This is a well-written book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it because it stressed me out. First because I was so outraged how A.J. was treated by his brother and father, and then because who the bad guys are isn’t entirely clear, so it’s unclear who stands to get hurt and why.

T.J. is the only failure in the Devlin family. He’s the only one who is not a lawyer because his addiction to alcohol got him kicked out of school just before graduation. That same addiction led, not surprisingly, to some terrible decisions, one of which landed him in jail for a year. With a conviction and lack of a degree, he only place he can get a job is with his family, who hires him as an investigator for the law firm. His brother, John, asks for his help when John thinks he may have killed a client. This leads T.J. into several potentially fatal situations.

It's a page turner of a book, that’s for sure.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 26, 2024.

This book touches on deep themes like family betrayal and how the often dysfunctional dynamics of sibling relationships roll into adulthood.

The first part of the book became progressively more depressing, culminating with the reason TJ went to jail. It was so disturbing, and conveyed with ferocity the clutch of destruction that alcohol has on an alcoholic.

I quite enjoyed how after things looked worse and worse, they finally turn around and the story becomes one about family, faith, and redemption. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

In Lisa Scottoline's The Truth about the Devlins, the gripping narrative unfolds around TJ Devlin, the charming yet troubled black sheep of a prominent family of lawyers. Fresh out of prison and battling alcoholism, TJ's world is upended when his older brother confesses to murder. Lisa Scottoline weaves a tale of family dynamics, justice, and dark secrets, plunging TJ into an intricate investigation to save his family and prove his worth. The damaged yet appealing hero, TJ, resonates with readers as he battles addiction and navigates a treacherous path filled with blackmail, malpractice, and murder. Scottoline's storytelling prowess, coupled with the emotional depth of the characters, results in a heart-pounding, captivating page-turner that explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and the intricate web of family relationships. The satisfying conclusion leaves readers yearning for more of TJ's character in potential future installments.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I hadn’t been the biggest fan of the Bennetts but I will say I liked this book more. I enjoyed the family dynamics but I found the overall crime/mystery a little dull and convoluted at times. I enjoyed reading the growth across characters in the story, but overall it was a little boring for me as a thriller.

This domestic legal thriller kept me turning the pages. Not only did I want to know how the mystery would unfold, but I was also invested in how the main character, TJ Devlin, made out in the end. TJ is a very sympathetic character who is determined to turn his life around despite the fact that his family views him as a bit of a disappointment. TJ works for his family's law firm, Devlin & Devlin as a private investigator. He is the outlier in a family of successful lawyers. A recovering alcoholic who never finished college, TJ hasn't lived up to the Devlin name. When we meet TJ, he has recently been released from prison, having plead guilty and owning up to past mistakes. He is regularly attending meetings and is working hard to stay sober.

When TJ's brother John calls on him for help with a complicated situation involving an assault with a rock and a possible murder, TJ leaves a family birthday party to help his brother even though their relationship is strained. When TJ and John return to the scene of the incident, they find that there is no dead body, no rock and no evidence of a crime. When the person John had assaulted turns up shot to death the next day in a different location, the brothers are suddenly mixed up in a dangerous group of criminals.

I loved experiencing this story from TJ's perspective. His side comments meant for the reader made him seem more human, and because of that, I liked him even more. TJ makes his share of mistakes and he gets himself into some challenging situations. As the twists and turns unraveled, I never stopped rooting for him. Lisa Scottoline did a great job of presenting TJ as an everyday hero - a scrappy individual who believes in himself even when his family sometimes can't look past his addiction and his earlier failures. I enjoyed this book for both the excellent mystery and the family dynamics.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC and the opportunity to review this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Another hit addictive domestic thriller by Lisa Scottoline (if you haven't read her yet, and you enjoy mysteries, you must not be paying attention).

Top quality mystery as we learn the secrets and follow the labyrinth path of the Devlin family, this is a captivating book!

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. This book was interesting and shows no family is perfect, even though they may try to pretend. There was a surprise twist near the end.

I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline’s work for quite a few years now. I was excited to have the opportunity to read her newest novel early, and it did not disappoint.

The blurb for this book describes it as a “domestic thriller about family, justice, and the lies that tear us apart”, which is a better way to sum things up than I could come up with on my own. The Devlin family is established in the legal world, and law is a family business. Even TJ, recovering alcoholic and former inmate, works at the family law firm as an investigator. On the night of their father’s birthday, TJ’s brother John confesses that he believes he’s killed a client. From there, the threads begin to unravel and it’s a rollercoaster full of twist and turns as deceptions and schemes are revealed.

While I’m sure there are other books like this out there, I haven’t read one before. There are external forces at play against the family, but so much of the conflict is really internal between the Devlins. They have such a complicated family dynamic, particularly where TJ is concerned. The book is entirely from his POV, so it is easy to see how that dynamic impacts him, especially as their lives descend into chaos.

