The Truth About the Devlin’s starts with a bang. TJ Devlin’s brother, John, has just murdered someone.

We soon find out that the Devlin family is filled with upstanding, respected and successful lawyers...with the exception of TJ. TJ is a recovering alcoholic recently released after serving a sentence for a crime he deeply regrets. He works as an unlicensed investigator for the family law firm.

When John asks for TJ’s help, both brothers find themselves in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

What I liked about this book:
1. TJ is a very likable character and I found myself constantly rooting for him.

2. There is an element of surprise when the true source of TJ’s danger is revealed.

3. The lawsuit regarding medical experimentation on behalf of former inmates at Holmesburg Prison was interesting to read about. The author’s note further explains that experimentation on Philadelphia’s prison inmates actually occurred.

While there were many likeable aspects to this book, it fell short for me. Most of the other characters were unlikeable until nearly the end. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and some of the plot felt disjointed. I think I may have rolled my eyes when I read the chapter where TJ met up with Carrie.

Overall, I found this to be a decent mystery and I could see a series of books following the antics of TJ and his cat, Mango.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam Books and the author, Lisa Scottoline for this early DRC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Truth about the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

This was an adventurous book full of twists and turns! TJ is an ex-con who works as an unlicensed investigator for his family’s law firm of Devlin & Devlin. One night his picture-perfect older brother asks him for help because he killed a man. This sets off a series of events that leads to a somewhat expected ending. Even though I wasn’t too surprised at how it ended, I was having the most fun getting there.

I couldn’t wait to be able to sit down and read this book. Scottoline’s ability to tell a story is amazing. She has become one of my favorite authors.

My only complaint with this book is that with all the backstabbing between brothers, TJ was way too “nice” about it all. TJ seems to have the most to lose, being an ex-con on a sobriety journey. He gets dumped on over and over and never loses his temper. I would have lost my ever-loving mind!

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing, good storytelling, and a good mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

Lisa Scottoline is a go to author for me so I was thrilled to read an ARC of this book! The Devlins are a family of lawyers except for TJ who has had substance abuse in the past and also spent some time in prison.. He's always trying to prove himself and keep up his sobriety at the same time which would be hard to do in this family! When his older brother asks for his help he finds it hard to say no. But then everything blows up - family arguing with family, corruption, bribery, cases that bring up things long buried in the past. Who can you trust? A real page turner that I highly recommend!!

Very enjoyable read! There was family drama, legal concerns and so much more. Information that was provided about the characters helped bring the story to life

5 out of 5 Stars!

TJ Devlin is the outcast of the Devlin family, being a convicted felon and recovering alcoholic, while everyone else is a successful lawyer working for the family law firm. Since getting out of jail, TJ has been working for the family as an investigator. He is shocked one night when his older brother John, the criminal lawyer in the family that has everything going for him, confesses to killing one of his clients after accusing him of embezzling money. TJ is then thrown into investigating what really went down and tries to understand the motive behind the embezzling. What TJ uncovers during his investigations makes him think something bigger is at play than just embezzling, but he doesn’t like uncovering family secrets along the way.

When I started “The Truth about the Devlins” I could not put it down! For starters, I haven’t read a book with a main character I liked as much as TJ in a LONG time. TJ was hilarious with his witty comebacks and inner thoughts, compassionate as you will see as you read, and his journey with his sobriety made me cheer for him throughout the entire novel. He really owned up to all of his past mistakes and really wanted to get his life back on track, especially after what he went to jail for. Not only did I like TJ, but I really loved the entire family and the dynamics at play. There were a lot of heartfelt moments in this book that made me pause and truly care about the characters, which is hard when you are writing a mystery and thriller novel. In fact, I think that really makes this book stand out compared to other mysteries and thrillers.

The small details in this book make it so realistic and easy to comprehend. Not a single thing is out of place and how the mystery unfolds will shock you! I did not see the ending coming at all, and was left with my jaw open. It will always amaze me how authors tie everything together so nicely. This is a really fast-paced book with a lot of action, so if you start you may not be able to stop until you figure everything out. The ending was very satisfying and ended in a way that made my heart happy.

I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of “The Truth about the Devlins” coming out March 26th, 2024.

Thank you to the PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Lisa Scottoline, and NetGallery for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Great ending. I thought the beginning of the book was a little slow Going. I had a hard time continuing until about 75% through. At that point things picked up and were super Interesting.

I’m going to have to give this book a solid 4.5/5 stars . At first I was skeptical thinking this was going to be about two siblings covering for each other but I was pleasantly surprised when the plot started to bob and weave between different twists. It has the perfect amount of suspense and thrills, And I loved how Lisa Scottoline tied all the loose ends together in the end! Overall this was a really great book, I binged it in two days!

My review is posted on Goodreads as well as my instagram account

This is a well-written book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it because it stressed me out. First because I was so outraged how A.J. was treated by his brother and father, and then because who the bad guys are isn’t entirely clear, so it’s unclear who stands to get hurt and why.

T.J. is the only failure in the Devlin family. He’s the only one who is not a lawyer because his addiction to alcohol got him kicked out of school just before graduation. That same addiction led, not surprisingly, to some terrible decisions, one of which landed him in jail for a year. With a conviction and lack of a degree, he only place he can get a job is with his family, who hires him as an investigator for the law firm. His brother, John, asks for his help when John thinks he may have killed a client. This leads T.J. into several potentially fatal situations.

It's a page turner of a book, that’s for sure.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 26, 2024.

This book touches on deep themes like family betrayal and how the often dysfunctional dynamics of sibling relationships roll into adulthood.

The first part of the book became progressively more depressing, culminating with the reason TJ went to jail. It was so disturbing, and conveyed with ferocity the clutch of destruction that alcohol has on an alcoholic.

