Member Reviews
This book was a solid 3 stars- all I can think of is it was like a highlight reel of TJ Devlin’s (MMC) life and what he had endured post recovery from alcoholism and prison time. I did enjoy parts of it, I just felt like it was very jumpy and one minute we were one place and the next minute we were in another.
The story starts off by introducing us to TJ and his family, who seems to be the picturesque lawyers of tomorrow. He’s got a brother and sister who are both upstanding citizens and he’s the reject ex con. His brother John tries to involve him in a scandal of his own, and the Devlins embark on a whirlwind of lies, deceit and more jail time.
TJ being the narrator makes this book lighthearted and filled with dark humor which I loved, I just wish we got more of a story from start to finish instead of what felt like bullet points towards the end. Definitely in that cozy mystery/mild thriller category and I did like the way it ended for our MMC.
Lisa Scottoline is a master storyteller. The Truth About The Devlins is a brilliant, deeply layered novel and a compulsive, satisfying read. I love everything about the book. This reviewer empathized with TJ Devlin on every page, and cheered for him as he alone fights to save his family's law firm from disaster and disgrace.
TJ is the younger Devlin son and a recovering alcoholic on parole, a status his prominent family never lets him forget. They ignore his warnings about dangerous enemies undermining the firm. The suspense builds as the stakes rise higher and higher until the inevitable explosive conclusion. The book takes us on an exhilarating ride and packs quite a punch. As a side note, the story is set in my hometown in Pennsylvania, and I enjoyed being able to follow TJ Devlin along the familiar routes and landmarks he used during his investigation.
If you haven't read a book by Lisa Scottoline, I suggest starting with this one. The author also has a significant backlist to discover. The Truth About The Devlins is a stellar read and most highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*
Lisa Scottoline did a great job keeping me guessing what was going to happen next in, The Truth About the Devlins! The story follows the Devlins family through twists and turns and leaves you guessing who is telling the truth and who isn't. Highly recommend!
The Truth about the Devlins is another winner from Lisa Scottoline. It follows the Devlins who are a family law firm. The only one who doesn’t work for the law firm is T.J who is a recovering alcoholic and has done prison time. He works unofficially as an investigator. There are many plot twists, family secrets and keeps you guessing throughout the story. Another heart pounding fast paced book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.
The Truth about the Devlins may be my favorite book by Lisa Scottoline. The story of a family, engulfed in a potential murder/scandal, leaves you wanting to keep reading to know more. It isn't scary but definitely an intense page turner. I was unable to predict the ending, and that ti me is a good book!
Thank you Netgalley, Lisa Scottoline, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the privilege of receiving an advance copy The Truth about the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline. My first Lisa Scottoline novel and definitely will not be my last. I can't believe she has written 36 books but it makes sense because she is an exceptional author.
The cover was very well thought out showing ; how everything can be picture perfect at first but there always two side to a story. The Devlin are a well respected family of lawyers and TJ Devlin is definitely the outlier. He is the son that has brought disappointment to the family as a convicted felon and recovering alcoholic. TJ strives for his family approval as he fights for them to acknowledge his changes with so many obstacles in his path. This book definitely has you fighting for the underdog and shows the importance of not letting stigmas cloud your judgment. At times I was so frustrated about the injustice/blame I was wishing I could personally talk to the characters because they were so blinded by his past and not letting him reidentify himself as changed.
This fast paced thriller will have your emotional all over the place and will be available March 26, 2024.Thank you again for the advance copy for an honest review.
I've not been disappointed in a Lisa Scottoline book yet, and this was no exception! The book grabbed you on page 1, and kept me going until the end. Another one I had a hard time putting down! It kept me guessing and when all the pieces fell into place, all you can say is WOW! 5 stars!
Thank you to net galley and GP Putnam for an advanced copy of this book!
The Truth About The Devlins was a really good book. I read it in 2 days! The story pulls you in right from the start. The Devlins are a complicated family with issues at work and with each other. TJ is the main character and trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes. There are a lot of twists and turns peaking your to interest to see what happens next.
Thank you to net galley and GP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Truth about the Devlins is a crime thriller about a family of lawyers with the exception of Tj- recovering alcoholic and recently released from prison. The story is gripping from the first pages as well as the twists and turns which will keep the pages flying. At the outset TJ is desperate to be in his family's good graces by helping his older brother out of a jam. Things quickly take a turn once he becomes entangled in the complexity of his brother's life and the legal ramifications. TJ is a character down on his luck that you want to root for with each of his actions and decisions. The resulting story is a well woven crime thriller touching on addiction, greed and white collar crime.
Get ready for a thrill ride and an exciting ending!!!
The Devlins and their family firm are legal royalty. Well, all except for TJ, a recovering alcoholic who has served time for negligence and endangerment caused by his disease. Underneath the crown, though, there are problems. Mother and sister are loving, supportive people, with Sister Gabby eschewing greed for pro bono work. When the reader meets Father, he is an egocentric, harsh taskmaster. And something is going on with Brother John, who seems to have some problem that is causing his downward spiral and endangering not only TJ but perhaps the entire family.
Well written by Lisa Scottoline whose thirty six novels demonstrate she knows her way around family drama, legal thrillers, and a good mystery, there is humor, pathos, suspense and a strongly plotted story. The Truth about the Devlins is an engrossing, fast paced, page turning thriller.
I have read many of Scottoline’s books and enjoyed them all. If you are unfamiliar with her writing, this would make a good introduction to it. For her fans, this is will be a worthy contribution to her body of work.
