I didn't really like any of the characters, including Boon, and had a hard time caring about what happened to any of them. I read the whole thing waiting for the book to "get good" and it just never did.

A strong, fast-paced story with good character development.

This book doesn't exactly read like a thriller. Yes, the reader may have a sense that the children's mom Diane died under suspicious circumstances, (and may be interested to learn the truth of that event) but the book's not really about that topic and the question of "how did Diane die" doesn't necessarily provide the driving force for the narrative. Instead this book is more interested in its characters: Whit (who remains a bit elusive), Sara, Cassie, and the instantly love-able Boon, and how they will become interconnected. It's more a book about secrets and the toll they take on us than solving a particular mystery.

I thought the author did a great job in capturing the essence of both Cassie and Boon. I don't know if this writer is a mom with first-hand experience with kids, but she sure writes like one. Everything about traumatized, neglected, longing-for-affection Boon, and traumatized, sullen, combative Cassie rang true to me. While both Sara and Whit are playing the long game in this book, and therefore are a little hard to pin down sometimes, both of the kids wear their emotions on their sleeves.

My main issue with the book was its ending, which felt hastily drawn. I also felt like the character of Hank was a little underdevelopment and the focus on him in the prologue seemed like an exercise in misdirection (like it set up this book to be about something entirely different). I also have no idea what purpose the little descriptions between chapters served. Are these descriptions of items found after hurricanes? The fact that I read the whole book and still don't get the point of them annoys me a bit.

However, those are all small quibbles. This is still overall a decent read. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book for the most part. The characters were well done, but some were forgotten in the second half of the book. I would have liked to see Hank and Joyce developed more, they were just thrown in at the end. Parts of the plot weren't believable to me and I don't think the title fits the plot at all. The ending was unsatisfying. But I liked the plot, the characters, and the book was well paced. I read it in a day.

An interesting story line but so many despicable characters that it was almost overwhelming. No really likable characters and I never fully understood the motives behind the characters' surliness. Add to that a less than satisfying ending. Disappointing

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 Liar’s Child is the latest in the shock drama genre but it actually shocks and causes you to question what you know.
First, I must say this book‘s description doesn’t do the plot justice. When I requested the ARC it claimed to be a story of kidnapping during a hurricane. Not only is this not a correct description, it doesn’t happen until two-thirds into of the book. Hopefully, I can make this tale clearer.
Sarah is making a new home at the Paradise a dump that the Federal Government has set up for her as part of the Witness Protection Program. Sara dutifully gets a job and pays her bills. She stays out of trouble but that can’t be said for her neighbors. She often sees the two children alone and uncared for. She hears the fight of their parents through the walls. That all changes when the kid’s mother disappears. While there are no more fights, the kids are watched even less as their father deals with being a one parent household. Though she tries not to get involved (she has her own plans), it comes to a culmination when the father disappears during a hurricane and everyone must evacuate. Sarah makes a decision not to leave the boy and his pre-teen sister behind.
Even though some of the story isn’t clear, especially when centered around Sarah, overall the novels brings you full circle explaining the biggest miseries and showing you character growth. Because the perspectives switch between characters, it’s never clear who the lair’s child actually is. Is it just one? All of them? This is a great reflective question to think about afterwards and see what the reader‘s emotions from the story.
I really learned to see Sarah’s thoughts patterns and enjoyed watching her character grow and try to decide between what she has been taught and what she feels. The pre-teen girl needed more depth and exploration. You can’t just throw on teenage angst and call it a variety of issues. She deserved a little more depth for what she went through.
Over all, The Liar’s Child is suspenseful and twisty. While it doesn’t give you everything you want in a novel, it entertains and makes you think so I gave the novel four stars.

Carla Buckley not only knows how to place everyday people in extraordinary situations, but she is also skilled at using that new-found stress to explore the complexities of human nature. Her characters are never easily forgotten. This latest will please both crime fiction readers and those who simply enjoy a good family drama. There are some genuine surprises in this narrative and I fully expect this to be a reoccurring recommendation by and for readers everywhere.

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review/opinion. This was a fun book to read. There are many different twists and turns to the story that kept me wanting to know what's next. Fast and fun read.

