Colleen Coble has always been a favorite author of mine because she is a master at writing in the romantic suspense genre. I have loved her books since I first read her Rock Harbor series and I can tell this series is off to a great start after reading One Little Lie.

There are so many things going on in this book that it is hard to narrow it down in a review. The backstory is that Jane Hardy escaped with her father from a cult when she was 15 years old. Now, several years later Jane's father has been the sheriff and now she is acting sheriff. She is a complex character dealing with her past while also having a lot going on in the present. She is thrown in to dealing with some murders that appear to be the work of a vigilante. Things become very personal when her own father is accused of these crimes. On top of all that, she is being followed by Reid who is making a documentary of small town law enforcement. But just what is his angle?

The author tackles many themes in this book including forgiveness, reconciliation, consequences of lies, etc. As I mentioned earlier, I view Jane as a very complex character and I am curious to see how she transforms and grows throughout the series.

Is her father guilty of the crimes he is accused of? Does Reid have more involvement with Jane's past than Jane is aware of? You'll have to read to find out. I can tell you that the ending definitely took me by surprise. I can't wait to see what happens in book two due to release later this year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Another jewel from Colleen Coble! I loved this book, although it should have come with a warning: May cause sleep deprivation! There are multiple storylines, but they are skillfully meshed together. This action-packed story set in the small town of Pelican Harbor on the Alabama gulf coast moves along swiftly with unexpected turns as lies and revenge generate mayhem and mystery. The characters in this exciting narrative are credible and appealing. The faith element enhances the story, and the romantic element takes a back seat to the secrecy and suspense. I am looking forward to the second book in the Pelican Harbor series, Two Reasons to Run, releasing in September. I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley but am under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Coble has outdone herself this time. I lost track of the number of mysteries included in One Little Lie. Wondering how they would all converge compelled me to continue flipping pages, putting other things aside. Cults, vigilantes, murders, lies, and betrayal; a mystery lovers smorgasbord! I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers, and am grateful to have received a complementary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I've read Christian Fiction and, for the most part, not liked much of it. Not for the positive Christian message these books always have but because they are just not that good. The writing is not up to the standard I am accustomed to and the plots just aren't that interesting. I am pleasantly surprised to say that is not the case here. This is my first Colleen Coble book and, as a much published author, she knows how to craft a great plot. The first third of the book had the reader wondering just what was going on, but then it settled down to an past paced suspense and a heartrending romance.

The book opens 15 years ago with a young girl having just given birth when the compound where she lives is attacked. Her father grabs her and tells her the baby boy died and they have to escape. With that in the readers mind the books shifts to the present day.

Jane Hardy has always respected her father and wanted nothing more than to follow his footsteps and become a police officer. She worked hard and her father, the Sheriff of Pelican Harbor, Alabama hired her and she proved herself both to him and the community. When he suddenly retired, the job was offered to Jane. A little off balance and a little out of her comfort zone, Jane is thrown into the deep end when the mayor orders her to cooperate with the making of a documentary and decapitated corpse is found and the local librarian is tar and feathered and dead. When the FBI shows up with to arrest her father, Jane is overwhelmed.

Reid Bechtol has made several well received documentaries and now is making one that will definitely receive acclaim, but that isn't his primary motive for doing it. As he gets closer to Jane he sees a woman who is in a high stress job, but handles the people she deals with empathy while doing that job.

As Jane works to find a murderer and clear her father, Reid makes himself indispensable to her and Jane finds herself drawn to him and trusting him, maybe more that she should. One thing for sure, the frame her father finds himself in is a tight one and the murderer is determined to make the charges against him stick.
4 1/2-Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️”Nothing mattered in this moment but the feel of her in his arms.”✨
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If you enjoy:
•Suspense
•Strong female lead
•Female police chief
•Second Chances
•Multiple POV
Then this might be the book for you!✨
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This is my first time reading this author. And unfortunately, it was not exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting a romance suspense novel. But this was heavy on the suspense and light on the romance.✨

I liked the strong female lead. The setting of a small town. The pace of the mystery. But I feel like the romance that was missing would have brought me into this story more. The quote used in this review is the only moment of romance I detected. The suspects identity was a surprise... But still, I felt unconnected.✨

If you looking for a suspense story without the romance, check it out for yourself! And perhaps the romance is yet to come in the next book!✨

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for this ARC for my honest review.✨

I was really disappointed by this novel for many reasons.
One, the way the prologue is written and then chapter one starts, is a little confusing. You don't know who's who. But then I quickly figured out the female in prologue was the newly appointed sheriff. But there was so much about the murders, the investigations, that drove me crazy. Not to mention the lies the journalist, Reid, was keeping. Because that little surprise was easily figured out. And then the ending was a cliffhanger. I was NOT expecting that and honestly that probably upset me about the whole book then anything else. Not sure I will bother to read book 2.

