Chris Brennan is a liar. That’s the cold, hard truth, but few people know that about him, and even less know why he’s made himself out to be someone he’s not.
After studying the area, the teachers, and the community, Chris submits an application to Central Valley High School, where he’s applying to be their new high school government teacher and assistant baseball coach. His resumé is impeccable–however, none of it is true. Not his background, not his past education, not even where he currently lives. In fact, even his name is fake.
On the job, Chris bonds with a few of the boys in his class and on his team. Specifically, Chris hits it off with three teenage boys. To the untrained eye, the whole thing seems legit and on the up-and-up, and almost too good to be true. How often, really, does a good-looking, single, highly-qualified, personable man from Wyoming show up at a Philadephia high school, checking off every box they desperately need?
The only faculty member to question Chris is a gay African-American English teacher, Abe Yomes. As fate would have it, Yomes is also from Wyoming. Except, unlike Chris, Yomes is actually from Wyoming and begins to piece together that Chris is lying about his past–putting a temporary halt to Chris’ plan.
But when Mr. Yomes ends up killing himself, his students and co-workers, sans Chris, are devastated. For Brennan, he’s finally free to move forward with his objective and continues to get close to Raz Sematov, Evan Kostis, and Jordan Larkin.
Raz is a loner who has struggled ever since his father passed away, Evan is a spoiled, bratty rich kid, and Jordan is being raised by his single mom. The one thing they all have in common is that each of them is carefully being manipulated by Chris Brennan, but none of them realize it. Chris is an experienced, expert liar. But he’s no pervert, and his manipulation of the three teenage boys is far from sexual, as Scottoline packs a well-timed twist into her story, pulling back the curtain at just the right time to hook readers and set them up for a fast-paced, suspense-filled story that tackles domestic terrorism in high-flying fashion.
One Perfect Lie is another really good thriller from Lisa Scottoline, who understands how to use misdirection and smoke and mirrors to keep the story progressing without allowing readers to see too far ahead. The characters are well developed, and each adds a new layer to the plot, which is well-crafted and timely.
An entertaining thriller from beginning to end, Scottoline packs more than a few surprises into One Perfect Lie, making this a fun, fast-paced read.
Book Details
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Pages: 368 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1250099560
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: April 11, 2017 (Order Now!)