This is a tense well written terror story... The tension builds up slowly as more details are revealed about the teenagers involved in the plot. I felt a subplot involved the stress and struggles of single mothers
I enjoyed reading this book and hope others will too.

WOW! This book had me on the edge of my seat from page one. Lisa Scottoline has done it again in creating suspense fiction at its best.

Buckle up before you read as you are getting ready for a roller coaster ride. The twists and turns you will take as you follow Coach Chris through his time at Central Valley will leave you breathless.

Thanks to Jordan Hanley and St. Martin’s Press for a free electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline. I have read many of her books and praised them all equally, and was over the moon to receive a copy of her new novel, “One Perfect Lie”.
In “Lie”, a handsome stranger moves into a small community, taking up a position as a teacher and baseball coach at the local high school. However, we quickly find out that this stranger (let’s call him “Chris” to prevent spoilers) is not who he says he is at all and in fact he has made up everything about himself- from his name to his credentials. He quickly forms bonds with three boys on the baseball team, all who have missing pieces in their home lives that make them the perfect candidates for Chris’ master plan. But who will make the final cut?
This novel tells the story from not only Chris’ standpoint, but also we hear a bit from the mothers of the three children Chris befriends. Mindy (whose husband is a surgeon and her son is the baseball superstar), Susan (who is trying to raise two boys after the death of her husband) and Heather (the single mother who is managing to care for her son Justin, the newcomer to the team). All of these families are also not what they seem on the surface and are struggling to keep their own secrets hidden.
The first section of this novel (entitled “Step One”) had readers forming their own opinions and beliefs about Chris and who he really is, only to be sidelined by the “truth” in “Step Two” (literally, sidelined. Like- wham. Holy cow). Scottoline gets right down to the twists, not wasting a minute, as she continues her suspense-fueled story from one chapter to another. I really loved the direction I thought the book was going in Step One and was actually disappointed when it changed in Step Two (but that is just my quirky preference I guess), but the storyline itself was well-written and riddled with drama and action.
I loved all of the characters in this novel. Their honesty, bravery and genuine dysfunction helped to create the strong emotional bonds a reader needs to feel with the characters, while at the same time clarifying and making each character distinct from its counterparts. It is often difficult to separate characters, when there are so many similar ones in a novel, but Scottoline’s prowess made it easy to differentiate between them and follow the story’s action-packed plot.
This novel has everything- intrigue, mystery, hanging from helicopters (yup!) and even a bit of romance thrown in. The story builds up with just the right amount of suspense and follows this path right to the succinct and satisfying ending (all t’s are crossed and all i’s are dotted—there are no unanswered questions by the end which is quite a feat from a novel with so many plot twists and characters).
Scottoline is definitely not a rookie writer, and her experience is evident in her creative plots and genuine characters. This novel surprised me in positive ways, and it definitely was not what I expected! A hands-down crime drama that will leave you talking (and thinking!) about it for weeks to come. Scottoline continues to create cleverly told, addicting stories and after years of releasing novels, I don’t know how she does it. But I encourage her to continue pressing on- I will definitely read anything else she chooses to print.

“One Perfect Lie” revolves around Chris Brennan, who is applying for a teaching and coaching job in a small town. But nothing about Chris - including his name is real. After securing the jobs he starts to focus on three boys and we become immersed in their lives. We see how the single mom, the widowed mom and the country club mom and their family dynamics evolve.

The storyline develops from there but to say too much would ruin the story and I hate spoilers. But I will say that you will be kept guessing and pulling for the good guy in the end.

I received a copy of this boo through Net galley for my honest review.

I have actually never read anything by this author before although I have certainly heard of her. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to receive a review copy from the publisher and NetGalley because I would have missed finding this gem of a suspense novel. Wow, what a read! It kept me riveted. I can't wait to read more of her work.

Lisa scottoline is definitely a tried and true author. Once you pick up one of her books, you know you're in for a good read. This story definitely took an unlikely turn from what my mind was brewing up, and it made for a very enjoyable story.

Loved this book! What a great read! Highly Recommend!

This is an enthralling fast-paced thriller, and I definitely enjoyed it more than Scottoline's last book. I am thankful that the publisher sent me a link to this book so that I could give her work another shot. This had all the elements of suspense, mystery, and intrigue. Each character is well developed, even the minor ones. It seems Scottoline let's the cat out of the bag right at the beginning of the book regarding the master plan. Then she use the rest of the book to lay the groundwork and unfold the layers or the plot. Except things may not be as they seem.

There is a huge plot twist 1/3 into book. You will not see this coming, and it will completely change your perceptions and train of thought. After the plot twist Scottoline drops hints of foreshadowing here and there, helping you to build a new theory about what is going on. But, again, you will be wrong. Just strap in and enjoy this book, but be prepared to be reading long into the night.

I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers. I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one crazy roller coaster of a read. Chris Brennan, high school government teacher and baseball coach, is not who he portrays himself to be. The first section of the book has you thinking one thing, and then there is a huge twist that shakes up everything you thought, and then even more twists from there. This a fast-paced story with lots of twists, turns, and surprises that keep you on your toes as a reader. It reads like an exciting action/thriller film, and I would love to see it adapted for film because it is so suited for it. I think it's a little different than the usual from Scottoline, while still being true to some of the hallmarks of her writing.

