I really enjoyed this. It grabbed my attention right away and kept me guessing throughout. I liked the fast paced family drama, and all the twists and turns along the way.

Lisa Scottoline delivers an amazing family thriller which jumps in right from the start.

The Devlins run a legal business which is comprised of the parents and their 3 kids - John, the ultimate first born son who is their golden child, Gabby - middle child/peacemaker extraordinaire and TJ, the last born son/black sheep of the family. While his siblings thrive, TJ is a recovering alcoholic who spent 1 year in prison. At their father's bday party, John tells TJ he thinks he killed someone. TJ automatically steps up to help his brother but when they go back to the scene, there's no body. What happened?

As TJ investigates to try to help his brother, things go from bad to worse as he starts being followed and every loose end he tries to follow ends in disaster. Can TJ save his family before it's too late?

Loved the character development and the family dynamics in this book! A solid 4 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Truth about the Devlins is a great thriller the dives into the importance of family and how they stand up for each other, even if mistakes are made along the way. We meet TJ, who is the only one in the family that is not a lawyer in the family's prominent firm. TJ is a recovering alcoholic and took a different path that included jail time and embarrassment to the family, but he is still an investigator in the firm. Some members of the family trust TJ more than others do. TJ's brother is the up-and-coming star of the firm and next in line to take over once the father retires. One day, the brother gets in serious trouble and needs TJs help, which leads to murders and mistrust in the family.

I liked how all the characters developed. Some were supportive of each other while others took advantage of situations. I like how they were ultimately good people with good intentions, that finally learn how much they love each other and of the importance of forgiveness as everyone makes mistakes.

Lisa Scottoline has been an auto-buy author for me for years! I love the way she tells stories and builds characters. While this wasn’t my absolute favorite of her books, I loved how she went back to a law mystery reminiscent of Rosato & Dinunzio. The characters in this story were exciting to follow and the family was chaotic but ultimately endearing. I recommend this for anyone with an interest in mysteries surrounding law firms or questionable family members!

Getting to know the Devlin family is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. From the outside, the train is all powerful, expensive and running extremely well. From the insider's view that Scottoline provides her readers, we see that this train is out of control and ready to derail. From a controlling father who heads up the family law firm to the first-born overachieving son, the daughter with a social conscience who works pro bono cases and the "screw up" TJ who has spent time in prison related to his alcoholism, this family has a lot of issues to resolve. Add in an unknown criminal element, a murder and embezzlement and readers will not only be trying to figure out the "whodunit" but also who was actually the intended victim and why. Once again, Lisa Scottline keeps the pages turning and reveals in her notes that a part of this story is based on a real and tragic event. Highly recommended reading.

I went into this story blind- thinking it was a thriller, but feeling it was more of a drama. As the story developed, the thriller aspect came into play, more of a domestic legal thriller involving a family law firm and the black sheep brother, TJ. He is struggling to find his way in life, celebrating his recent sobriety but also mourning his failed relationship and struggling to find his way career-wise. His brother gets caught up in a dangerous crowd and leans on TJ to help him. While he is working to help him, he uncovers way more than initially thought. Overall a solid domestic thriller and I enjoyed learning more about the Devlin family.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Wow!! This book has mystery, murder, and legal drama. Imagine a family of lawyers and you’re the black sheep of the family. One night your brother asks you to help him cover up a murder. What would you do? The more secrets are uncovered the more are discovered with this family! Highly recommend! Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy

Once upon a time, I was an avid Lisa Scottoline reader but fell off over the years, so was delighted to get the chance to read THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS. Unfortunately, this book was a miss - I wasn’t invested in the characters and as a result, wasn’t terribly interested in the plot. It started dragging about 25% in, and felt like it was going in circles. My patience wore low and I DNFed around 40%.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS.

I love Lisa Scottaline books, this one is about a family of lawyers. It was hard to put down, read in two afternoons.

Another great Lisa Scottoline thriller! Family drama galore plus addictions, unconditional love, crime of many types with lots of twists and turns equals a fast, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed The Truth about the Devlins.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a very intriguing family drama that I found hard to put down!

