Title: The Truth about the Devlins
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons
Pub date: 3/26/2024

WOW! I didn’t want to put this one down. Every bit of free time I had, I’d sneak in what I could.

This legal thriller with a lot of family dynamics is pure adrenaline rush. You will be turning pages as fast as you can just to find out what the heck is going to happen next. All the twists - OMG!

The story centers around the Devlins, who have family law firm with standing in the community. The parents built the law firm with their oldest “good” son working to take over the reins, a daughter who works the pro bono cases to bring justice to the overlooked and the “bad” son investigator who is learning to live with his actions. However, now the good son (John) is hoping the bad son (TJ) can get him out of trouble. All TJ wants is to save his family’s name and get back in their good graces. But, getting back in good standing with the family is harder than he realizes and the events that transpire are challenging his resolve.

Thank you #NetGalley and #GPPutnamsSons for the opportunity to read this wild ride of a book.

I found the storyline to be engaging and well-crafted. The novel effectively interweaves multiple narratives, culminating in a surprising and satisfying conclusion. The characters' experiences offer valuable life lessons that resonate beyond the page.

Updated Rating: 4 Stars. After reading my full review again, I decided this is a solid 4 star read.

3.5 Stars. This is a domestic drama that starts with a bang with some great humor thrown in, slows a bit in the middle & picks up speed towards a fairly predictable end. The dysfunctional family dynamic seemed true to life with a “can do no wrong” brother, the “black sheep alcoholic” brother, the “caring, keep the peace” sister & the “don’t want to see the truth” parents. The brotherly banter is classic as well as the depiction of favoritism. You will root for the black sheep throughout the entire story.

One of the funniest scenes involves a car & a cat named Mango that made me laugh out loud.

A true crime case involving medical experimentation gave the story an extra punch.

If you love books filled with murder, deception, greed & corruption this is a book for you. I will definitely read more of Lisa’s books.

Favorite Line: “My brother has an accounting degree and a law degree, but I can juggle.”

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons & Lisa Scottoline for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my family drama that was locked up in a murder mystery. I love a good private investigator story and one of the sons in this is a private investigator for the family law firm. The family dynamics in this book was interesting and I was completely shocked by the ending. It was complex and intriguing from the beginning, I couldn’t put it down.

"The Truth about the Devlins" by Lisa Scottoline is a riveting thriller that delves deep into the complexities of family loyalty and betrayal. With its well-crafted plot, compelling characters, and unexpected twists, Scottoline keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. This gripping tale of secrets, murder, and redemption is sure to satisfy fans of suspenseful fiction.

Suspense and crime and family dysfunction all wrapped into one powerful book. A winning combination that Lisa does so well. TJ Devlin is a total disappointment to his family. They are all highly successful lawyers. The family firm has hired him as an investigator. His older brother confesses to murdering one of their clients. So starts the story filled with twists, turn, deception and lies. This is a page turner.

I enjoyed this suspenseful family drama with all its twists and turns. This is my first book by author Lisa Scottoline and I appreciated how she gently tackled tough issues of alcoholism addiction and the justice system. This was a page turner that kept me engaged trying to figure out the murder mystery and who was telling the truth. Pick this one up if you enjoy family drama, betrayal, crime, and justice!
I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher G. P. Putnam Sons Books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

I’ve read/listened to several of the author's Bennie Rosato novels and have always found them enjoyably easy and pleasant going. The Devlins is an equally solid, compulsively readable legal thriller but it does get a bit bogged down in explication towards the end.

The Devlin family are all high powered lawyers with the exception of black sheep TJ, a college dropout, alcoholic, and ex-con who now has a sinecure with the family firm as an investigator. But when his older brother John needs help because he thinks he’s killed a man, TJ is just the person.

The novel zips along, blending investigation, thrills, twists, and revelations. Blended into the main plot is a case (based on a real life one, judging from the author’s note) in which TJ’s sister is striving to get compensation for convicts who were used for medical experiments without any safeguards or protection. The author clearly knows her legal stuff and balances high powered corporate lawyering with the pro bono work.

The Devlins are an Irish American family and fit, rather too neatly, into that archetype. TJ is a more developed character, struggling to do right but feeling like he can never live up to his family’s expectations. His personal struggles are believable and his commitment to sobriety is a character thread and driver of the plot throughout the novel.

Over the course of the story, TJ moves up from the bottom rung of his family and it’s easy to root for him as he uncovers what’s going on and sorts his life out. There’s nothing earth shattering here, but if you’re looking for something to get engrossed in for a few hours without too much demand on your brain, this will comfortably fit the bill.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

The Truth about the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline is another mystery that kept me riveted from beginning to end. She is the master of intricate storylines that seem like they're not connected, but turn out to be in the craziest of ways. This is the story of a family of lawyers, the Devlins, that is all except TJ. TJ has a checkered past where he had to serve some prison time and go to rehab, but it is in his faults and desire to do right, that it's impossible to not be fully intrigued by his story and desire to win back his family's respect. At his father's birthday party it seems like the perfect opportunity has arisen where he can help John, his older brother, out of a sticky situation, but things aren't always as they seem and the journey is full of danger and peril.

