One Little Lie

Author: Colleen Coble

Publication Date: 03 March 2020

Genre: Adult Fiction – Thriller/Suspense

Pages: 352

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth. 

Book one in a gripping new series from USA TODAY bestselling romantic suspense author Colleen Coble.

When Jane Hardy is appointed interim sheriff in Pelican Harbor, Alabama, after her father retires, there’s no time for an adjustment period. He is arrested for theft and then implicated in a recent murder, and Jane quickly realizes she’s facing someone out to destroy her father.

They escaped from a cult fifteen years ago, and Jane has searched relentlessly for her mother—who refused to leave—ever since. Could someone from that horrible past have found them?

Reid Bechtol is a well-known journalist who makes documentaries, and his sights are currently set on covering Jane’s career. Jane has little interest in the attention, but the committee who appointed her loves the idea of the publicity.

Jane finds herself depending on Reid’s calm manner as he follows her around taping his documentary, and they begin working together to clear her father. But Reid has his own secrets from the past, and the gulf between them may be impossible to cross.

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth.

I was initially drawn to One Little Lie because I love a good police procedural. This was my first foray into Coble’s writing, and I can definitely say that it will not be my last.

Fifteen years prior, while living in a cult, a young teenage girl named Button gives birth to a baby boy. The night of the birth, the cult gets attacked. Button’s dad informs her that her baby boy has died and that they must leave at once.

In present day, Jane Hardy is appointed the Chief of Police in Pelican Harbor, Alabama following her father’s retirement from the department. Pelican Harbor was previously known as being a sleepy town until a string a vicious murders begin taking place. To make matters worse, the evidence against Jane’s father is stifling.

Reid Bechtol is a well known journalist who creates documentaries. He is tasked with observing Jane in order to write a piece on small town police chiefs. Jane absolutely hates the idea, but her hands are tied with the mayor on board. Jane realizes that she may need to rely on Reid in order to discover if her father is being set up, but the secrets that Reid harbor could undo them both.

Jane was a fantastic character. You can tell that she grapples with her broken past, but she maintains a fierce and independent attitude in order to be a great police chief. Additionally, she doesn’t let her subordinates intimidate her even though they don’t necessarily agree with her being chief. I absolutely loved watching the relationship between Jane and her K-9 officer Palmer because you get an intimate insight into how vital K-9 officers are to solving cases.

I thought the plot was fast paced and gripping. It is not the hang onto the edge of your seat police thriller by any means, but Coble does a fantastic job of pulling you in with her writing nonetheless. While I was able to guess a couple of the plot twists, there were still several twists and turns that I never saw coming.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for my tour invitation. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.