The title of this book is appropriate, but one little lie morphed into many more, and then they were no longer little.
As the story begins, Officer Jane Hardy has just made Chief of Police, succeeding her father in the job. We soon see not all are happy about her appointment, and when bodies begin to appear, some think she is not up to the task.
Now the City has given the go ahead for a noted journalist to follow here to make a new documentary, but there sure seems to be something else going on?
This book is full of secrets, and when they fall, yes, I was surprised by some, but others blew my mind, I never saw them coming.
I became so involved in this story, and in the end didn't want it to end, and yes, there is a teaser at the end, another book is coming in the Fall.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

I'm going to start off by saying that this book has a cliff hanger ending!! That disappointed me ...alot!
That said I did like the book. I don't read alot of Christian fiction but Colleen Coble is an author that I enjoy reading. This book is about past lies. Jane is now the sheriff of Pelican Harbor, Alabama but she was raised in a cult until her father told the biggest lie in order to get her away from the compound. Reid is a documentary film maker and comes to town supposedly to do a documentary about Jane and small town policing, but this is not the truth either. His past is tied to the cult too, but Jane isn't aware of it initially. Jane is also trying to solve a couple of murders and a kidnapping, plus one of her deputies fights her over everything. While all this is going on Jane and Reid grow closer. In the end the killer surprised me and the case was lead to a satisfactory conclusion. But then Jane learns the biggest lie of all. Will she be able to forgive Reid for his part in it? Sadly we won't find out in this book....not until the next book comes out.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Thomas Nelson and Colleen Coble for a chance to review this book. All opinions expressed are unbiased.

One Little Lie is a story that happens in a small coastal town, Pelican Harbor, in Alabama. A new Chief of Police has been appointed by the council and Chief Jane Hardy should have had it easy, after all, she's taking over from her father who has recently retired but things are not too rosy. There is another detective who had coveted the role of chief, there's a vigilante in town who is creating havoc , a council member is not keen on having a female in the top post and to add to her woes, there's a documentary being made about small town policing and its chiefs so that Jane Hardy is in the limelight.

Reid Dixon is a successful documentary maker whose documentary on cults had hit the charts but he is in town with his son focusing on Jane with a hidden motive.

There are quite a few things happening in the story with Jane and her past in the cult, bodies being discovered one after another, Reid and his trouble with his ex-wife, drugs and revenge, Jane's father victimized as a crooked cop, kidnapping of a senator's daughter and the ransom play, Jane's best friend and her medical diagnosis, all of which makes you feel like reading a very complex and convoluted drama. But thankfully, Colleen Coble has worked wonderfully with the story unravelling thread by thread and bringing it all together in one fell swoop.

The romance element in the story is quite light but I loved how the author used our faith and beliefs in a subtle way and made it a part of the story. There's something quite charming about a small town in the coastal area with its own pelican mascot Pete and of course my favorite character Parker, a K-9 police dog.

This is book #1 in the Pelican Harbor series and my first book by the author Colleen Coble. An exciting start to the series and looking forward to continuing it.

Promoted to chief of the small Gulf Shore police department, Jane Hardy is quickly challenged by two gruesome murders, a kidnapping, and her father's being investigated. On top of that, Jane has to allow Reid Bechtol shooting a documentary to follow her as she investigates. I received a free copy of this eBook from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I didn't want to put this book down. There are interesting twists in the story. Even though Jane resolves the cases, there are some personal issues that won't be resolved into the next book. For me this made the book richer since it makes the book more realistic and is still has a satisfactory ending. I look forward to the next book in the series. I love this very suspenseful book.

Another intriguing mystery by Colleen Coble! Part thriller, suspense, and romance. I always appreciate the care and research that Colleen puts into each one of her storylines. In this one, the cult incident that preludes this story and influences it throughout made it all the more enjoyable. The antagonist in the story remained a mystery until the very end - and that is always a good thing! I recommend this novel for all who appreciate Christian mystery stories. My appreciation to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC for this, my honest review.