The Truth About The Devlins
By Lisa Scottoline
Review and Rating 3⭐️

This is my first book by Lisa Scottoline so I went in with an open mind, not knowing what to expect. She is no doubt a great writer but this family drama/legal thriller felt long and complicated to me and I found myself just not that into it. I also kept getting confused with the TJ character. I know he was meant to be the youngest son but sometimes the writing and dialogue for his character felt distinctly female.
I pressed on and I did end up enjoying the endless, twisty drama of the story and the nice wrap up. I would definitely be willing to give Lisa Scottoline another try. For these reasons I decided to round this one up from 2.5⭐️ to 3⭐️.
I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for an ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

After loving Scottoline's last novel, What Happened to the Bennetts, I couldn't wait to dive into this thriller about the Devlin family. This storyline follows TJ Devlin, a recovering alcoholic who is a member of a family full of lawyers. He seems to be adjusting somewhat to life after a short bit in prison following an incident while drunk until his brother comes to him for help-he murdered someone and needs TJ's help.

As TJ attempts to figure out what happened and to help his brother, he uncoveres all sorts of secrets and lies. Full of a cast of unlikeable characters, my favorite was the sister, Gabby, who seemed to be the only one in the Devlin family with morals. I did appreciate the struggles TJ faced coming from additiction and trying to get a handle on his life of sobriety. This fast paced book was enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of this book.

I love a family drama. I love it even more when that family is rich. This book did not disappoint. I HATE his brother.

It might be because I am also watching the show Succession, but there is a lot of similarity between brothers John and TJ Devlin, and Roman and Kendell Roy. The curious part is that John and TJ are meshing Roman and Kendell and switching back and forth between who is good and who is bad. Then, by the midway point, I wondered if TJ is an unreliable narrator since dear old tyrannical dad wants to put doubt into everyone’s mind, even though he does switch that up out of the blue, or if this is a giant gaslighting fever dream. Midway through the book, I was all over the place.

And then there was the Scottoline twist. A dual twist. Nope, I didn’t see that coming. It was a bit of the throw everything at the reader at once ending -- but looking back -- it was there the whole time.

I always gravitate towards Lisa Scottoline books, so of course I needed to read The Truth About the Devlins.

A family of lawyers, plus a 'bad seed' named TJ. A history of prison and alcoholism, he is trying to get back on his feet with his family's help, who have offered him the job of "investigator" at their law firm. Unfortunately, he is in real danger of being pulled back into the world he tried so hard to get out of by none other than his older, "perfect" brother John. Not only has he claimed that TJ has relapsed, but has somehow puts him in the line of fire of something even bigger.

I love the family dynamics throughout the book. TJ's sister, Gabby, is my favorite, and I love that she does pro bono work, working on bringing lawsuits for previous inmates in multiple prisons that had undergone illegal drug testing by several pharmaceutical companies.

This was a great book, and I hope that we get to see more of TJ & Gabby ion the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 26 March 2024

The Devlins are a powerhouse legal family with one alcoholic ex con son. All of the other family members are successful attorneys. But when an accountant from a client's company turns up dead, things take a turn for the Devlins. This has some great content regarding addiction and family dynamics. The mystery is good, too. A bit of a messy transition between cases but a strong detailed read overall

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

Crazy tale of family dynamics, lawyers, crime, betrayal and so much more.

TJ is the black sheep in the family of lawyers who is trying to keep to the straight and narrow until his brother sucks him into a tricky situation.

Love the characters, good and bad. Was happy to see that some of them had redeeming qualities at least. I really enjoyed the pro bono case that TJ and his sister worked on.

True to Scolttoline form it's full of intrigue and suspense. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thanks to netgalley and G.P Putnam's Sons for the arc.

Interesting family dynamics with the reformed bad boy, prodigal son, extreme wealth, all made for a fast, enjoyable read. I liked the secondary story’s historical elements. I could’ve done without all the extremely detailed scenarios telling us about how the main character was driving from here to there and everywhere.

This book is amazing! True character development throughout the story. You become connected with the Devlin Family. If you have a family with siblings you truly feel the interactions between the siblings. Fast paced, great story line! Twists ALL throughout the book. This one is hard to put down, you just can’t stop reading g

Reading Between the Wines book review #28/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Truth About the Devlins
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Deceit. Lies. Betrayal. That is what Scottoline does best. This was another decent read. But the question is when you can’t trust family who can you trust?

Cheers and thank you to @PenguinGroupPutnam and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheTruthAboutTheDevlins.

#TheTruthAboutTheDevlins #LisaScottoline #PenguinGroupPutnam #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

It was fine, but also… I was kind of bored. I was not rooting for The Devlins. I didn’t really care who did the bad stuff. Just meh for me. Listened partially on audio and the narrator was meh. Liked it more reading 📖. It’s got high marks on Goodreads so I’m the minority on this one! As always, read what ya like!