After my previous read, set in London, One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline found us back on U.S. soil with the mysterious, newly hired high school teacher Chris Brennan.
Mincing no words about the lies spilling out of his mouth, the readers first finds Chris Brennan inserting himself into a small community as a new high school teacher and baseball coach. We see him calculating and manipulating fledgling relationships, not entirely sure of his intentions.
Does this book have a protagonist?
Our storyline follows a group of boys on the varsity baseball team and their parents as they navigate the opening of a new season and new semester at school. With his constant questioning, research, and circumspect observations we see our characters develop through the filter of Chris Brennan's watchful eye.
But to what end?
Rife with teenage and parental struggle, the author does a great job of bringing the reader into the lives of these seemingly ordinary suburbanites; the ever present question of why ringing in the ears until just the right moment. Scottoline kept me wanting and reading as this web was spun, chapter by chapter, and the elusive Chris Brennan finds himself engrained in the hearts and lives of his new home.
The author does a great job of dropping the right clues and twists at all of the right (and sometimes very wrong) moments, building a story with a unique and captivating feel. Prepare for some heart turning, perspective shifting, and questioning of what you know if you decide to put this on your reading list, an addition which I would highly recommend.