The Devlin's are a powerful family in Philadelphia. Both parents and two of their children work in the family law firm of Devlin and Devlin. Typically, every family has a black sheep and for this family it’s TJ. Presently on parole. He’s maintained his sobriety for two years, doing his best to get his life back on track.
TJ works for the family firm as the unofficial investigator.

But when his older brother pulls him into a case, TJ's sobriety and possibly his life are in jeopardy.

I loved TJ’s character. He felt very authentic to me in his struggles. His desire to be accepted by his family and to be loved by the woman he disappointed.

A gripping storyline, with enough legal drama to keep me engaged. There was no courtroom action, and truly it wasn’t even missed.

I have been reading Lisa Scottoline’s books for years. I absolutely love her series! I’ve been hit or miss with her stand-alone books. But this latest was a big hit! I would love to see these characters be incorporated into a series in the future. I need more TJ!🙏🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam

Excited doesn’t begin to describe the opportunity to read and review Lisa Scottoline’s newest thriller, The Truth About The Devlins. John, the golden child of the family, discloses to his brother, TJ, he killed a man. John discovered that an accountant for a client of his law firm was embezzling money and confronted the accountant about it. When the accountant pulled a gun and ordered John to his knees, he threw a sizable rock at the gunman, hitting him in the head. TJ is the family screw up, the black sheep, an alcoholic. His father looks at him and thinks “failure.” The day TJ leaves his father’s prized family birthday party with John to look for where the body is and deal with it, TJ knows he’s walking on thin ice, but this time, it’s not TJ who is the failure. It’s his brother, or so he thought. TJ begins investigating what happened to the accountant and finds a complex web of lies at each turn. When his own brother fabricates things to cover for himself while throwing TJ under the bus, TJ starts to see that beneath the surface there is a darkness enveloping John.

Scottoline takes you on a journey of discovery and redemption with TJ. He has to battle the demons that have been nipping at his heels after he completed his penance for what he did wrong, and he manages it successfully until his family starts to sabotage his work on his sobriety and doing what’s right. There are parts of TJ’s past that he struggles to leave behind, but circumstances force him to change. This one is a fast paced thriller that has you rooting for TJ, as well as his sister (one of the sub plots that gets its chance at center stage as the story progresses).⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/@Putnam Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on March 25, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #lisascottoline #thetruthaboutthedevlins #penguingroup #PutnamBooks

This book was a slow start for me. It took me till the second half of the book to feel invested in the characters and their story. Sometimes the plausibility of the storylines and the character’s thought processes were hard to invest myself in. Thank you to NetGalley and Lisa Scottoline for this ARC!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in place of my honest review.

Lisa Scottoline is a one click author for me. I can read her books in one sitting and they are always 5 star reads...until now. The storyline felt...off, different, not written by the author I have come to love. I enjoyed it enough that it still got 3 stars from me but definitely not my favorite and definitely not one I would recommend of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and especially, Lisa Scottoline for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read Lisa Scottoline's work before and this book is right on par for her. I enjoy her writing style, she writes in a way that draws you in but doesn't overwhelm you. This book was good - it had twists and turns throughout the whole story, keeping you engaged and wanting to know what happens next. And just enough affection to tug at the heart strings a bit. I saw some of the twists and revelations coming but that didn't take away from the story.

I enjoyed the perspective of the main character, TJ, and the struggles he was going through maintaining his sobriety. His whole family consisted of lawyers but you didn't feel like TJ was less than them at all, my heart went out to him and I was in his corner from the beginning. I liked some characters more than others and some way less than others. I don't want to give anything away but I will say I think some of them got what they deserved. I'll let you be the judge.

The Truth About the Devlins
Lisa Scottoline
Pub Date: Mar 26, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I am a fan of Scottoline so I was thrilled to read this book first.
TJ Devlin is the charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, all of whom are lawyers at their highly successful firm—except him. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can’t get hired anywhere except at the firm, in a make-work job with the title of investigator.

But one night, TJ’s world turns upside down after his older brother John confesses that he just murdered one of the clients, an accountant he’d confronted with proof of embezzlement. It seems impossible coming from John, the firstborn son and Most Valuable Devlin.

TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But in no time, TJ and John find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns might break them first.
This book was pulse pounding and as great as Scottoline's last book!
5 stars

A chance to read an advanced copy of a Lisa Scottoline book is always a thrill (pun intended). Unfortunately—for me—I started reading “The Truth about the Delvins” in the middle of grading final exams, so I could not read it as quickly as I wanted to, but it was still a book that I did not want to put down.

Most of Scottoline’s books focus on strong Italian Catholic women but this story was told through the eyes of T.J. Delvin, the family ne'er-do-well and recovering alcoholic, in a family of successful attorneys. Not only is T.J. not a lawyer, but he served time for leaving the young child of a former girlfriend asleep in a car while he sat in a bar and drank.

Yet, big brother John finds himself in trouble and reaches out to T.J. for help. However, the more T.J. tries to help John, the more he gets tangled into his brother’s mistakes—though because of T.J.’s past, his older brother does not hesitate to point the finger at T.J. Meanwhile, working as a private investigator at the family law firm, he helps his sister prepare for a lawsuit against pharmaceutical and research companies that performed experiments on prisoners, eager for the money. The two plotlines twist together in the most surprising way.

Scottoline can voice her male characters as well as her female ones, and I really liked T.J. who was genuine and willing to accept responsibility for his mistakes. Plus, he adopts Mango, the diabetic cat, when his owner in suddenly killed, and instantly falls in love with being a cat dad, even if Mango isn’t so thrilled with him. I also liked Gabby and the glimpses we got of T.J.’s mom, but his dad and John were not quite as well developed. I admired how T.J. put his family first, even when they looked down on him. While I thought the story wrapped up a little too neatly, I’d love to see T.J. (and Mango) again in a sequel.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/ G. P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with a digital review copy of “The Truth About the Devlins” in exchange for my opinion.

I finished this book in 2 days but only because I could not guess how this would end. I din not like John using TJ and I'm glad he stood up in the end. The mom was the center of the family but lacked trust in TJ's ability's to stay sober and the Dad was always looking for the worst in him. Gabby and her husband Martin did not play a big part but kind of circled around the story. I feel like so the of the players had back stories I miss. All in all it was a good book not great like some of her other books.

I’m rounding up from 4.5. The Truth About the Devlins is Scottoline at her best. This story revolves around the Devlin & Devlin Law Firm and the Devlin family: parents, Paul and Marie, “perfect” brother John, sister Gabby, and black sheep of the family, TJ. TJ Devlin is an alcoholic in recovery, fighting every day to stay sober. He has already lost true love Carrie and the trust and respect of his family. Working as an investigator in his family’s law firm, he becomes embroiled in a murder that may or may not involve his older brother John. At the same time, he works with Gabby on her pro bono cases to hold parties accountable, in this case, for wrongs done to inmates at Holmesburg Prison. TJ opined “justice should be the same way, free and available to everyone”. As work progresses on the cases, trust and honesty are in doubt and what it meant to be a Devlin was questionable. There is a lot to this on what recovery entails and what justice looks like, especially for those who can afford it. “You pay people off and you hire lawyers and you think you make it better, but you just make it smooth. You don’t make it right. Smooth isn’t right.”

The story is fast-paced and told with Ms. Scottoline’s signature wit. As a result, it’s a quick read with a great payoff. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advance copy of The Truth About the Devlins.

A family of lawyers, the Devlins, with one black sheep, TJ, who has actually spent a year in prison due to an accident caused by him being drunk. Now he does investigations and leg work for the rest of the family. When his older brother asks for his help, he tries to help him but manages to violate his parole conditions. His family believe he has fallen off the wagon but TJ actually discovers secrets about his brother that the family does not know about. A fast paced book with a few twists. Enjoyable.