The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

Cover of The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline is the bestselling author of What Happened to the Bennetts and fifty-two other novels, published since 1993. The Truth About the Devlins is her most recent novel, published in November 2024, and a New York Times Bestseller. It deals with addiction, alcoholism, bullying, gun violence, blood, murder, ableism, a car accident, death, alcohol, and injury details.

TJ Devlin is the youngest of the three Devlin children, and the clear loser. While his two older siblings followed their parents into law and eventually added two more Devlins to the Devlin and Devlin Law Firm, TJ dropped out of college and went to prison. Now that he's out, no one will hire him, so he becomes the fifth Devlin at Devlin and Devlin, working in a pity job as a private investigator for the firm. When his golden boy older brother, John, tells TJ that he needs help, TJ jumps at the chance to improve his relationship with his brother. But the unexpected help that John needs lands them both in serious danger and TJ begins to wonder what is going on behind the scenes with his brother, and the rest of his family.

Firstly, TJ Devlin is the kind of character that you want to succeed. He is very well written, I was affronted and insulted on his behalf in chapter two, ready to throw down for his reputation. The rest of the characters in the book are not as well fleshed out, but are still believable characters. The writing was good, although the pace of the book sometimes was a bit slow, it was never too long before it picked back up. The story line wasn't particularly confusing, although there are two plot lines that you will need to keep track of. But the best part of this book, by far, is TJ and his slow journey to redemption - and his budding relationship to Mango, his expensive, high-maintenance cat.

I'm giving The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline 4 stars out of 5. I really loved the path that TJ takes in this book, and I'm very proud of where he ends up. A good read for anyone who enjoys a thriller in the same vein as The Pelican Brief or The Firm.

For more from Lisa Scottoline, see her website at https://www.scottoline.com/

Pairs well with a hoagie made with homemade buns and adopting a pet.