There is a lot going on that it’s difficult to follow at times, but no matter what was going on, I found myself rooting for TJ. It’s easy to want someone to solve a case or want a relationship to succeed, but I really just wanted any and all versions of a win for TJ. He was a flawed man, but he owned his mistakes and worked so hard to be better. He faced his faults and put in the work. He risked a lot to help his family even as John used him as a scapegoat more than once. I did really love his relationship with Gabby, and Gabby as a character on her own. She often felt like the moral compass of the family.

It took me a bit to get into the book and figure out where the plot was going, but once I was invested the pages flew by. I was surprised a few times and kept guessing for most of the book until the end and what felt like a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnams Sons for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this legal thriller, another hit by Scottoline. It was hard to put down, I kept reading to figure out the plot. Lots of twists and turns.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

A good read. A little long, but very much worth reading (and I couldn't tell you where to trim the narrative). It’s the triumph of good over evil and the persistence and belief of family (or not). The issues are faced head on (alcoholism, gambling) and ultimately, accountability is taken in hand. A fractured family comes together and renews their relationships and bonds. The future is in hand.

This was an enjoyable legal thriller about the Devlins, a family law firm. Told from the perspective of T.J., the black sheep of the family, we get a front row seat to the tangled mystery surrounding the death of a client's accountant. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the mysterious death and T.J. gets involved to protect his family.

I enjoy legal thrillers and this one was good. I figured out some of the twists, but not all of them. The ending was satisfying and all the loose ends got tied up.

PS: Mango the cat was my favorite character.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-ARC. Fast paced thriller. Hard to put down. I’ve been a fan of Lisa Scottoline since her Rosato series! Highly recommend this one.

I could not ur this book down. The flawed main character was so honest in his failings in his past, I couldn’t help but cheer him on.

I really enjoyed this book. This family drama centers around a highly successful family law firm of Devlin and Devlin. TJ, the black sheep of the family is a recovering alcoholic and has had run ins with the law and also jail time due to his alcoholism. But there is something going on in the law firm and it's up to TJ as the unofficial family investigator in the law firm to figure it out. This was a very fast paced mystery/thriller and kept the reader wondering what was going to happen next.
Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors so I am always looking her next book.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I have read most of Lisa Scottoline’s novels, and was super excited to read The Truth about the Devlins. It did not disappoint! It’s a great edge-of-your-seat legal family drama, with one of the storylines based on Dr. Albert Kligman’s human dermatological experiments at the Holmesburg Prison that occurred during the 1950s through the 1970s.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just ok. It kind of jumped around a bit. I loved the short chapters to help speed the story along. It was a bit frustrating that no one in the Devlin family would even listen to Tj when he was telling them of the issues going on.

The latest Scottoline book centers around the Devlin family. Main character TJ is the recovering alcoholic ex-con brother in a family of overachiever lawyers at their family law firm. The first few pages find TJ and his brother John trying to figure out what to do with the guy John just killed…and we’re off to the races, folks. Can TJ figure out the mystery behind the crimes and get anyone to believe him? Equally important, can the Devlin family find peace with eachother and rebuild?

This book has a bit of everything in it and theres lots to love. We got family drama (my fave), sibling rivalry, addiction and recovery, conspiracy, murder, courtroom drama (another fave), and so much more, including a diabetic cat named Mango! 🐈 I thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too. ❤️

I always look forward to the latest Scottoline book release and have yet to be disappointed. Her research and attention to detail always shines through. After Anna, Eternal and Bennetts reign as my top 3. If you haven’t read her yet, you are missing out.

Release date is March 2024! 🎉

Thank you GP Putnam & Sons, NetGalley and PenguinRandomhouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Devlins are a family of well-regarded attorneys, with the exception of son TJ, who has done time in jail. TJ (Thomas) is an alcoholic who made a mistake that could have been tragic. He not only went to jail, lost the woman he loved because of it and all respect from his family. He's out now, and working as an investigator at the family firm. His father's disappointment always feels evident to him. His job is considered a sinecure.

On the night of his father's birthday, oldest son and golden boy John asks TJ for help. He thinks he's murdered one of the clients and since TJ was in jail, who better to help? The two return to the scene of the crime, but the body is not there. Then the purported victim turns up dead of a suspected suicide a couple of days later.

John's been working on a merger and the dead man was the accountant for one of the companies involved. John tells TJ he's sure the accountant was embezzling and TJ is determined to get to the bottom of the matter and save his family's company, proving he isn't the total loser his father believes he is. Bullets fly and more is going on than TJ could have believed. But, he dives in and finds some answers, though the whole thing nearly destroys the family.

Fans of Grisham and Baldacci will enjoy this one as well.

Lisa Scottonline's THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS is that their seemingly charmed world is cracking up. They are a family of lawyers except for TJ, the alcoholic parolee and seeming troublemaker who works as the family's investigator.

There's something rotten in the Devilin family, and while the blame is laid at the feet of TJ, there are other family dynamics at work here. TJ makes for the perfect red herring and fall guy.

Some surprising twists and turns will keep readers turning pages and rooting for TJ.

Thanks to NET Galley and GP Putnam for the ARC.

An intriguing family drama. I was really excited that I got approved for this after reading What Happened with the Bennetts over the summer. I loved all the characters I like how authentic and real they feel.