Review – The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley @CarlaBuckley
Synopsis
In this intense and intimate family portrait that moves at a thriller’s pace, a troubled woman faces a gripping moral dilemma after rescuing two abandoned children from a hurricane.
On the outskirts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks sits the Paradise, an apartment complex where renters never stay long enough to call the place “home”–and neighbors are seldom neighborly. It’s ideal for Sara Lennox, who moved there to escape a complicated past–and even her name–and rebuild a new life for herself under the radar. But Sara cannot help but notice the family next door, especially twelve-year-old Cassie and five-year-old Boon. She hears rumors and whispers of a recent tragedy slowly tearing them apart.
When a raging storm threatens then slams the coastal community, Sara makes a quick, bold decision: Rescue Cassie and Boon from the storm and their broken home–without telling a soul. But this seemingly noble act is not without consequences. Some lethal.
Carla Buckley crafts a richly rewarding psychological portrait, combining a heart-wrenching family drama with high-stakes suspense, as the lives of three characters intertwine in an unforgettable story of fury, fate–and redemption.
Advance praise
“Carla Buckley has a rare gift for character. In The Liar’s Child,she digs deep into the hearts of the troubled, flawed, and all-too-human souls who populate this beautifully written and utterly involving novel. I didn’t so much open the jacket on this book as fall inside the compelling story and get tangled up in all the lives, loves, broken dreams, and mistakes. Then I held tight, white knuckled, through the twisting inexorable ride.”–Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Under My Skin
“Carla Buckley is a sly writer. Just when you think you have things figured out, she flips the story on its head. Deft plotting and psychologically fleshed-out characters make The Liar’s Childa ripping good read!”–Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Daughter
“A mystery wrapped in an achingly good family drama, The Liar’s Child hooked me from page one. An unconventional love story that broke my heart in all the best ways, Carla Buckley’s emotionally complex, beautifully written tale is also a page-turner that will keep you up long past your bedtime.”–Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of The Almost Sisters
Review
This was an interesting book with diverse characters and some intriguing scenarios.
Sara is in the witness protection program and is supposed to testify against someone. While there are hints at what happened it is never fully explained, but my guess is it is something financial – either a Ponzi scheme or embezzlement or some combination. While the story hints that she was caught up in whatever her bosses were doing, the drops of information about her father lead me to believe that she may not be as innocent as she seems. WitSec hides her on this small island in North Carolina in a run-down apartment building, an old car that has its issues, and a job cleaning homes and rentals. While she avoids getting to know most people, a little boy from the apartment next door seems to gravitate towards Sarah and a small bond is formed.
Whit, Dee, Cassie, and Boon are the family next door to Sara. They have their own issues and demons to deal with and tend to stay to themselves. Dee appears to have mental issues based on her history and finds herself separated from her children thanks to an incident involving leaving Boon in the car on a warm day.
The story is told from multiple POV and starts with Hank – which threw me off because he doesn’t appear again until later in the book. Each chapter rotates between the characters and the story progresses nicely. Dee goes missing and no one seems to know where she might be and why she would have left without the children as that was her MO previously. I had my suspicions that were confirmed later in the book but not exactly what I had imagined. The author does weave the tale and characters together and everyone has a purpose to the story although for some it takes a while to understand why they are part of the story and what role they play in progressing the storyline.
The last chapter was a bit odd. It takes place approximately 10 years later. There are tidbits of information as to what happened to Whit, Cassie, and Boon during that time. I would have liked to have had a more fleshed out ending that gave more succinct details as to what exactly happened in those years. Or just left that chapter out.
Overall we give it 3 paws up.
About the Author
Carla Buckley is the internationally bestselling author of The Good Goodbye, The Deepest Secret, Invisible, and The Things That Keep Us Here, which was nominated for a Thriller Award as a best first novel and the Ohioana Book Award for fiction. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Wharton School of Business and currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She serves on the board of the International Thriller Writers as Vice President, Awards and is at work on her next novel.
