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, … 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.
Praise for The Liar’s Child
“Surprising and rewarding . . . Ms. Buckley does what only the best suspense writers can do: She makes you care about what happens to her characters, provoking your emotions as well as your curiosity.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Buckley has crafted a complex and compelling story. The nuances and dynamics at play in The Liar’s Child will take the most jaded reader on a heartfelt and emotional journey.”—Associated Press
“A wonderfully complex and multilayered drama complete with the suspense that keeps the pages turning. Fans of Kate White and Diane Chamberlain will be asking if it’s possible for a child to leave the past behind long after the book ends.”—Booklist
“Carla Buckley’s superb psychological thrillers are always emotionally wrenching but The Liar’s Child packs a visceral gut punch that knocks the wind right out of us . . . Emotive writing that packs a wallop to both the heart and the mind.”—Book Trib
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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 Child a ripping good read.
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 this book as fall inside this compelling story.
Told in Buckley’s trademark evocative prose, The Liar’s Child spotlights her singular gift: the ability to tug on the threads of her characters’ lives and make everything unravel, and then expertly stitch their lives back together again.
The Liars Child by author Carla Buckley is a sometimes confusing mystery. Everyone seems to have a secret or they are living a lie. It was hard to like the adult characters in the book. Sara Lennox is being transferred to North Carolina to live as part of the witness protection program while waiting to testify in a trial. She negotiated an arrangement to be a witness and avoid going to prison. She has her own ideas for her future and is waiting for the perfect timing to implement her plan which may allow her to escape from Paradise.
Whit Nelson is a hotel manager who lives at the Paradise apartments with his family. Cassie, the twelve-year-old daughter has perfected the art of escaping the apartment by jumping between the buildings, from their balcony to the next door balcony. Boon, the five-year-old narrowly escaped death after being left in a hot car by his mother. Diane Nelson has gone missing and everyone seems to think it is another one of her disappearing episodes.
The story weaves an interesting tale of how the lives of strangers can intersect at just the right timing to cause life-changing choices. When an unexpected hurricane blows in and hits the outer banks, choices become very limited!
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Sara Lennox has a lot to hide. She has a complicated past. So, the Paradise apartments, although a far cry from what its name implies, is the perfect place for her. Next door live two children who seem to be on their own a lot. As she puzzles out what is going on in that family, she reminds herself to mind her own business in order to protect her anonymity. But when a huge storm threatens the nearby , she decides to save those two children, driving them far from danger, risking her own safety.
I really enjoyed the building excitement of this book and I went through it quickly, wanting to know what would happen. The characters were well-developed, too. Sadly, I felt that the ending fell flat, and it lacked the details and resolution I had been hoping for. What a letdown!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I was instantly drawn into this story and found it hard to put down. The main character, Sara Lennox, is in the Witness Protection Program until she testifies in a trial, and as a result, has been temporarily relocated to the Outer Banks. She is a very solitary individual and keeps to herself. Two children who live in the apartment next door appear to have a somewhat dysfunctional family situation and little by little Sara is pulled into their lives. When a hurricane hits the Outer Banks, Sara winds up taking the children with her to safer ground, as their parents are nowhere to be found.
Ms. Buckley has written a unique and absorbing story, with its occasionally brutal descriptions of the both the children and the weather. Strongly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author Carla Buckley, and the publisher Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my honest opinion of this book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This story takes place at the Paradise, a seen-better-days apartment complex on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. There are three storylines that collide at the end, culminating with a hurricane. The book does not move at a thriller pace, but there are some plot twists you don’t really see coming. Unfortunately, they are at the end of the book and it really takes a long time for the book to start to get interesting. The main characters:
The book begins with Hank, a retired detective obsessed with missing children. We don’t hear from Hank again until nearly the end of the book, and you kind of forget about him.
The second is Sara, an accountant who is to be a key witness at an upcoming trial and under U.S. Marshal protection.
The third is Sara’s next door neighbors, the Wilson family. There is Whit; his wife, Diane, their 12-year old daughter, Cassie; and their 5-year old son, Boon.
The story is very much driven by the characters, not the plot. Unfortunately, none of the characters are likable, so perhaps therein lies my disappointment. Hank drinks a bit, and while we learn why he is obsessed with missing children, the details are sparse and spread out. I felt sorry for Sara at first, her life upheaved and having to move, assume a new identity, live in a rundown apartment. Then you learn how she made her money, and at that point I stopped caring about her. There are allusions to her father, and why she is perhaps the way she is, but it was never fully explained. As for the Nelson family, they aren’t quite Ozzie and Harriet. I was soooo tired of page after page of Cassie’s whining and adolescent angst. Finally, the hurricane hits, and Sara is going to use the evacuation chaos to make a run for it. But, she sees the children have been left on their own (you need to read the book to find out why–no spoilers here), and stops to rescue them. At this point, almost the end of the book, the plot thickens, and you start to think things will get good. Not so fast. The ending is forced, unsatisfying and unrealistic.
