Lisa Scottoline gets it right in this fast paced psychological thriller. Chris Brennan is a charming man applying to be a high school government teacher at Central Valley High School and also to be the assistant baseball coach. He seems to be the perfect and ideal candidate but Chris is hiding so much, particularly his dark agenda and ulterior motives! The narrative is delivered through multiple perspectives but primarily focuses on Chris.
This is a gripping thriller that keeps you hooked. The characterisation is strong and keeps you interested and reading on. An entertaining novel that is full of intrigue and suspense. This is the first book I have read by this author and I would read more. Thanks to Headline and net galley for the advance copy.

That secret was a surprise! Fast-paced with some unexpected twists. Great story!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

I know it's customary these days to compare a book to something that's already come out. That way you attract the type of reader you think will like the book. The blurb for this book when I chose it was that it was comparable to The Girl on the Train and Behind Closed Doors both of which are psychological thrillers. One Perfect Lie isn't a psychological thriller, it's more of a straightforward thriller. There's nothing wrong with that but I don't think I would have chosen it if its description had been more accurate.

One Perfect Lie was an OK read. It starts off with Chris starting work at a high school and it's immediately clear he is not who he is pretending to be. He is trying to befriend one of the basketball team and has done a lot of research on four of the team to find out who would be best for his purpose. So far so good. Then the first twist comes, again so far so good. I won't say more as I don't want to spoil things. But I will say this. There is a problem when a novel can't really decide what it wants to be. This veers from crime story to thriller (with a ludicrous denouement straight from an action movie) to romance. I wasn't really convinced by any of it.

I absolutely loved this book!! It is a very quick, unputdownable, page turner!! It deals with very real issues that we face today, as do a lot of Lisa Scottoline books. This one deals with domestic terrorism. That is all I will give away. It is fast paced and your heart will be pounding, your adrenaline rushing to get to the end. You just have to know what happens. It is a very pulse pounding novel! I read this book in 2 days! You will love the main character, Chris. He is a strong, male lead in this story. The characters are well developed and believable, the main characters as well as the secondary ones. The story flows at a good clip and you will definitely be engrossed in this story. This story reflects how life is in todays' society. I felt such a wide range of emotions, anger and sadness, to name a few. I highly recommend this read! I have loved every single Lisa Scottoline book that I have ever read and this was no exception. She is an exceptional storyteller. Please read this one, you don't want to miss out on a great story.

I have been a fan of Lisa's for years and have every single one of her books. I was SO excited that she began writing 3 books a year because it was so hard to wait for her one book a year. I realize that this is probably difficult to do but I am so thankful that she does it!! One Perfect Lie was ONE PERFECT BOOK!! I absolutely loved it. She just gets better and better with each book. Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review her book. I look forward to many many more with Lisa

Single mom Heather Larkin is living her quiet life as a waitress and mom to 17 year old Jordan.
Jordan is a star on his high school's baseball team and really connects with new assistant coach Chris Brennan. Mr. Brennan is also the new government and criminal justice teacher and the kids are really connecting with him.
But Mr. Brennan is not who he says he is. He has secrets.
Mindy Kostis is learning that her husband and son are not who they say they are either. They have secrets.
Susan Sematov is learning that her sons are not who they say they are. They have secrets.
The secrets of these families and individuals begin to come out and start to unravel the quiet town of Central Valley and lead the town and its inhabitants to find a larger secret that was hiding right under their noses.

I devoured this book in 2 days and that is saying quite a bit because I'm normally not a Lisa Scottoline fan. This was by far one of the most suspenseful novels I have read in a long time. It kept me wanting to continue the book to find out more information. I did not see the secret of Chris/Kurt coming (should have been fairly obvious to many mystery readers). I did see how Evan would play into it but I was a bit disappointed with the characters that were introduced in the story that ended up playing a role in the final "secret". Their lack of characterization throughout the book left me not engaged with them when they played a bigger role at the end. However, this book kept my interest and I think it is a must read for police procedural fans.

Review: ONE PERFECT LIE by Lisa Scottoline

My heart did not drop from my throat throughout this novel. That is how highly the suspense is tuned. Author Lisa Scottoline successfully brings her trademark talent of bringing readers into the plot and setting subtly, enwrapping us unaware, so that we must see the plot through to its conclusion. The theme here is domestic terrorism, horrifying in itself. To see the ways in which formerly innocent individuals trap themselves in crime is also terrifying, and the last-moment suspense blows the reader away

Lisa Scottoline spins a rattling yarn in this fast paced psychological thriller. Chris Brennan is a highly personable and charming man applying to be a high school government teacher at Central Valley High School and to be the assistant baseball coach. He seems to be the perfect and ideal candidate but Chris is gifted in the art of deception, a man with a plan, a dark and deadly agenda. The narrative is delivered through multiple perspectives but primarily focuses on Chris.

Whilst Brennan has engaged in extensive research on the school prior to getting the job, he needs much more information on students and he is aided by the propensity of openness and over sharing by young people on social media. He is running classes that add to his knowledge of the qualities that students possess. He is paying particular attention to three teenage friends and members of the baseball team. Raz Semetov has recently lost his father to cancer, jordan Larkin's father has played no role in his life, and Evan Kostis, whilst being attractive, popular and rich, is highly secretive. All have fractured backgrounds, rendering them vulnerable. We are given insights into the mothers, Susan, Heather and Mindy. Not all the teachers take Brennan at face value. The tale eventually reveals a sinister and horrifying plan with echoes in recent American history.

This is a terrific thriller that keeps you gripped with its compelling plotlines and twists although it feels uneven occasionally. The strength of the book lies in the characterisations which keep the reader hooked with the lies of Brennan, how he immerses himself in the school and the community, and the secrets of the boys and their families. This is an entertaining novel that is full of intrigue and suspense in true Lisa Scottoline style. Thanks to Headline for an ARC.

I have read and enjoyed a couple of this author's books so I had high hopes for this one. I was especially quite intrigued by the blurb as it sounded quite different to the books I have been reading recently.
So, Chris Brennan goes for a job as a high school teacher. He has an ulterior motive though which soon has him scoping out certain members of the baseball team. It becomes apparent quite quickly that Chris is there to do a little more than just teach and coach and, as the story unfolds and starts to give up small parts of the puzzle that is Chris, it all starts to come together.
I was swept away by the story initially and followed meekly as the author took me down certain roads, but it was not until a couple of key pieces were uncovered that made me go back and reassess certain assumptions that I had previously made, that I soon started to see the bigger, rather shocking picture.
We meet quite a few characters on our journey, all of them came across as quite real and on the whole credible. The main ones were easy to connect with and that always makes for a better read for me. Obviously some are more open than others but hey, that's true in life too so why not fiction?
Having recently just been to the States to watch my first live baseball match, I was especially interested in the baseball parts of the book. Don't worry, for those with no interest in the sport, they don't overshadow the book at all; I just liked the connection I made with it.
The three boys that the story focuses on are all from different backgrounds. They have different home lives, have suffered different things, and have different relationships with their respective family members. We follow each boy and their mother too and get a glimpse of what life is like for them. I am usually bad with a lot of main players in a book but each character was well drawn and distinct enough so I didn't have any trouble distinguishing them and remembering who went with who!
Pacing was also good. It starts off quite slowly with a bit of scene setting and character development but when the action starts, it goes off at a pretty fast, action packed pace. This is also where Chris really holds his own. And that's all I will say as to explain would provide spoilers. It all culminates in a rather thrilling finale which left me breathless as it wrapped up.
All in all, another great book from someone I now have on my watch list. Must revisit her back catalogue and fill in my gaps.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.