the mayor, she has to sneak around and follow up on information on her own. Reid offers to help her and they work well together, but he also has secrets from his past that could cause some problems.

This is a romantic suspense story with Christian Fiction overtones. It is a police procedural series with a strong sassy female protagonist. I really liked Jane, she was a great role model who had a lot to overcome from her past. There are some officers that don't think she deserves to be Sheriff and that it is only because of her father that she got the job, but she knows otherwise and will prove it. She doesn't do relationships and even she and her father keep each other at arm's length. The mystery was compelling and well paced and kept me guessing as to what was happening and who was behind it. My one disappointment is that this is a romantic suspense, but there really was minimal to no romance. There is a potential love interest in Reid and having read the second book I know where it is going so I am okay with how the author left this one. Remember this is a trilogy, so to be completely satisfied, you will need to read all three books. I did a read/listen with this book and the narrator was Devon O'Day. She did an exceptional job with the voices, emotions and pacing. She was able to convey the suspense and depth of the story. I enjoyed her narration and she made the book much more compelling for me.

I didn't care for this story. I thought the plot sounded good but it didn't go the direction I would have liked. I would have liked more exploration into the cult part of the story. The characters didn't hold my attention either. I didn't think the sheriff, Jane Hardy was a strong protagonist. I didn't care for the story line with Reid and his son and his ex-wife either. I just felt the story was very convoluted. I have read other books by Colleen Coble and really enjoyed them but not this one.

One Little Lie takes place in the town of Pelican Harbor, Alabama. Jane Hardy succeeds her father as the town sheriff and is soon trying to save him from a felony charge. This book is the first in the soon to be continued Pelican Harbor series, which is why there is so much backstory woven into the story. Jane is written as a strong female protagonist with a sharp wit. I enjoyed the character and the story moved at a satisfying pace. There is also a romance element which I enjoyed. It reminded me of past books by Linda Howard.

When the past that you have tried everything in your power to forget and done everything possible to hide from seems to be catching up to you what do you do? Well I’m not going to tell you but you are for sure going to want to read this book! Thanks for the excitement Colleen!

One little lie is a exciting book. Suspense and mystery. Who killed who and why. Also a mystery involving something that happened years ago. Is a mother still alive and a son. Who is her son? Jane just got appointed the chief of police and has a big job. I loved Jane and how she was able to deal with everything.

I enjoyed the book and recommend reading it, especially if you love a good suspense.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. This book review is my own opinion.

Colleen Coble has done it again. I love her books. They start with action and suspense and she keeps it up through the story. Even when the characters are “relaxing”, there is the undercurrent of secrets and lies waiting to be exposed. This story starts off with Button, who we later find out is Jane Hardy, has just given birth. Next thing we know, Jane has been told her baby has died. Flash forward 15 years, and the story picks up from there. I really liked Jane. Growing up in a cult has left her traumatized. I was glad that she had true support from her friend Olivia. I also really liked Reid and Will. The part of the story where Will is taking care of Harry, a 4 year old boy, just melted my heart. I also like that while the author adds in romance, the romance is not the main part of the story. She also develops her characters very well so that I felt like I actually knew them.The next book in the trilogy will also focus on Jane so I will be reading that one soon. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This one was pretty good. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

The characters were good, the suspense page-turning and the plot predictable yet interesting.

I had a couple of issues with it, but just minor details that didn't really add up, nothing that made me want to put the book down.

The romance was light, and clean (no sex). I haven't read many Christian fiction novels, but I liked the way this one mentioned God and faith without being overly preachy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc :)

Jane's history is intriguing and my heart aches for her. I love that aside from trying to solve a murder there are several little mysteries going on in here! Finding her mom is unreaolved and I'm assuming will be by book three. Also the romance is left hanging giving the reader hope and anticipation for the next book!!