I was a nervous wreck. If my hands weren’t so busy turning pages, I would have chewed my fingernails down to the quick with anxiety. I was so worried about TJ.
He was the loser brother in a family of high achievers. Dad and Mom were lawyers and so were brother John and sister Gabby. John, the golden child, the one who finished university and law school. The one with a wife and child. The one posed to take over the family business–if Dad ever retired. TJ’s alcoholism had destroyed his life when he forgot his girlfriend’s child was in the car and he popped into a bar for a drink that lasted hours. He pled guilty and served his time, was sober since that fatal day, but everyone was waiting for him to relapse.
TJ was the law firm’s investigator and he helped Gabby with her pro bono cases. Now, he was interviewing claimants against major pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies which had used prisoners as Guiney pigs. The men needed money for medical costs as they died of cancer caused by the tests.
It all started with a phone call from John who told TJ he may have killed a client. TJ dropped everything to help, only to have John claim TJ was drinking again as a cover for their clandestine activities. TJ comes to realize that John does not have his best interests at heart, for he is being set up as the fall guy. John’s nefarious activities puts the entire family at risk, but the twist is the threat that was under the radar.
I loved TJ, his humor, his angst, his moral compass. His struggles with sobriety is presented with depth and humanity. Learning about the Holmesburg Prison medical tests on prisoners was infuriating and upsetting.
This is Scottoline at her best, a page turner that also addresses social injustice, with affecting characters and sensitivity to their struggles.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
The Truth About the Devlins is one of the best books I’ve read lately. I hated to put it down. Paul and Marie along with their son John and daughter Gabby are attorneys in their family firm. TJ, the youngest son, is the problem child. TJ is a recovering alcoholic. He served time in prison for an incident while he was drunk. It cost him his relationship with his girlfriend and her daughter. TJ works as an investigator for the firm. He really only has the position because of nepotism. He wouldn’t be able to work anywhere else. When John confides in TJ about a problem with a client, TJ finds himself embroiled in a police case. John lies to the police and to the family about TJ’s involvement. People are following TJ. His house is bugged. The police are questioning him. His life seems to be falling apart all over again. TJ straightens up and puts all the pieces together in time to save the Devlin family. An engrossing story that keeps you wanting more. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
The Devlin family is highly successful, but one of the sons, TJ, has spent time in prison from actions he took caused by his alcoholism. His Father is highly critical and favors the golden one, the other son. This book is about family dynamics, but also deception, lies, and murder. The ending is predictable but the book is good enough to keep a reader interested. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. The Devlin family is a prominent family in their upper middle class suburb. Both parents and two children are high-powered lawyers in the family firm. One of their son's had a brush with the law, and ended up serving time. He now works as an "investigator" for the family firm. His father is not shy about voicing his disappointment for his son, but is this the child that will save them all. A lot of twists and turns, Scottoline consistently writes relatable characters in sometimes unrelatable situations. This provides another entertaining novel from this author!
This is a fast paced thriller that left me breathless and wanting more! Lisa Scottsline has done it again with The Truth about the Devlins. You will be on the edge of your seat till the very end!
Woah, this was a fast paced thriller for sure! I love a good family drama with a thriller aspect and this did not disappoint! This is the first novel by Lisa Scottoline I have read and it was great! It was interesting to read about the family black sheep or outcast finding a sort of purpose in his seemingly perfect brother's predicament, which in turn become's the whole family's problem. I was rooting for TJ throughout and I think any reader will enjoy his character and the investigation! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this wonderful ARC in exchange for my honest review!
As usual Lisa Scottoline has written an unputdownable novel. Her characters are always fantastic and believable. T J Devlin is a truly good character
Family loyalty at its finest! The Devlin family is a powerhouse of attorneys in the family law firm of Devlin and Devlin. One brother, TJ, however, is struggling as the black sheep, and after a prison stint and his sobriety, he can only land himself a job in the background of his family's firm. When TJ´s brother, John, confesses to killing a client, his life turns around and he begins to prove to the family just how valuable and reliable he is.
This was an incredibly fast-paced, page-turner, and I loved the family dynamics. The characters felt authentic, made me laugh, and were well-developed. I did not see the twists coming, and that ending!
For those who love legal dramas and multi-faced family tanglings, get yourself a copy of this one!
Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam, and Lisa Scottoline for the eARC.
I was so surprised and stunned, on multiple occasions, that I literally had my jaw drop open. The unexpected just kept popping up. I so didn’t see the end happening the way it did. When I finished the book, which didn’t take long because I couldn’t put it down, I was sad it ended. It was so good and had me sitting on the edge of my seat, I noticed I let out a sigh and was able to breathe easy again. The suspense was off the charts! Highly recommended book.
First let me say that I love Lisa Scottoline. Her characters are loveable scoundrels, and you can imagine them as your neighbors or friends. I have read all of the Rosato and Dinunzio books and miss them, but could not wait to read about the Devlins. Lisa Scottoline did not disappoint. I adored TJ - warts and all. I found myself rooting for him as he faced his brother and his father - never quite measuring up. TJ is a recovering alcoholic and an excon who cannot get hired by anyone but his family's law firm. But some in his family use that against him - particularly his brother - who uses TJ's "weakness" to mask his own. Even then, TJ continues to work as an investigator to help his brother and his sister, putting his own life in jeopardy along the way. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and things are definitely not as they seem, but it is definitely worth taking this wild ride as we uncover family secrets and how the family stays together in spite of them all. I loved this book and cannot wait to read another. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.