The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

 

5*

Legal thrillers aren’t my usual genre. In fact, I don’t think I’ve read more than a few. However, after reading The Truth About the Devlins and enjoying it immensely, I’m eager to read more of Scottoline’s books. She’s a former lawyer herself who, in her own words, hews “as close to the law when there are legal situations in the novels.”

In this story about a family of lawyers and TJ (the narrator, the youngest sibling, the college dropout, and the recovering alcoholic), the plot revolves around the mysterious death of a corporate accountant and how TJ and his older brother John are caught up in the mystery, to the point that they’ve put themselves and their entire family in the criminals’ crosshairs. However, it’s also about addiction and the lengths those afflicted will go to chase the high, the selfish actions they take that put people at risk, and the toll it takes on their loved ones.

Daughter Gabby Devlin, who is dedicated to her pro bono work, elicits TJ’s help as the family firm’s investigator on an actual civil case involving men incarcerated in Holmesburg Prison between 1951 and 1974. Without informed consent, they were subjected to legal, but unethical medical experimentation led by Dr. Albert Kligman, a dermatology professor at UPenn, that left them with horrendous scarring and often fatal illnesses as well as PTSD. Although the men in the book are fictional, the horrors the actual former inmates faced and the lengths the complicit corporations (who benefitted from the experiments), doctors, and our military and CIA went to avoid any civil or criminal liability are as appalling as what the Nazis did to concentration camp prisoners. You can read more about this in the novel Acres of Skin by eyewitness Dr. Allen Hornblum who believes these experiments violated the Nuremberg Code.

The pacing of this story is perfect, keeping you on the edge of your seat while trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces fit together. TJ’s narration is charming, vulnerable, and honest, and you can’t help but hurt for him while also cheering him on. Whether or not you’re a legal thriller fan, I highly recommend you read this story.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

 

5*

 

One of the big reasons I enjoy historical fiction is the opportunity it presents to learn something new. In The Spectacular, author Fiona Davis introduced me to “The Big Apple Bomber” who terrorized New York City for 16 years in the 1940s – 50s, setting off bombs in many of its landmarks, including Radio City Music Hall (twice). I also got a backstage pass to the Rockettes in their heyday. In typical stellar fashion, she has managed to merge the two when her female protagonist, 19-year-old Marian Brooks, auditions for the precision dance troupe on a whim and is accepted. Against her overly-protective father’s and soon-to-be fiancé’s wishes, she moves from her comfortable home in Westchester County to New York where she rehearses and performs 4 daily shows for 21 days straight with just a week off before the cycle begins again. 

 

On a surprise double date, she meets a young psychiatrist, Peter Griggs, who surprises her with his incredible insight into her upbringing and personality. At first glance, she isn’t impressed with either his looks or his personality and doesn’t expect to see him again. However, when a bomb goes off during a performance of the Christmas Spectacular (a show I’ve been privileged to see), her connection to the tragedy and the police’s failure to catch the bomber cause her to solicit Peter’s help in finding him before he strikes again. As they and a reluctant police force work together with the clock counting down, a mutual respect and attraction is formed. It will take Marion’s courage to stand out in a performance that demands uniformity to catch a killer.

 

As in all her books, Davis uses a dual timeline to offer perspective. In this case, it’s Marion at age 55 as she prepares to sell her family home and reluctantly agrees to attend a Rockettes reunion. We learn what she’s done in the intervening yearsm and she also uses the opportunity to tell readers about how Peter’s work is the origin of criminal psychological profiling. I couldn’t help but think of the show “Criminal Minds” as I read it. Davis is undoubtedly one of the reigning queens of dual timeline historical fiction and fans of the genre will love this one. Highly recommended.

 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Dutton in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

Tags: