I started Of for enjoying One perfect Lie, learning about the main character Chris. And about 40% of the way through I really struggled to continue. At that point the story lost its momentum and my attention. I’ve tried twice since to read but my mind wanders.

A not for me, but will be for others.

First all I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first time I read a Lisa Scottoline novel and I didn't really know what to expect. It started of pretty good. I was immediately intriguid by the character of Chris Brennan and couldn't wait to find out his intentions. Right from the start we learn that he isn't who says he is, when applying for a teacher's job at Central Valley high school. I liked getting to know the students and their families and the rest of the Central Valley community but I felt it took too long before it became clear what Chris Brennan was up to. There were several passages in the book that I didn't find very interesting. They were either too detailed or not significant to the story in my opinion. Furthemore the whole storyline was way too farfetched for me. I didn't really connect to any of the characters, maybe because there where so many of them. Despite all of that I wanted to know the ending so that kept me going but unfortunately I can't give this book more then a 3 star rating.

Really enjoyed it. Will read this author again. Great characters.

The minute I began OPL, i hadnt liked being inside Chris' head. I thought we were getting the criminal's pov. Anyway, didn't like his manipulative behavior and also all those twists.
Couldn't care any less.

I skim read quite a lot. Liked it way better when he was manipulative and criminal like. But didn't like this book.

I didn't like those twists. They didn't make me go whoa, what? They made me go, nothing. :(

So, in short I feel meh about this. :(
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Chris' attraction, then the mothers attraction. Anyway, didn't like this. It was all so misleading. It lost its effect by not being smooth in its transition.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

*thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

The beginning of this was quite good. I liked the mystery surrounding the main characters real identity and what was going on with him. It was interesting. Unfortunately after about approximately 35% of the way through, it got boring. There was too much sports talk and too much text that just didnt need to be in there. I kept thinking, just please get on with the story. I found it a struggle to get through and it didnt improve. I wouldn't recommend this but I know the author has a large fan base so maybe this is just me that it wasn't suited for.

This book was quite enjoyable. I loved starting out with no information about the main character. It was really fun to slowly learn who he was and why he had moved to town. I am giving this three stars, because while it was fun to read, I don't feel like it is a book I will revisit.

Chris Brennan arrives at Central Valley High School like a breath of handsome fresh air. He's a great teacher, a inspirational coach, an all round nice guy. He's also a complete fabrication. He's there to infiltrate the tight knit baseball team and will stop at nothing to get what he needs. The question is what does he need and why is he there?

OK three stars might be a bit harsh. Because I was loving this book. It genuinely hooked me in thinking it was one type of book then kicked literary sand in my face by revealing itself to be another. Which is great. But then it becomes a bit of a bog standard action thriller which was a bit disappointing. That said the characterisation was good enough to keep me reading and there were still a few surprises. So maybe 3 and a half. A good book that suffers for having an excellent beginning that really shows up it's good but average end.

Let me start by saying that I'm sooo surprised this book got many negative comments. I thought this book was fast paced and had many characters that meshed well together. At the beginning of the book we have this awful idea of what Chris/Curt is up to. By the middle of it I was totally shocked to really find out what was really going on and what he was trying to stop. I felt really good about how the author made the characters work well together. This is why it is such an easy and fast read for me. I however did feel the end of the book was a little much. It was more how an action movie would end and not very realistic. I tend to like books that are more realistic. Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend it.

This was my first from Lisa Scottoline and it certainly will not be my last. It is twisty, filled with great writing and excellent suspense. I look forward to reading more from this author. Highly recommended to readers of psychological thrillers.

This is psychological thriller where the teacher/coach Chris, uses false information and qualifications to get the job and then searches for a naive boy to manipulate/assist for his own means. The whole premise was scary for me when I read the beginning. A teacher with nefarious thoughts sends a shiver down my spine.
But the author Lisa Scottoline does a great job to keep a reader interested in the book with her tight plots. The book is written in multiple points of view. I liked knowing about families of all the boys. There was a bit of action too which I didn't expect.
The rest of the book works well as a thriller and is worth a read.

