A very enthusiastic read from the author Lisa Scottoline again. What Happened to the Bennetts kept me on the edge to find out what happened, but this one gained a stronger momentum with characters well played out. The Devins are a very entitled family with everyone a lawyer except for TJ. He took a different path that led him into prison and rehab for his drinking. Trying to help get his life together, the family hires him as an investigator for their cases.

TJ's brother John reveals he needs his help to cover the death of his accountant when an argument over embezzlement gets out of hand. When he begins the investigation, he opens a Pandora box that puts the whole family in danger.

Gabby, TJ's sister, is working to find justice for some inmates used for medical experiments and needs his help. He is a strong character and focuses on building it, while looking for redemption.
The author did an excellent research job on the premises of the story which was based on some real events.
Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”The Truth About the Devlins” in exchange for my honest opinion. I really tried to like this book. It starts off right in the middle of the drama and I liked TJ as a character. The dialogue was very cringy, as the kids would say. I had major issues with John lying about TJ’s drinking problem. I can’t imagine anyone doing that to a family member when they have seen the struggles and the importance of sobriety. At that point I could have cared less about what happed to John. Things were fairy predictable throughout and there was too neat of a bow to wrap things up in the end. I know this book has a high overall rating, it just wasn’t what I look for in a thriller/mystery.

Crime fiction with a messed up family
TJ was easy to root for - really understood his past trauma.
Highly entertaining and suspenseful

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was very different from What Happened to the Bennett’s. It’s not a sequel or anything, but I guess I assumed it might have some of the same plot lines. I was wrong. I liked that.
This isn’t so much a thriller, but more of a family drama like her other book. T.J. ( an ex convict) gets a call from his brother John that he killed a client, and basically their world gets flipped upside down.
I would recommend this book, I did find her other one a bit more fast paced, but I still enjoyed this story for its interesting dynamics.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book enough but did not find the plot to be the most unique. It was the black sheep son of a powerful family - rich people doing bad things - kind of tale.

Personally, I tend to have trouble with legal aspects of thrillers because I work in the criminal justice system, but this one didn't bother me. I liked that it was just enough.

This book was definitely a slow burn. I think it could have been a little faster paced, but I liked the length of the chapters, so it kept me moving.

Overall, it was a solid read.

Dnf at 37%. jesus christ could they mention tj was a recovering alcoholic any more? there was too much going on and too many plots that probably end with no explanation or fall flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC. I've been a long time reader of Lisa Scottoline's books and loved her Rosato book series but I had drifted away for awhile. I was pleased to get this copy and looked forward to reconnecting with Scottoline! You become immediately enamored of the main character, TJ, and was instantly rooting for him, who was the "under achiever" in the family.

I read this while a passenger in a car for an 8 hour trip and thank goodness I had this book to help pass the time, it really made the trip fly by. Whether you're sitting at home, in a car, train or plane, I think you'll enjoy reading her latest novel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Truth about the Devlins
By: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: Penguin Group Putman
Pub Date: 3/26/2024
I’m just not sure what more you could want in murder mystery than this one. Family drama, money schemes, prison time and most importantly murder!
TJ has had it rough not only has he served time in prison but he’s also an alcoholic. He seems to be the family screw up. Unfortunately for the family things are going to get way worse.
The Devlins run a family law firm. Both Tj’s brother and sister work there as well as his parents. After leaving prison he returns to the family firm where he takes on investigations for the firm.
When his brother reaches out and believes he’s murder a client, TJ races to try to save him.Only he has no idea how deep the trouble with his brother goes. He has to figure out what’s really going on but he needs to stay alive and protect his family to do that.
I love Lisa’s books from her thriller/mysteries to her historical fiction. I felt like I was rooting for TJ from the start. I loved how he found his way around the roadblocks for his family.

When I first started reading The Truth about the Delvin’s, I wasn’t sure if I would 1) like it 2) finish reading it. Boy, did I change my mind as I continued reading! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
The story has so much going on…..lies, secrets, alcoholism, major family drama, suspense and so much more.
Lisa Scottoline’s writing is solid and engaging.
Definitely recommended! You need to read this one!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars - I love Lisa Scottoline and have read every book in her Rosato legal series. I've had mixed feelings about her standalones. What Happened to the Bennetts wasn't my favorite, but After Anna was a five-star read for me. This book, The Truth About the Devlins falls in the middle. I like the main character, TJ Devlin, who is narrating the book. TJ is a recovering addict and ex-con, but is trying to get his life back on track. He is an investigator for his family's law firm, the only non-lawyer in the family.

Usually TJ is the one in trouble, but this time his older brother and family favorite, John, reaches out to TJ for help. Unfortunately, this favor to his brother could end up costing TJ everything. I almost quit reading the book a few times because of the things John does, but I was invested in how things would turn out for TJ. I also admired TJ and John's sister, Gabby, who uses her knowledge of the law
to represent prison inmates who were used for medical experimentation in the 1960s. (The author's note at the end says this is based on real events!)

