The truth is elusive in Liar Liar.”Tough and likeable” (Foreword Reviews) Nicole Graves finds herself in the crosshairs when she reluctantly agrees to babysit a witness in a high-profile rape trial. Mary Ellen Barnes is suing her university’s star quarterback for rape when the authorities won’t act. In the court of public opinion, Mary Ellen appears to be the quintessential, pious, good girl. But … But her lies and mysterious comings and goings lead Nicole to suspect that she’s not what she seems.It isn’t just Mary Ellen who’s acting suspiciously. No one wants to own up to the truth in Liar Liar, not even Nicole, whose fiance; begs her not to look into the case. But when the witness goes missing during the trial, Nicole is caught up in a tangle of lies that turns deadly. After the investigator assigned to the case fails to do his job, Nicole is determined to find the killer on her own, no matter the risks.”Boyarsky’s imagination serves up a court case that plays with expectations during an era where we push to believe women, resulting in some real bad baddies whom it feels good to root against.” -Foreword Reviews”Nicole Graves is the best fictional sleuth to come down the pike since Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone.” -Laura Levine, author of the popular Jaine Austen Mysteries”Liar Liar creates exquisite tension…”-Midwest Book ReviewSee why readers love Nancy’s “fast paced story,” “quick pace,” “unpredictable twists,” “interesting plots” and “heart-pounding action,” and reviewers describe her action as “expertly combining menace with bling, making the heroine’s adventures both nightmarish and dreamy.” .The Nicole Graves Mysteries1. The Swap2. The Bequest3. Liar Liar4. The RansomAll Nicole Graves Mysteries can be read as stand-alone novels.
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Favorite Quotes:
He was slightly built with a beaky nose and wire-rimmed glasses that gave him the look of a highly intelligent lizard.
What we call the SODDI defense… It’s an acronym. S.O.D.D.I. It stands for ‘Some other dude did it.’
My Review:
If ever I need a PI, I hope I find one as feisty and curious as Nicole Graves. I enjoyed this murder mystery, it wasn’t a heart-pounding thriller but it did hold my attention and interest throughout. The characters were well fleshed out and realistically flawed while everyone was of questionable veracity, even Nicole, as she was lying to her fiancé about her risk-taking and involvement in a case she promised not to take, just to keep the peace. The plot and writing style were easy to follow, well-paced, and adroitly crafted. The storylines and characters were appealing and enticing while the writing flowed smoothly with colorful details and descriptions that brought sharp visuals to mind. This was my first exposure to the series and Ms. Boyarsky’s work, and although this volume stood alone quite well, I enjoyed it enough to covet the previous installments, as Nicole’s past adventures were mentioned in passing.
The third in the trilogy of The Nicole Graves Mystery series, Liar, Liar was actually my favorite. Having said that, had I been able to reach into the book, I’d have slapped her a half dozen times. She is very stubborn, and prone to not listening or doing what she knows is right. I found her difficult to deal with and have patience with. I did however really enjoy the suspense to the story. It got my heart racing a few times. Again, as with the other two books, there just seemed to be something dragging down the flow. I just can’t put my finger on it.
I tend to really enjoy spunky female investigators, so this book was a plus for me to begin with. But I liked Nicole for her courage, her sense of right and wrong and her common sense too. This is an easy read about a lady, soon to be an investigator, who is assigned to baby-sit or look after a young lady ready to testify that she was raped by none other than the star football quarterback. If this sounds like all other storylines, it most certainly is not. It’s a page turner with good dialogue, constant movement and yet a good flow. Nancy Boyarsky has added all of the elements of a good mystery. There’s fear, a little emotion and some of the aspects of life many of us go through who desire a career and a marriage. While this is an easy-to-read mystery, it could definitely cause some conversation around the table about how one person’s life affects that of another.
I have mentioned that I thought this book flowed well while reading it, it was written as clear as a bell. Never one time did I have to turn back wondering “who is this person” or “where did he come from” in the story. It isn’t just the action, it’s this type of writing that makes a book a page turner. Her characters were well-defined, the good ones as well as the bad. There was one more reason this was such an extremely enjoyable read. One that does not seem to happen too often for me. This book was well-edited. Maybe I have just described what made it flow so well.
Definitely worth my time.
This is the first of Nancy Boyarsky’s books that I have read. I enjoyed the determined, curious, yet confused Nicole Graves. She was good at what she did, and I liked the way her mind worked. Watching her race to stay alive as danger found her kept the pace going. With a good outcome of this mystery despite her personal relationship issues, I enjoyed this story and recommend it.
I received a copy of this story through Goddessfish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.