3.5 Stars rounded to 4.

This book had some great parts and a great little twist in there. I really enjoyed it and the setting of a monster storm was awesome - I almost felt the damp and rain as I was reading.

As I said, the main characters are Sarah Lennox, who is in the Witness Protection program, and her two child neighbors, Cassie and Boon, who find themselves craving adult attention and guidance. They find themselves as neighbors at the Paradise, a shabby apartment building in the Outer Banks and are thrust together during a hurricane, when all the skeletons start to come out of the proverbial closet.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot because it’s one of those books that you don’t really see where it’s going until it’s revealed. It was refreshing to just let the book take me along on the journey as the characters tried to survive and figure things out. I really did not see where things were going and did not guess the ending.

I do wish the ending was a little more fleshed out, however. That would have taken things from 3.5 stars to 5, definitely.

I also enjoyed the characters, even many of the secondary ones, who were all flawed in their own ways. No one was totally good or a “hero” in this scenario. I like that because it’s more believable and it makes things more interesting when you don’t know who the “good guys” necessarily are.

Overall, if you’re looking for a nice thriller to let you escape to a new world, this is a great book to do just that. Bring your rain coat, though!

Sara wants to start a new life and has moved to a complex where people never stay long. It proved a perfect way to stay anonymous, until she started to listen to the rumors about the family next door. It seems that tragedy followed them and when a storm hits the community, Sara decides to rescue the children from both the storm and their broken home. Sara experiences consequences that she never anticipated.

I read The Liar’s Child, by bestselling author, Carla Buckley, at the request of the publisher, Penguin Random House. This heart-wrenching tale of the near loss of a child, neglected children, and the mystery of a missing parent tugs at your heartstrings. Soon Sara, a woman in witness protection, moves in next door to this family in crisis.

These evocative characters are woven into a complex storyline, and keeps readers wondering how the husband and children’s sanity will survive the mom — before she goes missing, that is. Then there is Sara, the not-totally-honest-accountant-and-daughter-of-a-con-man, who has a choice to make: go to prison or testify against another white collar criminal.

The story shows us, yet again, how most parents will suffer anything to protect their children. Much of the story is set against a hurricane that devastates the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Ms. Buckley makes note of the increase in destructive weather patterns has increased with global warming. For that I applaud her.

I am still trying to figure out who is The Liar’s Child. There were several liars in this beautifully written, and haunting tale. It is one of those books that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

What Makes this Reviewer Grumpy?

Only the usual things:
• singular/plural inconsistencies;
• incomplete sentences;
• sentences beginning with conjunctions;
• and guess what? Not a single split infinitive!

A suspenseful, careful study of multiple characters in overlapping crises, The Liar's Child is an atmospheric read from start to finish—Buckley transports us into the heart of a rundown apartment complex in The Outer Banks, and then into the eye of a disastrous hurricane. The characters unsettled me and in some cases broke my heart, and I'll remember them for a long time after I put this back on my shelf, in spite of or perhaps because of the abrupt, ambiguous ending other reviewers have noted. With gratitude to Netgalley for the early review copy.

When Sara Lennox rescues Cassie and Boon during a hurricane she's entering into a longer pact of rescue. A well plotted psychological thriller.

The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley

Brief Summary: Sara Lennox moves to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to escape her past. She takes notice of the family next door; a single dad raising a spirited teenager and a young boy. When a hurricane hits and the kids are left home alone; she makes the split second decision to take them with her as she attempts to make her own escape.

Highlights: The author paints an interesting premise where lots could go wrong. It made me reminisce about my own hurricane experiences and survival stories when I was a resident of southern Florida. This is a quick and easy read. The moral dilemma of what to do with the kids when Sara is on the run is dramatic. Despite the deteriorating weather; this book made me want to visit the Outer Banks.

Explanation of Rating: 3/5 The novel held my attention but the plot twists were mediocre and I didn’t particularly like and couldn’t really relate to any of the characters.

This book was not my favorite and didn’t really do it for me.


Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

A good, solid story line that is well worth the time I spent reading it. A woman trying to hide from her past meets two children with no future. Does she help them and worry about the consequences later or should she just keep hiding? The choices she makes take her life and the children's lives in directions that we did not see coming.

While I liked this book, I struggled to figure out which plot line was the main one running throughout this story. Every so often I had the "this is it" moment, only to be switched to the next one. And although many novels use the multiple story arcs, I never thought any of the arcs in this novel were developed enough to give deeper meaning to the characters actions. So yes, the stories all came together, but not in a satisfying way. I wish one had taken center stage to draw everything in. But a decent plot, but wish it were deeper.

While this book was written fairly well, and it kept my interest I hated the ending. It didn't tie anything up, left me with a million questions, and really it sucked.

This book deals with a woman in the witness protection program who is sent to live in the Outerbanks before the trial at which she will testify against her former boss. She moves into a top floor apartment next to a family with many problems of their own. When a hurricane hits she is faced with a decision regarding the neighbors which has many consequences for all involved. I really enjoyed this book with its many twists. What is interesting is that none of the main characters are likable. But you keep reading just to see if you will start liking them or if there is a good reason for their behavior. A few interesting twists at the end make this an interesting read.

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,

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

When Sara is moved to the Paradise Apartments in the Outer Banks for witness protection, she has no idea what is up with the family next door. She tries to quietly build a new life for herself. She starts receiving little gifts on her windowsill from the little boy next door and the 12 year old girl tries to sneak unto her balcony. Suddenly when a hurricane begins, she is faced with the decision to save the children, who are home alone, or leave without them. If she brings them with her, what will the consequences be? Good book that holds your interest!

The Liar's Child is a deft and very thoughtful mystery/thriller--a combo you don't see often as it can be hard to create space to have more than surface introspection when there's imminent danger/death all around. But it *is* present here and it enhances the rest of The Liar's Child which is your standard women and children in peril stuff otherwise. So, overall it's a standard read elevated by good writing, making it a solid choice for women's fiction fans and for mystery/thriller readers who enjoy domestic suspense.

This was a DNF at 40% for me. I just couldn't get in to the plot, I couldn't connect with the characters, and it just felt very slow for me. I do plan to pick up again sometime, maybe this winter when I'm wanting something heavy, and slow going.

I liked this book as it was well written and fast paced. Unfortunately I think there were some holes in the plot and a lack of resolution to it, especially with the characters. It was going well and I was happy to see an epilogue but this epilogue created more questions than it answered.

3.5 or 4 stars. Suspenseful family drama. A dysfunctional family meets a female con artist in the witness protection program. Then a hurricane hits! There are a lot of flawed people in this book, but they are mostly sympathetic, given their circumstances. And they even sometimes surprise you! This would make a good beach read, except for the hurricane part. :)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Unfortunately I never found myself hooked on this story. Half way through I was still a little confused on what exactly was going on. We learned a lot about the past and present of Sara and Whit but where was that all going. I think there could have been way more nuggets of information or clues through the book, not just the last 1/4.

I think my biggest problem with this is that the description of the book promises a thriller when a woman needs to decide if she should rescue two children during a hurricane..... this doesn’t happen until 60%

I have read all of Carla Buckley's books and was excited to read this one. I loved 90% of this book. It started off great and I was enjoying the story. The last 10% of the book felt odd to me - like I missed a chunk of the book or something. The story just seemed to end. I found something about the epilogue off and was still left wondering what became of Sara and her situation. So, the beginning and middle were fantastic but I didn't enjoy the abrupt ending. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Well written , the children stole my heart . Read it soon, you will enjoy this story. The detail in witch the book was written is great