TJ has a great sense of humor and the ending of the book is hopeful. However, much of the book was still too tense for me, although I think others may enjoy the suspense. I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

A meh slow burn thriller, I definitely wanted this to be Better than what it was, I DNFed it and just kind of felt meh about it.

I am a big fan of some of Lisa Scottoline's previous works, so I was excited to receive this ARC. Unfortunately, it kind of fell flat for me. There was so much potential - the main mystery was compelling and the storyline of the sister's case - it just didn't give enough for me. The setbacks and way that TJ was treated was frustrating and, honestly, unbelievable and annoying. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my favorite... a solid okay read at 3 stars.

This one kind of has it all! A thriller with a unique family dynamic and characters with cut throat senses of humor. I loved TJ! Highly entertaining! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this early copy for read and review

This is a tough one for me to review. There was a lot I liked about the book, but also parts that I found frustrating. I think it’s easiest to break it down into what I liked/didn’t like:

WHAT I LIKED:

-Our main protagonist, TJ. An overall good guy with a sense of humor who has made some mistakes but is doing his best - despite incessant setbacks, which I talk about below in the WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE section.

-The plot about TJ’s sister trying to hold people/companies responsible for medical testing that was done on men who were incarcerated and that caused those men to suffer serious medical problems. I want to read THIS book! Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end for more information!

-The mystery at the heart of the plot was very intriguing. I really did want to know where it was all going to go.

-TJ’s love for Mango!

-The ending. I appreciated the way it all came together!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

-TJ could not catch a break and I found it frustrating that obstacle after obstacle was thrown in his way. Most notably, (most of) his family was truly terrible and treated him horribly throughout a lot of the book. No spoilers, so I won’t go into the other people who treated him terribly. Maybe that’s realistic! But it made for a tough reading experience.

-The pacing. As I mentioned above, I was interested in the central mystery. But it wasn’t until halfway through the book that things really picked up. Something happens about halfway through the book that throws the mystery into overdrive - but before that, I found the story to be a bit meandering. This book felt longer than it needed to be.

Overall, maybe not the book for me, but definitely more positive than negative!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of The Truth about the Devlins. Lisa Scottoline is a go to author for me but unfortunately this book really fell flat to me. I never bonded with characters, the writing seemed somewhat juvenile and the plot was not that interesting. I never like to give a harsh review to a favorite author, but the sobriety stuff was just silly to me. The story line of "I'm telling dad you're drinking again" had me shaking my head!

Thank you for the ARC! Another fantastic book by this author taking a look at the complexities of the family dynamic. The book is very fast paced and books you from the beginning. Will recommend!

Lisa Scottoline has done it again! I am a long time fan of all of her books, but particularly love her return to the legal thriller. Great characters, a fast paced plot, and some unexpected twists kept me turning pages so fast that I read it straight through in one day. Told from the first person perspective of a recovering alcoholic, it was so engaging that I was pulling for him as obstacle after obstacle tried to break his sobriety. This was one of those books where the characters were so vividly real, that I'm hoping a few might appear in future novels. As a recent transplant to the Philadelphia area, I also enjoyed the detailed settings in the Philadelphia suburbs near where I live. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader copy.

The Devlins are a powerful family of lawyers, except for TJ, the son of the family who has lived a troubled life. He works as an investigator for the family law firm. One night, TJ's older brother John- the golden boy, begs him for help, saying he murdered one of his clients.

This is a decently twisty thriller with a large cast of characters. It all felt very routine and comparable to multiple other thrillers. For me there was nothing that made it special or unique beyond the usual mystery/thriller. It's a solid read, it just didn't wow me.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Legal royalty, the Devlins and their family business. All that is, of course, with the exception of TJ, a recovering alcoholic who has served time for carelessness and putting his illness in jeopardy. But there are issues behind the surface. Mother and sister are kind and encouraging individuals; Sister Gabby chooses pro bono service over avarice. Father seems to the reader as a harsh, egotistical taskmaster. Additionally, Brother John appears to be struggling with something that is sending him into a downward spiral and putting TJ and possibly the entire family in risk.

Strongly planned, with comedy, sadness, tension, and a strong sense of mystery, this novel by Lisa Scottoline—whose thirty-six books show she knows her way around family drama, legal thrillers, and mysteries—is well written.

This book is a riveting page turner that will have to feeling like you’re along for the ride and don’t know who to trust or which way to turn. Thanks NetGalley for the chance at an ARC. This is my first book by this author I’ll be back for more.

This was very slow moving and very character driven. I didn’t find it particularly captivating. I did enjoy TJ and found myself wanting to root for him.