New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

Liar Liar by Nancy Boyarsky, is the first book in the Nicole Graves Mystery series that I have read. I would probably recommend that readers start at the beginning of this series and I know that I will go back and read the first two. In this book, Nicole Graves finds herself in a predicament once again. She is continuing to get in hours working as a PI, when her co-worker calls out sick. Nicole is entrusted to look after a witness in the high-profile, Oceanside University rape trial. Wanting to do her job and see justice served, she takes on the assignment despite her newly-engaged fiance's concerns for her safety and privacy. After spending time with the rape victim in close quarters, Nicole catches small things that lead her to believe the victim may not be as truthful as others think. Will this young football player have his future derailed by this young girl? Is he telling the truth? Who else is lying in this mess? When Nicole decides to do some investigating on her own, she puts her relationship on the line. How far will she go to find the truth?

I was not sure what to expect when I started this book, but it was an excellent mystery. I was fully invested in this story, having a hard time stopping it when I had things to do. I really like the character of Nicole. She is smart and persistent and I really like her desire to seek justice and the truth. While the subject matter of a rape trial can be off putting, this book has no graphic descriptions of the crime. This is not a cozy mystery, but it has the same clean feel to it. There is a gripping storyline that had me thinking of various scenarios and the twist near the end was a good one. The red herrings along the way were there, but not obvious until you looked back on the story. A great mystery story that I would recommend to any mystery lover. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jane Oppenheimer was well done and I enjoyed listening to this one.

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.

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.

Reading the blurb I thought "wow, this is going to be an action packed short read" in reality Liar Liar fell short.  It literally took me 5 days to read 200 pages, so eh.  I felt there was a lot of unneeded information included to draw the storyline out more.  I experienced a lot of eye rolling, falling asleep, and thoughts of just moving on.  I will say the last 10-15% of the book was a page turner for me.

WoW ! What a fabulous read! Nicole is assigned to meet a client at LAX airport. The client, Mary Ellen Barnes is suing a fellow student for rape and also the University she attends for failure to protect her.

Mary Ellen is a devout Baptist who is attending college on a scholarship funded by her church. She is a child of working poor parents. Mary Ellen is suing football great Doshan Williams (also from her school) for rape. The Women Against Rape Group (WAR) are funding the lawyer, housing and court costs for Mary Ellen. Meanwhile, we learn that Doshan is well-liked and from a solid background and pleads not guilty.

We meet the lawyers on the case for Mary Ellen. Nicole is literally "babysitting" the 19 year old Mary Ellen in a hotel until the trial is over. From almost the beginning, the reader is suspect of Mary Ellen - always on the phone, sneaking out of the hotel room (she is NOT supposed to leave) and her "ma'aming".

Meanwhile, Nicole's fiancé, Josh, is showing his true colors. He is controlling and can be a sarcastic one.
We just hope that Nicole notices - yet she loves him SO much... What will he be like when they get married?

Mary Ellen can't handle being in court - she eventually goes missing...

This is one book in which the reviewer must decide how much to include in their review so as not to reveal TOO much.

Suffice it to say that even until the last page there are surprises and twists you don't see coming!

Just when you believe that the story is over, it isn't over. What a conclusion! Recommend!!!

Many thanks to INscribe Digital and NetGalley for a superb read!!!