“Micah 6:8 says God wants us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.” But, what happens when one lie turns into a web of deception…

Oh, how I loved this book. Coble did an amazing job in creating a masterful web of deceit all started by one little lie. Then add in more than one person’s lies and you have a mystery so riveting, you won’t know what is a lie and what is reality! There is a very real feel of what it would be like for those coming out of a cult. The aftermath, the healing, and the ramifications when the sins of others impact us for years to come. Feeling like she has moved on as much as she could, Jane is excited to be appointed the new chief of police. However as lies and deceit are uncovered in the small town, she realizes she really hasn’t overcome the past. Her nightmares return in sleep and in reality. Then as she struggles with her job, family, and friends, she begins to question more and more about her relationship with God. I thought the faith element was very real for someone who’s gone through spiritual abuse. I’m excited to see how her relationship will grow with God as the series continues.

As Reid comes to do a documentary about her being police chief, he has his own issues to deal with that made me question who he is. This really kept me guessing. I loved his character, but I wasn’t sure what his story really was. Then as he became closer with Jane, his son and him were put in danger. I ended up loving Reid and could see how hard it would be for him to speak truth. However, my heart for him kept me rooting for a happy ending. It also speaks to how hard a lie of omission can be…that fear can steal our joy when we don’t tell the truth.

If you loved The Rock Harbor series, I think you would love One Little Lie. The mystery and deception that comes from one lie and how it can spin into a web of lies is written in a powerful way. It truly speaks to the importance of honesty. While I kept wanting the truth to come out,  I cringed every time I saw one lie build on another. The mystery kept me guessing on multiple levels. A truly inspiring story and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I love Jane Hardy and can’t wait for the rest of the story!

I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Before reading this book I was already a Colleen Coble fan, so I went into this book with some expectations and she lived up to them!

Jane Hardy is the interim sheriff for a small town in Alabama when her father retires. She is thrown into the life of a sheriff and almost immediately she has some crazy cases that hit her desk and one of her detectives believes her father to be at fault and wants to pursue him heavily and she must stay impartial while being a daughter and the sheriff.

I loved Jane Hardy as a character. I could tell that this was the first in the series as this book was setting the ground work with the characters for the following books to come. A lot of the book was character development with the cases taking a back seat to their development. I didn't hate this fact, just felt a little different from the typical mystery thriller books with such a focus on the main characters.

Just to warn anyone before they pick this one up, Colleen Coble is a Christian fiction author and some books there are minimal references to her faith, not so in this one, so if you try to avoid books with religious references, you may need to avoid this one. The plot and everything is so good, so I would still recommend this one, just with the one caveat.

One Little Lie plops readers down into the middle of more than a decade old mystery. Jane Harper escapes from a cult with her father and manages to turn her life around and bury her past. She becomes police chief of Pelican Harbor, AL, but everything derails as several murders happen her first day on the job. To make matters worse, her father is the chief suspect, and she’s stuck with reporter Reid Betchol shadowing her for a documentary.

I’d classify this novel as a mystery. The plot is complex, with lots of characters that intertwine throughout the story. I didn’t see the ending coming and enjoyed the process of trying to piece the evidence together along side Jane. The “secret” is pretty obvious early on, and it’s interesting to see Reid deal with lies of omission and coming clean about what he knows and who he is. Also, Colleen Coble always has the best settings, and I loved the New Orleans style vibe of Pelican Harbor.

There was plenty of action and suspense to keep the story fast-paced. My only issue was the believability at times. The contrast of Jane from beginning to end didn’t resonate with me. I couldn’t figure out how she went from the past she had in the cult to become the police chief. It seemed like a stretch. The conflict from her past and present didn’t come out as much as I would have wanted. But overall, this is a great mystery and an intriguing read. I definitely recommend to suspense fans.

I seriously loved this book so much that I could not put it down! I love the thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Doesn’t the title just grab your attention as well?! So great.

Pelican Harbor is full of people with secrets. In the first of a new series from Coble, Jane has just assumed her father's prior position of police chief of the harborside town. Jane has some secrets of her own that she'd prefer to keep to herself, but when her father is accused of murder, she finds her cautious existence turned upside down.

During the course of her investigation, Jane finds support and comfort in an unusual place--the documentary filmmaker assigned to follow her as a publicity stunt by the mayor. Reid and his kind teenage son Will begin to draw Jane out of her protective shell, much to her surprise. Who can Jane trust? Are her neighbors out to get her? Or is there a killer targeting the people of her town?

