This was a compelling thriller about a rather difficult family told from the point of view of TJ Devlin, younger son and recovering alcoholic. TJ has also spent time in jail and now works for his family law firm, Devlin and Devlin as an investigator. When attending his father’s birthday party he is confronted by his older brother John who is also a lawyer at the practice. John fears he has killed or seriously injured a client. Keen to help his brother TJ accompanies him to the scene of the crime. The two brothers become involved in a conspiracy that leads to murder and danger around every corner. TJ has to use all his wits to keep one step ahead of the bad guys and also convince his family he is still stone cold sober which is no mean feat. I really liked TJ as a character, he seemed to always be doing his best for his family in an incredibly stressful situation. He really struggles with his sobriety, and that makes his attempts at investigating all the more commendable. Some of his discoveries about his family really shake him to the core and he finds it hard to believe what he has uncovered. Trying to save both himself and the Devlin family he finds himself in some dangerous situations and is fearful of ending up back in prison. I was rooting for him throughout the book and was really hoping he’d come good at the end! Not only is this a story about family relationships it is also a page turning mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

The Devlins are a family of successful lawyers: mum, dad, son, and daughter. But then there’s another son, TJ, the black sheep of the family. We learn early on that he’s had trouble in his life and we’re to learn more about that as the story plays out. Meanwhile, he’s working as an investigator for the family law firm, thrown a bone by them, not really expected to do much of any value. But then, one night, his brother, John, a man whom TJ has always looked up to, revered, in fact, asks for TJ’s help. John is in trouble, or at least he thinks he is. The family are an entitled bunch, hard to warm to, and it’s not initially clear what shadow, or shadows, from TJ’s past are haunting him. But perhaps by helping his brother, some kind of redemption may be achieved. Perhaps then he’ll be considered something more than just an unfortunate appendage to this otherwise high achieving family. More importantly, maybe TJ will achieve some semblance of self-worth. It all had the feel of a routine thriller with a twisty plot but populated by characters who seemed largely shallow and one-dimensional. But slowly, as the story developed, the characters began to evolve a degree of depth and complexity. It turns out that TJ’s sister, Gabby, was not the same driven money making machine as her parents and brother John – in fact, she was working pro bono on a case involving the abuse of prison inmates. TJ was actually closer to Gabby than the others, and in time, he became involved with this case, too, helping her out. John and TJ's parents also had a little more going on than I'd initially glimpsed, though I found it hard to warm to any of them. The problem is, I'm not sure that the story ever really takes off. In time, TJ comes to recognise John for who he really is, and there’s some excitement as we approach the end, with a pretty good action scene. Loose ends are tied off, and conclusions are reached. But really it’s a pretty low-key tale that retained my interest without ever truly exciting me.