So, the beginning threw me a little but I enjoyed Chris Brennan's story. The plot twist and the conclusion made this a good read.

This book had a little bit of everything - a bit of suspense, a bit of intrigue, a bit of excitement and a little bit of romance (don't let that put you off - if would me, if I didn't know - it fitted in perfectly with the plot and added a sweet extra dimension to the protagonist's motivation, without being sugary).

It was very well written and, apart from the first couple of chapters (which I found a tad confusing) it was a very enjoyable and entertaining read,

One of my favorite authors and love all her books, she never disappoints.

This is the first time I've read anything by Lisa Scottoline. I definitely went in with rather low expectations having read the synopsis first.

It's a far better book than I thought it would be. It's well paced with great characters and an interesting plot. It was very enjoyable. It hooked me from the start wanting to find out the ending. It's definitely a highly recommended book from me.

OMG This was a terrifying, exciting book. It is a superbly crafted novel. Chris Brennan is handsome, personable and it seems credible that he wants to make a good shot at teaching/coaching and lay down some roots in Central Valley at the local High School. But appearances are deceptive. His credentials are fake and he's not who he claims to be. It's fascinating how skilfully he plays everyone so he can exploit them to his advantage. I thought I had a firm grip on the plot until half way through I discovered I was way off the mark. The ending was astronomically scary, breathtaking and thrilling. WOW!!! I have to add that I haven't the faintest clue about Baseball but that's not a criticism. It added to my knowledge bubble which can't be bad. I might add that as I was reading this novel last night there was a newsflash and ongoing situation about a terrorist attack in NY which puts things into context. Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishing Group. I shall post this on Amazon and my blog.

Not one of my favorite standalones from Scottoline (I don't read her series but I love her standalones). I thought it was predictable and the final action sequence was wayyyy too over the top and very hard to believe. Chris was not the most likeable character, I just couldn't get behind him.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Headline Publishing Group and NetGalley provided me with a prepublication copy of this book for an honest review. I thank them.
Lisa Scottoline never disappoints. Her mysteries are well written; the reader never wonders who is speaking or where the character is. Pronouns are always clear. And her mysteries always delight.
We have someone checking out information about bombing something somewhere. He is the new teacher at the local high school and is an assistant coach of the baseball team. But we know from the beginning that he is using an alias. He is gathering information from the players and is looking for the most vulnerable player to befriend. Pretty evil actions – there is no doubt that this guy is mean. Then half way through the book – whap ! – gobsmacked ! Everything is upside down! Is this guy really bad or is there someone else who is the bad bomber? And where is the bomber now? And one of the teachers commits suicide so all the students and faculty are truly upset. Now hang on to your hat – you will be up the rest of the night getting to the end of the book. There is fantastic action in the last part of the book that any mystery lover will enjoy. Suddenly putting the puzzle together – extreme bravery – a job promotion. Maybe everything will work out. A wonderful read!

Lisa Scottoline’s One Perfect Lie is a riveting thriller that sucked me in from the very first sentence:
“Chris Brennan was applying for a teaching job at Central Valley High School, but he was a fraud.”

From the first moment of the novel, the main character Chris Brennan is painted as a master manipulator and liar. As Chris sits in the principal’s office interviewing for a job as a government teacher and assistant baseball coach at Central Valley High School, it immediately becomes clear that he is lying every step of the way. While presenting himself as the picture perfect candidate to fill the teaching position, Chris is also sitting there contemplating his real motivation for securing this job… and guess what? It has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. Chris’s thoughts are dark, sinister, and potentially deadly.