Murder, mystery, a connection to a Senator and a long disbanded cult, "One Little Lie" is another stellar read from Coble. If you like her previous books, you will enjoy this first installment of the Pelican Harbor series. Coble thoroughly researches her settings and backstories of her characters and it shows. Details, actual events and places woven in to fiction always brings a sense of reality into her work.

Get ready to be pulled in to these new characters and get ready for the ride! I was an early reader, thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson publishing. All opinions are my own.

This is a startling story about faith. Jane and Reid have secrets. The author takes us on a remarkable journey of several lives that are being impacted by the secrets they are keeping. It is a police procedural. As Jane takes on the new job of Chief she is trying to track a killer bent on destroying her family. As she begins to have feelings for Reid, who is a reporter telling a story about her life, more secrets are revealed that will try to crush her. It is a great story filled with plenty of surprises.

We start in an obvious cult. There is not a cult characteristic that isn't introduced in the first 2 pages. Button is 15 and pregnant with the child of some guy she was given to at 12 named Moose. Lovely. Her mother is a true believer. Her father knows she needs to get her out of there. He takes her away one night, tells her that her newborn son has died and her mother refuses to come. Fifteen years later, father and daughter are living a normal life in a small town. Dad is retiring as sheriff and Button (now Jane) is prepared to take his place.

A dead body turns up, a lost child, a murderer on the loose. Just the way to start her time as sheriff. She soon finds herself having to investigate her own father, as well. Oh, and their past has decided now is a good time to come springing back up to bite them. In case that isn't enough, and just to make things a little more difficult, the people who made her the first woman sheriff want her followed by a documentarian to show off how progressive they are.

This is listed as the first in a series. It could be compelling. There are several characters I would like to no better and who would make a great focus in a future book. I hope in the future they lay off the religion thing. The misunderstanding of and cliched depiction of atheism (oh, they just don't understand or they are angry with god) was annoying whenever it came up.

Let's see where this goes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jane fled a cult with her father 15 years ago. Now she is the chief of police in Pelican Harbor, Alabama—following in her father’s footsteps. Reid is a videographer who makes documentaries and decides to showcase Jane as a female police chief. As the story unfolds, Jane deals with a vigilante and murders in her small town. As Reid helps her solve the mysteries surrounding the murders, she uncovers information about his former life in cult. I pretty much figured everything out before it happened; I just kept reading to see how Coble would tie everything together. The book ends with a lot of unanswered questions – setting up the next entry in the series. Somewhat suspenseful but not much romance at all.

How important is it to tell the truth? After all, one little lie can’t cause that much damage, can it? Jane Hardy would tell you yes it can. The entire course of her life changed because of one little lie that she had been told. In fact, she seems to be surrounded with people who feel they have to hide behind their “little lies”.

One Little Lie was a gripping story of one woman’s life in the aftermath of her escape from a cult. The author did a good job of portraying the characters and the hint that everyone has secrets.

Know God–there was some comparison between the God of the cult Jane had spent so much of her time in and the true God, but not much.

The Christian characters didn’t talk about God much especially around Jane but that could have been because she was not open to talk about Him. Still, I would have hoped that there would have been more evidence of the characters faith especially in light of the dramatic and dangerous situations they often found themselves in.

Yet there is an opportunity for us to remember that it’s important for us to know the true character of God for ourselves and not take anyone’s word for it. That means we have to read and study the Bible for ourselves and not depend on anyone to study it for us.
While there are capable Bible teachers whose work and teaching we can enjoy, it shouldn't take the place of personal Bible study.

Know yourself–I get the sense that the main character doesn’t fully know herself. She has a pretty good idea of who she is as a police officer but has spent so many years hiding from connections with others that she doesn’t truly know who she is outside of her police work and love of books.

As someone who doesn’t acknowledge the existence of God, it’s difficult for Jane to have a true knowledge of herself. Do you know who God is? Who are you in relation to Him?

Run your race–a lot of the characters were bogged down by their past and in running a race that was not theirs. We each have a purpose here on earth but we won’t fulfill it if we’re trapped in our past.

I thought Reid and Jane had all the potential to be a great couple but hoped there would have been more of a romance played out over the course of the story. Maybe it will play out in the books to come. This book is the first in a new series and ends with a number of unresolved issues which will hopefully get tied up further on in the series.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through Just Read Tours and NetGalley; a positive review was not required.