My only complaint with it would be that I wish more time was spent developing the relationships between Chris, the students/baseball team members, the other teachers at the school, and with Heather, the mom of one of the students/baseball team members, Jordan. The relationships and thoughts Chris has about these people don't read as completely believable because of the short time and section of the story spent on it. The book is almost 400 pages, though, so it would have been more like 500 to give it the level of development I would prefer. It didn't even feel like close to 400 pages when reading it, though, because the story moves so fast and is such a thrill ride. It was likely pretty comparable to what you would get with a film script, though, so maybe this is just me being picky. It didn't ruin the book for me at all, but it is enough to keep me from giving 5 stars. If 4.5 were possible, I would go with that.

Otherwise, loved the book and do recommend it. Scottoline's readers may be women more often than men, but I think men would love this one too, and I know it would be a hit as a film. If you thrillers and fast-paced books with lots of action, this is a must read.

This was a slow burner for me. It took a while to get going and for the suspense to start building but once it did I was into it. There is a lot going on besides the arrival of Chris Brennan who is not at all who he claims to be. There are multiple back-stories happening at once including Heather struggling as a single mom, Mindy who is suspicious of her cheating husband for all the wrong reasons, and who had my suspicions aroused as well!

Well, this book really surprised me time after time. Scotterline has a knack for thrilling books that also present some interesting thought about life, and this was indeed the case here.

And this one definitely threw me for a total loop. I'm used to not being able to guess what will happen in a book; however, I'm not used to books crossing over to entirely different genres than I thought they were in.

Chris as a character had much more depth to him than I initially thought. The way that his background led him to be the type of person he was really sad to read about but made him a more well-rounded person. At first, I definitely thought that he'd be pretty flat and predictable, but he was far from it, and the kind of psychopathic tendencies he had were fabulous.

I can't say I adore Scottoline's writing style; there's something a little bit too fatalistic to it though I can't place my finger on why. However, the curves this threw me for (one so much so that I had to reread five pages to make sure I hadn't missed something) were a lot of fun. Still, though there was some gore, I didn't feel completely on edge.

There were politics to this also that were intriguing. I'm not going to add much more so as not to spoil anything, but yeah.

This is a pretty solid thriller. Would recommend.

Chris Brennan is one of my favorite characters. I really did not like him at first but then as the storyline progressed...Wow! This is one of her best! It kept me on the edge of my seat! This is one stand alone that I hope to see the characters again. Evan, Mindy, Jordan, Heather, Raz, Susan, even the Rabbi....So many more stories to be told! Loved this book!

At the start, all we know is that nothing about Chris Brennan—including his name—is real. He’s applying for a job as a teacher and coach in a town where there is a deep divide between the haves and have nots. He wants to befriend a junior boy on the baseball team for some nefarious purpose.

There are three boys he focuses on, and thus, three stories of mothers and sons and their complex relationships.

This novel gets more fast-paced and exciting the more you read, with all the twists and turns of any great suspense novel, but unlike most suspense novels, this one delves into the challenging relationships between mothers and sons, giving it more substance. (It does not make being the mother of teenage boy look like any fun, especially in the age of cell phones.)

One of the mothers seems a little too perfect—the hardworking, blue-collar single mom, Heather. But the other two moms are satisfyingly flawed people.

I can’t say more about the plot without giving anything away, but trust me, this was super fun—I even got a little teary in places toward the end, which I’m pretty sure I’ve never done in a suspense novel.

It had been a while since I’ve read Lisa Scottoline, but I’ll definitely be reading more.

Wow! I don't want to spoil any of the plot but I will say that for the first third of the book, I had a really sick feeling in my stomach about where the plot might be going. But then the twist...I definitely didn't see that coming! Very well done! This was a fun read! Thank you for the opportunity to read this in advance!

A fast paced edge of your seat kind of story. Terror that sits like a pit in your stomach. I had a hard time putting this book down, and when I did I kept thinking about the characters and storyline. Kept me guessing and thoroughly entertained.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. I am just getting into Scottoline's books and can't wait to read some of the older titles.

I enjoy Scottoline’s writing and have read all of her books featuring attorney Bennie Rosato. This is outside of that series and with it, Scottoline has hit a home run! The development of all the various characters is excellent. There is good insight into the mind of a (non sexual) predator and a twist (well more than one) that has you guessing and makes you not want to put down the book until the end. As a bonus, you even learn a little about our government! The climax was a little over the top, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. Be prepared to read this book well into the night……

Well paced story. Intriguing. Read it in two sittings.

This was a great mystery. I was drawn in from the beginning by what I thought was a creepy and scary man in an unsuspecting town. About half way through, you learn that what you thought you knew isn't what it appeared to be making the mystery even more intriguing. This book is exciting to the end!

Good but not great storyline. I liked the characters but they weren't well developed.

wow what a great read. very interesting storyline. good twist and turns and really enjoyed this