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This was my first book by Carla Buckley so I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. The synopsis of the book sounded intriguing and I’ve kind of been on a psychological thriller kick lately. This one was definitely one that held my interest, with great characters and lots of suspense and drama.
Cassie and Boon stole my heart as they are trying to get by, after recently losing their mother and with a father who is working hard to keep the family together. Sara is just trying to survive and possibly escape the life that she has been dropped into. All sorts of secrets and lies keep the story rushing at the reader. Who to believe and what is the truth?
“The secret, he explained, to lying successfully was to stick to the truth as much as possible.”
I really enjoyed The Liar’s Child and I look forward to reading more of Buckley’s stories.
Buckley’s provocative novel may be set against an exciting outer storm, but it’s the complex inner storms of her nuanced characters that had me gripping the pages.
The Liar’s Child was a slow, boring read for me. I found parts of the book exciting..the hurricane, how Sara became a pseudo mother to Cassie (12j and Boon (5). Our main character, Sara, finds herself staying at “The Paradise,” a rundown temporary housing building on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She is part of the Witness Protection program and waiting to testify. Sara grew up in a disfunctional household and her neighbor’s children are growing up in a dysfunctional household.
Boon’s mother left Boon in her car on a hot day and he almost died. Mistake or on purpose? His mother is known to disappear at times. It appears she has taken off again leaving her husband Whit to cope with the kids and try to make a living. As a hurricane approaches, Whit leaves to help his parents make sure the septic system does not overflow. He cannot get across the bridge to get to his children, Sara takes the children with her to escape the hurricane.
Then there is Hank and what does he have to do with the story. I found the story to have too many holes. To me, it is a first draft. The ending is abrupt and for me dissatisfying,
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A very well written book. Kept we wondering about the outcome until I read the last page. I’m hoping there will be follow up book. The ending left me with lots of questions. A family and a single woman thrown together by happenstance. The twists left me questioning lots of things in this book but I still enjoyed it!
The layers of secrets throughout this book created a terrific suspenseful novel! Sara ends up living in an apartment in North Carolina next to a couple and their two children. The mother takes off and leaves the kids with their father. Sara has her own secretive past, but things get more complicated as she unwillingly gets involved with the kids. When a hurricane starts to come their way and the children are home alone, Sara takes the kids with her to get to safety. All the characters have their own secrets that are revealed a little at a time. Sara struggles with what she actually wants to do and what she should do. The oldest child at age twelve struggles with her own life and presents herself with a tough attitude. The beginning of the storm adds to the tension and suspense of the story.
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.
The Liar’s Child was a middle of the road read for me. It definitely has its moments – the kids are spot on with their dialogue and actions, including a very sullen teen who desperately needs some parental guidance, and the prologue sets a suspenseful tone. However, that suspense is short-lived, especially since we don’t get back to that character for quite some time. Once the hurricane hits, the pacing picks up, and there is some excitement as we wait to see who will get out of the danger zone, but it seems to take a very long time to get there. Other than the youngest child, I can’t say that I particularly cared for any of these characters. Boon is a sweet six-year-old who has had more than his fair share of hard knocks, and it’s impossible not to fall for this child. As for the rest, let’s just say that I’m still wondering which character the title refers to because almost everyone else in this story is a liar of some kind, either by word or omission. As far as the promised thriller’s pace from the blurb, I can’t say that I found that here. It is certainly a domestic drama, and there is a murder, which is way too easy to figure out, but I would not call this one a thriller of any sort. I think I may have enjoyed it more had I not been expecting that thriller. That, and the less than satisfying conclusion. There were some things not addressed in the end that I wanted answers to, which led to some disappointment on my part. In the end, this one was just okay for me, an okay read, but not something I would read again.
You should read The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley because it’s a lovely and evocative story, and because it raises all kinds of questions about parents and children, secrets and safety. But be careful: This is a writer who knows how to break your heart.
Her characters are believably flawed; her creation of atmosphere and setting is perfection. I adored this beautifully written book, and I double-dog dare you to not find yourself wanting to read from start to finish without a break.
This book is not what I expected. The book builds up for a long time before the hurricane hits. Everyone has messed up lives and in this case Sara and Whit’s lives clash. I was disappointed with the ending. The overall of this book is okay nothing special to write home to. I was hoping for more but it was just out of reach in this book.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
I was so excited to read this book. I had read the blurb and thought “This could be a good book”. And guess what, it was a good as I thought it was going to be.
I am going to come straight out and say it, this book was amazing. It was everything that I thought it was going to be and then some. The book is slow to start and I would hate it but in this case, it was needed. There was so much background that the author needed to build up before the story got going. And when the story got going, it didn’t stop.