I quite enjoyed how after things looked worse and worse, they finally turn around and the story becomes one about family, faith, and redemption. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

In Lisa Scottoline's The Truth about the Devlins, the gripping narrative unfolds around TJ Devlin, the charming yet troubled black sheep of a prominent family of lawyers. Fresh out of prison and battling alcoholism, TJ's world is upended when his older brother confesses to murder. Lisa Scottoline weaves a tale of family dynamics, justice, and dark secrets, plunging TJ into an intricate investigation to save his family and prove his worth. The damaged yet appealing hero, TJ, resonates with readers as he battles addiction and navigates a treacherous path filled with blackmail, malpractice, and murder. Scottoline's storytelling prowess, coupled with the emotional depth of the characters, results in a heart-pounding, captivating page-turner that explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and the intricate web of family relationships. The satisfying conclusion leaves readers yearning for more of TJ's character in potential future installments.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I hadn’t been the biggest fan of the Bennetts but I will say I liked this book more. I enjoyed the family dynamics but I found the overall crime/mystery a little dull and convoluted at times. I enjoyed reading the growth across characters in the story, but overall it was a little boring for me as a thriller.

This domestic legal thriller kept me turning the pages. Not only did I want to know how the mystery would unfold, but I was also invested in how the main character, TJ Devlin, made out in the end. TJ is a very sympathetic character who is determined to turn his life around despite the fact that his family views him as a bit of a disappointment. TJ works for his family's law firm, Devlin & Devlin as a private investigator. He is the outlier in a family of successful lawyers. A recovering alcoholic who never finished college, TJ hasn't lived up to the Devlin name. When we meet TJ, he has recently been released from prison, having plead guilty and owning up to past mistakes. He is regularly attending meetings and is working hard to stay sober.

When TJ's brother John calls on him for help with a complicated situation involving an assault with a rock and a possible murder, TJ leaves a family birthday party to help his brother even though their relationship is strained. When TJ and John return to the scene of the incident, they find that there is no dead body, no rock and no evidence of a crime. When the person John had assaulted turns up shot to death the next day in a different location, the brothers are suddenly mixed up in a dangerous group of criminals.

I loved experiencing this story from TJ's perspective. His side comments meant for the reader made him seem more human, and because of that, I liked him even more. TJ makes his share of mistakes and he gets himself into some challenging situations. As the twists and turns unraveled, I never stopped rooting for him. Lisa Scottoline did a great job of presenting TJ as an everyday hero - a scrappy individual who believes in himself even when his family sometimes can't look past his addiction and his earlier failures. I enjoyed this book for both the excellent mystery and the family dynamics.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC and the opportunity to review this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Another hit addictive domestic thriller by Lisa Scottoline (if you haven't read her yet, and you enjoy mysteries, you must not be paying attention).

Top quality mystery as we learn the secrets and follow the labyrinth path of the Devlin family, this is a captivating book!

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. This book was interesting and shows no family is perfect, even though they may try to pretend. There was a surprise twist near the end.

I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline’s work for quite a few years now. I was excited to have the opportunity to read her newest novel early, and it did not disappoint.

The blurb for this book describes it as a “domestic thriller about family, justice, and the lies that tear us apart”, which is a better way to sum things up than I could come up with on my own. The Devlin family is established in the legal world, and law is a family business. Even TJ, recovering alcoholic and former inmate, works at the family law firm as an investigator. On the night of their father’s birthday, TJ’s brother John confesses that he believes he’s killed a client. From there, the threads begin to unravel and it’s a rollercoaster full of twist and turns as deceptions and schemes are revealed.

While I’m sure there are other books like this out there, I haven’t read one before. There are external forces at play against the family, but so much of the conflict is really internal between the Devlins. They have such a complicated family dynamic, particularly where TJ is concerned. The book is entirely from his POV, so it is easy to see how that dynamic impacts him, especially as their lives descend into chaos.

There is a lot going on that it’s difficult to follow at times, but no matter what was going on, I found myself rooting for TJ. It’s easy to want someone to solve a case or want a relationship to succeed, but I really just wanted any and all versions of a win for TJ. He was a flawed man, but he owned his mistakes and worked so hard to be better. He faced his faults and put in the work. He risked a lot to help his family even as John used him as a scapegoat more than once. I did really love his relationship with Gabby, and Gabby as a character on her own. She often felt like the moral compass of the family.

It took me a bit to get into the book and figure out where the plot was going, but once I was invested the pages flew by. I was surprised a few times and kept guessing for most of the book until the end and what felt like a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnams Sons for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this legal thriller, another hit by Scottoline. It was hard to put down, I kept reading to figure out the plot. Lots of twists and turns.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

A good read. A little long, but very much worth reading (and I couldn't tell you where to trim the narrative). It’s the triumph of good over evil and the persistence and belief of family (or not). The issues are faced head on (alcoholism, gambling) and ultimately, accountability is taken in hand. A fractured family comes together and renews their relationships and bonds. The future is in hand.

This was an enjoyable legal thriller about the Devlins, a family law firm. Told from the perspective of T.J., the black sheep of the family, we get a front row seat to the tangled mystery surrounding the death of a client's accountant. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the mysterious death and T.J. gets involved to protect his family.

I enjoy legal thrillers and this one was good. I figured out some of the twists, but not all of them. The ending was satisfying and all the loose ends got tied up.

PS: Mango the cat was my favorite character.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-ARC. Fast paced thriller. Hard to put down. I’ve been a fan of Lisa Scottoline since her Rosato series! Highly recommend this one.

I could not ur this book down. The flawed main character was so honest in his failings in his past, I couldn’t help but cheer him on.