Because he’s perfect on paper and is able to easily lie his way through the interview, Chris lands the job and immediately begins to put step one of his real plan into motion. He needs a teenage boy to help him carry out his plan and, through prior research he has conducted of the classes he will teach and the baseball team he will coach, Chris has identified three prospective boys. First is Evan Kostis, who is popular, good looking, and comes from a wealthy family. Then there’s Jordan Larkin, who is shy and tends to be a bit of a follower, and the final candidate, Raz Sematov, who has a bit of a bad boy vibe. Like a predator, Chris observes these three boys intently for several days trying to determine which of them possesses the qualities he needs.

Scottoline had my full attention by this point as Chris’s ominous plot started to unfold. I ended up reading One Perfect Lie in less than a day. I literally could not stop turning the pages because the suspense was so great. I just had to know who Chris really was, what he was up to, what his motivations were, and most especially, why he needed a boy to help him carry out his seemingly sinister plan.

LIKES

Holy Plot Twist, Batman! One of my favorite parts about One Perfect Lie was that after all of the setup that I just wrote about, Scottoline throws an unexpected wrench into the story that made me have to throw out every assumption I had built up in my mind about Chris Brennan and start all over again. I can’t really go into any details without spoiling the main action of the story, but it definitely threw me for a loop and took the story in an entirely different direction that I was expecting it to go.

I also liked the use of multiple points of view to unravel the mystery of this story. One Perfect Lie is told from the perspective not just of Chris Brennan, master liar, but also from the perspectives of the mothers of Evan, Jordan, and Raz. While Chris was the expected point of view, the mothers surprised me since I would have expected to hear from the boys. I really liked Scottoline’s use of the mothers though. From Susan Sematov’s perspective, we learn that Raz’s whole family is reeling from the unexpected death of Raz’s father a few months earlier, while from the perspective of Mindy Kostis, we learn that Evan is caught up in a life of drama that would rival Desperate Housewives. And finally, from Heather Larkin’s perspective, we learn that she is a single mom trying to make ends meet and therefore isn’t around for Jordan as much as she would like to be. Watching the story unfold from these POVs gave a lot of insight into the home lives of the three boys and what it was about each of them that drew Chris to them. It also revealed that Chris Brennan isn’t the only one walking around with secrets and lies, adding an element of juicy domestic drama to an already captivating mystery.

Scottoline does a fabulous job building up suspense throughout the story too. As I mentioned earlier, I literally could not put this book down once I got started. The mystery was just so engaging, and then there were just so many lies that needed to be unraveled. The pacing was quick and consistent, which was nice, and I can’t recall ever being bored while I was reading.

DISLIKES/ISSUES

Even though I plowed through the book in less than a day, I still had a couple of issues with it. I sat on this review for a week just to see if these things still bothered me and yes, they still do.

1. There’s some drama early on about needing to rent a truck from a business that would allow a teenage driver to pick up the truck. I’m intentionally being vague here because of spoilers, but the gist of my issue is that this scene is presented in such a way that it makes it seem like it’s crucial to the storyline, but then it’s never mentioned again. It left me very confused since I kept waiting to see when the truck would fit into the storyline.

2. There’s an action sequence near the end that just felt didn’t feel realistic to me. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely made for great entertainment, but since the rest of the story felt so realistic, it just felt really out there in comparison, like something out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger action hero movie. Trust me, you’ll know exactly the scene I’m referring to when you get there.


FINAL THOUGHTS
Even with the couple of issues I had, I still very much enjoyed this read. With its intricate plot, riveting suspense, and a memorable cast of characters, One Perfect Lie is sure to please any reader who enjoys a great mystery.

RATING: 3.5 STARS

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a punchy, enjoyable, easy read, which keeps the reader guessing throughout. Chris is a new teacher but from the start we know there's something wrong about him - he's trying to make connections and use some of his students for his own needs, which aren't made clear til around halfway through. This isn't hugely groundbreaking, but it is a lot of fun, and would make an ideal holiday read.

I have read many Lisa Scottoline books and enjoyed them all. She is one of my fave authors. Already excited for the next one.