Family dynamics were a huge focal point in The Liar’s Child. Cassie and Boon had a dysfunctional family. By the descriptions given, it seemed like she was bipolar at the least. She was also known to take off with the kids. Hank, their father, was the only stable person in their lives but he worked a ton of hours. He was never around. I had no doubt that this was the reason why Cassie started hanging around with the kids that she did. I also don’t doubt that was the reason why Boon was the way he was.
Sarawas an enigma. The author made it a point of not releasing a ton of information about her background. Heck, even her name was fake. She was in the Witness Protection program because of a case that she had no choice but to testify in. It was that or jail. Sara was at The Paradise under duress.
To be honest, I didn’t like Sara very much during the book. She was always scheming, seeing who could get her what. She formed friendships to get things. Take her friendship with her boss. She used it to get to her computer and to steal booze from the customers. Let’s not forget to add that she used her boss’s boyfriend to get laid and get a car. I also wanted to know why she was so hot to get out of the Witness Protection program. I understand that she chafed at being watched but hello, she got involved with human trafficking. Which is a bad thing.
I did feel bad for Cassie. She was acting out, hardcore. At 12, she shouldn’t have had to step into her mother’s shoes. While I didn’t agree with how she rebelled (sleeping around, doing drugs, skipping school) but I definitely could understand why. She did love Boon and she did try to protect him. But she also resented him. There were times in the book where I thought that she was going to need a good therapist.
Hank came across as a pushover. He allowed his wife to do whatever she wanted and chose to turn a blind eye to what she was doing. Even when she almost killed Boon, he still coddled her. It should have been a relief when she left. But it seemed to add more stress to him. I didn’t understand exactly why he was so stressed out until the end of the book. That’s when I did an “aha“. But, even that wasn’t what it seemed.
The plotline with the hurricane was almost anti-climatic compared to what was going on with the people. I liked that it didn’t take over the book but instead was the background for everything that happened after the middle.
I am still trying to figure out why Sara decided to take the kids. It wasn’t because she wanted to rescue them or felt bad for them. She felt that they were a pain in the butt and told them so. So why did she? I know that she saw a lot of herself in Cassie. So maybe that called to her. Who knows.
The book wrapped up on a happy note. I was happy to see everyone was thriving and doing well. I wasn’t happy to see that Hank was where he was but I understood why he did it. Never underestimate a parent’s love for their child.
Sara Lennox is in Witness Protection. She is placed in North Carolina on the Outer Banks. There she meets her neighbors. Whit and Diane and their 2 children Cassie and Boon. When a hurricane hits, Sara is running away from the Witness Protection. She realizes Cassie and Boon are left alone and takes them with her. There the story gets interesting. Lies and secrets come out as they are trying to find someplace safe to wait out the storm. This book is told in multiple points of view and it weaves together perfectly. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Ballantine Books. All opinions are my own.
The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley
March 2019
Random House
Fiction, psychological drama
I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.
This story is told from multiple POV with alternating narrators with questionable reliability. Based near North Carolina’s Outer Banks, several lives are devastated and not just from the impending hurricane. The Liar’s Child is just about anyone’s child given the complicated family histories and differing perspectives of reality. It seems most families have secrets or untold truths which ultimately get retold or misrepresented over the years.
The Nelson family live in an apartment complex called the Paradise which coincidently is anything but a paradise. Life is difficult for 12-year old Cassie and her 5-year old brother, “Boon” primarily due to their ineffective parents. It seems that as much as the parents express their love for their children they lack the mental and physical ability to protect them. It’s no wonder that Cassie is acting out and hanging with high school hooligans and Boon sucks his thumb, wets himself and considers his stuffed animals his friends.
The father, Whit Nelson, seems to spend most of his time compensating for his wife’s mental instability while working as a full time hotel manager to keep CPS from taking his kids. While it seems that he has good intentions, he clearly spreads himself too thin trying to placate his parents who live an hour away and Thompson his demanding boss.
As if this isn’t enough, Paradise becomes the home for Sara Lennox, a con artist forced into Federal protective custody to avoid prison. As much as she tries to remain uninvolved with the tumultuous family living next door, she gets drawn into their lives reminding her of her own childhood. Unfortunately, her story only feels partially explored with an unsatisfactory ending.
As the hurricane approaches, Sara is compelled to do the right thing by rescuing the 2 kids next door when their father doesn’t return from an errand. Trying to escape the elements they eventually end up at a motel where they encounter more people trying to escape their past. Hank is a retired sherif still grieving the loss of his wife and son many years prior. Due to his own denial and feelings of regret he focuses his energy on “all” the missing children in the news. Honestly, I wasn’t sure where his storyline was going as his obsession is rather creepy!
I enjoyed the pace of the story and the twists and turns but didn’t feel like the story was complete at the end. I felt like it “skipped” parts and just put a bow on it leaving many questions unnecessarily up in the air.