I enjoyed reading "The Liar's Child." There was enough suspense to keep me engaged and I really wanted to know what happened to each character. I almost feel like there could have been more back story to a few of the characters, but that is just my opinion. There were twists and turns that I did not expect. And I loved the ending!

Excellent character development! I found myself wondering what's right and what's wrong. The maze of the heart and our feelings are so complicated. The drama is set against a backdrop of a major hurricane hitting the Outer Banks.

This is a character driven novel, more psychological than suspenseful, with each chapter written from a different character’s perspective. Whitt and Diane and their children Cassie and Boon live in a rundown apartment complex on the Outer Banks. You can just see the ocean from their balcony. Twelve year old Cassie is a little wiseass I wanted to smack most of the time but as more is revealed about the past I felt sorry for her. Her dad is always at work and her mom has mental issues. She “forgot” Boon was in the car and almost killed him. Sara is in witness protection to avoid jail and is placed in the apartment next door. Their lives will collide with a major hurricane that provides much of the suspense. The book starts a little slowly but that was necessary to build the characters and fill us in on their pasts. The characters are believable and human. They are complex. They are not perfect. They all have flaws. Mostly they are likeable. Who is the liar’s child referred to in the title? Read the book and decide for yourself. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Ms. Buckley’s work.

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!

This book was very easy to get into, which is a good thing. The main character, Sara, is in the witness protection program and has been relocated to the Outer Banks. She had a rough childhood, and does not connect with others easily. In fact, she has been told explicitly to not get too close to anyone she meets because it could endanger her life. Of course the universe has other plans and she meets two kids who live in the apartment next door. These kids are stuck in the middle of their parents' drama and are left on their own way too often. Sara has been planning to run from the federal agents in charge of her to avoid testifying, and when the time comes to make her escape, she makes the last minute decision to take the kids with her.

I liked all of the characters who narrate the book and found them to have distinct voices and personalities. The summary of the book given by the publisher is confusing because it mentions a hurricane, so I found myself waiting and waiting for the hurricane to happen, but it didn't happen until around 60% into the book. Because of that, I kind of felt like I was waiting for the "real" story to start. I also think the title of the book is also a little random. Sara's dad used to call their family "the Liars Club" so I think the title refers to her? But I am not sure. Overall, I am left with a few questions but I did enjoy the book. I hated the thought of anything bad happening to the kids and ended up really liking Sara.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of this book!*

I Loved The Liar’s Child, except for the ending. Sarah enters the witness protection program and moves to a small town in North Carolina. Sarah is a very observant woman and knows there is something weird going on with the two kids next door. Their father seems like he’s barely holding it together.

Sarah is leaving during a hurricane and finds the two children alone in the storm. She ends up taking them with her and keeps them safe. The characters are complex and the story is told from many points of view. It’s definitely a page turner. As I said, I just wish the book ended a little differently, but still a great read.

Living in a small town can be rough. Everyone knows your business. And when your business includes your wife leaving your young son in the back of the car on a sweltering day almost killing him small towns can be brutal.

Ever since that day, people averted their eyes whenever Whit and Diane walked down the street. As if making a horrible mistake was contagious. Diane didn’t help her cause by being confrontational, moody and actually acting a bit unstable. This was not the first time she did something questionable. She often takes off either with or without the kids, oftentimes calling Whit to rescue her from whatever crazy plan she started but could not complete. But this time she has been gone for too long without any communication with her family at all.

Since she left, Whit has been trying to work and take care of Cassie and Boon. After being released from the hospital, Boon is physically fine, but has emotional issues due to the trauma and now his mother abandons them, making him even more anxious. Cassie is out of control. She is only 12, but hanging with a much older crowd. Drinking, sex and Goth make-up accompanies a surly attitude beyond her years.

When Sara, a new neighbor that is in the witness protection program moves into the apartment next to the family, their lives will become hopelessly entangled. None of them want this, but circumstances warrant a strange alliance between Sara and the children. Secrets and lies swirl around them like bees waiting to sting the first one to make a wrong move.

Ms. Buckley’s fast paced plot has deliciously unexpected twists and turns. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong. I love novels that can surprise me and give me that “ah” moment when I realize all the info was clearly there but I didn’t realize where the plot was headed.

The characters are interestingly flawed, making them real from the first pages. I loved Boon, he is a gentle little soul who only wants to get his mom back even though she is like a landmine waiting to go off at the slightest touch. Cassie is tough on the outside, but so vulnerable underneath I hoped she would find the right path. Sara has an agenda; Whit is just trying to make it through the day without another disaster. All of them are brilliantly portrayed.

This is the fifth book by Ms. Buckley. It is the first one I have read, but I will be searching out her previous books, because I really enjoyed this fast paced, well-written novel. All five of her novels are psychological suspense novels promising hours of page turning pleasure for her readers.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman

I received a free e-copy of The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Nelson family lives in an apartment complex called the Paradise. Unfortunately, is is anything but a paradise. Life is hard for Cassie (12 years old) and her brother, Boon (5 years old). Although their parents tell them they love them they are lacking being able to help and protect their children, both mentally and physically. Cassie, who is in high school is hanging out with the wrong crowd and Boon is still wet's his bed and sucks his thumb.

Sara Lennox, just relocated to the Paradise as a part of the Witness Protection program. She lives next door to the Nelson family. Sara is trying to live an anonymous life. The Nelson family, however, is a complete mess. The mother has made a very big mistake, and the father doesn't know what to do.

A hurricane hits suddenly changing everyone's life. An exciting and thrilling read written with great characters and depth.

A very interesting and gripping story. Several POVs, so you have to pay attention to who you’re hearing from as its very important.

A “what happened” to the greatest proportions. A story you’ll be invested in so deeply, you won’t reslize you’ve made it to the end.

I was disappointed in the ending before the epilogue. It left more questions than answers.

Still a great story to read and I recommend it.

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.

I found this book very fascinating as each character was well developed and interesting. Trying to figure out how they would all come together in the story kept me from putting it down! Whit is struggling to keep his family together amidst the disappearance of his unstable wife. His daughter Callie is beginning her teenage years with a bang, and his son Boon just wants to be loved. Sara is unhappily in witness protection and moves in next door to the family. Hank is a widower, retired sheriff and father of a boy that was kidnapped at a young age. Finding out how all these characters come together and the mystery that all are involved with is a fascinating story.

The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley is a highly recommended novel of suspense.

Set mainly at the dilapidated Paradise apartment complex on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, The Liar's Child follows a handful of characters: Whit, Sara, Hank, and Cassie. Sara Lennox is in the witness protection program, awaiting her testimony in an upcoming trial. Her FBI handlers have set her up in an apartment at the Paradise and she's got a cleaning job. Sara has noticed the children who live next door, rebellious twelve-year-old Cassie and needy five-year-old Boon, and the social worker who has been by asking her what she knows about the family. Boon is taken by Sara and finds her fascinating. Sara knows there is more going on after their father, Whit tells her about his wife leaving them.

When a hurricane approaches, Sara is supposed to be evacuated by her handlers, but she has other, secret plans put into place that she is going to carry out now. As she is leaving the Paradise, she looks up to see Cassie and Boon, out on their deck, apparently left alone by Whit. She loads them into her car at the last minute to get them off the island to somewhere safe too. Now Sara has the two children under her care and needs to find some place to leave them so she can carry out her own plans.

Buckley uses an omniscient narrator to tell the story of these damaged individuals - and they are all very damaged, hurting, troubled, and have secrets. All of the characters, are flawed and well-drawn and their misdeeds and troubles are slowly revealed, leaked out bit by bit, as the story unfolds. They all keep things to themselves, even Cassie and Boon. It is nice to see that Cassie and Boon are portrayed as characters representative of their ages. Sara is a complex woman, with a life of secrets, and she is clearly unfamiliar with children. Whit is stressed out and doing the best he can. Hank's role in this drama won't be known until much later in the narrative.

In this well-written novel, the approaching hurricane adds an element of danger and increases the sense of urgency, but the story is found in the characters and their interactions. While there are surprising twists, the real plot is in the interaction of these people and the role of fate in their actions. Pay attention to the brief descriptions of objects found randomly between chapters as their importance will become clear later.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.

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