Review of The Truth About the Devlins with Spoilers

I read ALL the legal mysteries and thrillers back in the 90s, then got back into Lisa Scottoline’s books with What Happened to the Bennetts. Here’s my Review of The Truth About the Devlins, her latest, complete with spoilers and the ending explained!

The Truth About the Devlins

To be published on March 26, 2024 by Putnam.

I read The Truth About the Devlins in March 2024. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

Jen’s Quick Take: The Truth About the Devlins

• Interesting family dynamics
• Very page-turning
• Themes of alcoholism and addiction
• Incorporates a pretty shocking real-life case I’d never heard of
• The ending got a little weird for me

Review of The Truth About the Devlins

Thinking way back to 1990s legal thrillers, I remember reading the Rosato and DeNunzio books by Lisa Scottoline. Mary DeNunzio, if I recall correctly, had a big Italian family.

The Devlins are an Irish-Italian family with three adult children: overachiever John, peacemaker Gabby, and struggling black sheep TJ. Four out of the five of them work in the family law firm, while TJ, who never finished college, works for the firm as an investigator, freelances as a car flipper, and tries to stay sober.

Okay, back to the 90s again but the main character in this one gave me some Lawrence Block vibes. Does anyone else remember Matthew Scudder? The Truth About The Devlins is NOT as dark as those books, but both books feature an investigator who struggles with sobriety.

The Truth About the Devlins features two plots, one involving an M&A transaction that eldest sibling John is handling, and the other with a case that Gabby is helping with. I kept wondering if they’d ever connect. If and how is a spoiler that I’ll discuss below.

In any case, I think the main strength of the book is TJ, a character it’s hard not to root for. He’s messed up. A lot. But he’s trying to get his life together despite his family, who have labeled him as the screw-up.

The legal aspects of The Truth About the Devlins were also interesting, including a fascinating and absolutely horrifying real-life case that sent me down a Google rabbit hole. Lisa Scottoline was a practicing lawyer, and her legal knowledge gives these books a solid grounding.

The pace was brisk and the plot kept my interest. I do think the ending was a little weird an far-fetched.

Besides that, the character development wasn’t amazing. I’m wondering if this is being considered as a series, because I could see some of the other characters, like Gabby and Marie, the siblings’ mom, playing a more front-and-center role.

Spoilers for the Truth About the Devlins

What bothered me most about The Truth About the Devlins was that the “murder” the book starts out with gets sidelined. In the end, the Neil Lemaire case was a bit of a red herring. Yes, John did attack Neil, but didn’t kill him. Okay. But someone did!

John is arrested for fraudulently billing clients to pay off his gambling debts.

Gabby confesses to ratting John out to the FBI, which shocks the family.

TJ suddenly realizes that the person stalking him had nothing do to with John, but instead was connected to Gabby’s case. TJ realizes Gabby is in danger (mortal peril!) and has to rush to save her.

In the melee, Paul gets shot and the family rallies.

Me, okay, but WHAT ABOUT THE ORIGINAL MURDER? Who shot Lemaire?

Again, it was someone trying to kill Gabby to shut down her case. John and Gabby drove the same kind of car and the inept hitman not only shot at the wrong car, he missed. And then had to eliminate a “random” guy who saw him. Who was Neil Lemaire. WHAT?

Please tell me in comments if this made sense to you.

Feel free to leave all comments and questions (including spoilers) below!