Booklist Reviews
Philadelphia's Devlin & Devlin law firm wields considerable influence thanks to married founding attorneys Paul and Marie Devlin. But beneath the surface, the family is struggling: the firm's investigator, TJ, is a recovering alcoholic and felon; golden-boy attorney John is hiding dangerous secrets; and their sister Gabby has her hands full playing family peacemaker and pro bono crusader. The façade cracks after John demands that TJ help him cover up an accidental murder. John claims that he was forced to defend himself after confronting a thief who was embezzling from a longtime client. When he and TJ return to the scene, the thief, apparently somehow alive, is gone. Days later, the embezzler is found murdered in his car. John clearly knows more than he's telling, but diverts suspicion by framing TJ and discrediting him with accusations that he has relapsed. With homicide investigators circling, TJ hits the trail of the killers who are lining up their next shot at the Devlins. Here, the tense mystery plays out as a catalyst for redemption and family healing—Scottoline's heart-warming specialty.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A new family thriller by best-selling Scottoline is automatically a must-have. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
The only Devlin not serving as a lawyer in the eponymous family firm (owing to alcohol issues and previous imprisonment), T.J. is instead the resident investigator and must act quickly when his brother kills a client in self-defense in the Edgar Award—winning Scottoline's The Truth About the Devlins. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
A wealthy Philadelphia family's dysfunction threatens to undo them in the engrossing latest from Scottoline (What Happened to the Bennetts). Married attorneys Paul and Marie Devlin work beside their two eldest children and fellow lawyers, John and Gabrielle, at their esteemed family firm. TJ, the youngest Devlin, is a recovering alcoholic with a criminal record who works as the firm's informal "investigator," spending most of his days doing busywork to keep him out of trouble. When John tells TJ he may have accidentally killed a client one night, a shocked TJ agrees to help his brother avoid arrest. As TJ digs deeper into the client's death, however, he uncovers his siblings' involvement in a vast pharmaceutical conspiracy that puts his safety and sobriety at risk. Scottoline successfully anchors the story's legalese and shady pharma dealings in TJ's personal struggles, wringing real emotion from his gradual realization that, while he may be the Devlins' black sheep, he's far from the family's most amoral member. The midsection sags a bit, but for the most part, this is a ripping blend of legal and family drama. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly.