I have mixed feelings about this. It held my attention, but I didn't connect with any of the narrators. The ending felt abrupt. Perhaps the loose ends hint at a sequel?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Sara Lennox has been placed by the “Witness Protection Program” in an apartment complex called “The Paradise” on the outskirts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Her neighbors are Whit Nelson and his wife, Diane....the woman who recently made the news for mistakenly leaving her young son, Boon, in a hot car, while she went to work. Their daughter, Cassie, was not in the car, but she has not been left unscathed.

Some people should not be parents.

When Whit and Sara meet, standing on their side by side balconies, he tells her that Diane “took off” about a month ago.

Excerpt: “They need their mother.” He sighed.
Society seemed to revere motherhood. Sara never understood it. Women got pregnant. They had babies. It was simple biology. Didn’t make them Saints. “Depends on the mother.”
“Yeah?” He looked at her.
She’d said too much. It was the small things that would trip her up.

Now a hurricane is about to hit, and the kids are home alone. As Sara flees “The Paradise” she faces a moral dilemma... leave them there? Or take them with her and risk everything?

“There are two kinds of people, her Dad used to say. Some people make their choices. Others have choices made for them.”

This was my third novel by Carla Buckley and I have NEVER been disappointed. But, I do caution readers that her novels would be better categorized as Family Drama/Suspense, NOT thrillers, in my opinion. The first half of this book develops the characters, and vividly portrays the scene. The hurricane does not hit till the 50% point and that is when the pace picks up, and the SURPRISES are revealed, but the story IS well worth the wait.

Pay attention to the “objects” described every so often, between chapters....you will be glad you did.!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books, and Carla Buckley for the ARC I was provided in exchange for a candid review!

Publication date for this book is March 12, 2019!

The psychological drama is both family and personal story of survival. Diane, the Mom, seemingly with mental issues, struggles to deal with the hostility of those around her after endangering her son’s life. Whit, the Dad, does all he can do to keep the family together when suddenly Diana disappears and job and responsibilities to keep the family financially afloat necessitates his leaving the kids on their own. His 12-year-old daughter Cassie is at the age where she seeks independence with all the insecurities of wanting to seem older then she is. His 6-year-old son Boon, is a loving child who only wants to please. Outside the family is their neighbor who finds her life entwined with the Nelson family. Sara is unhappily in Witness Protection. She would like to find any way possible out of her situation. Her own childhood, not an easy one making it difficult to interact with the kids next door.

Each chapter tells the story through the actions of Sara, Whit, Cassie and Hank (a retired sheriff in another town). The part Hank will play will become apparent as the story gains momentum. When a hurricane hits the Outer Banks Sara finds she much rescue the children and takes them with her on her way out of town. You become vested in the characters and surprised by the outcome of decisions made by the adults in the story. As the story grows and lies are told it will be up to you to find who the Liar’s Child is, as truly lies are sadly a bit of a part of the characters’ lives. My only wish was the conclusion would be more fulfilling with more information about the characters you vest yourself in hoping for a happy resolution.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked that the story was told from different points of view and it really had me wondering which character was the liar’s child. I will definitely be reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read before release and review.

A thought provoking tale that was told from the view point of the various characters involved. I was somewhat dismayed by the lack of key background information, on what I presume to be, for the main character. The story clearly shows that while you may live or work next to an individual, for either a short or long span of time, you do not really know what internal conflicts are going on in their world. I enjoyed this book and would have preferred a more detailed ending but was satisfied with the results I built in my mind based on the information provided.

I have rated this book 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Outstanding psychological family drama with a twist. Four and a half stars.

The characters were well crafted, believable, and recognizable - particularly Cassie and her brother Boon. Cassie, the snotty, troubled tween, gave off the aura any of us who have dealt with that age group know too well. And Boon - who wouldn't want to soothe and mother him? The description of the Outer Banks, even in a hurricane, was much appreciated.

I rarely give five stars, unless a book has given me strong moral insight or taught me something vivid. This one came close to five stars, just because I hid it under my desk and read when I was supposed to be working my day job. Terrific.

I wasn’t a fan of this book at the beginning. I felt like it started off a bit slow in the beginning and I had a really hard time getting into it. I’m glad I stuck with it though because I have to say that I absolutely loved the ending.

“The Liar’s Child” by Carla Buckley

Am interesting and evocative psychological thriller. The author brings all the characters together at the Patadise. An apartment complex that is anything but paradise. Sara resides there as a means of a relocation federal program. The Nelson family resides there because they can’t afford anything else. The Nelson family is recovering from one recent tragedy with their son and his mother. After a period of time they are faced with yet another. Throughout this time period, both of the Nelson children strike up some form of a “relationship” with Sara. When a hurricane comes and they must all evacuate, the Nelson children are alone so Sara makes the decision to take them with her. She doesn’t have a set plan of where they are going or what they all will do.

Carla Buckley takes the reader on an up and down journey into the lives of several individuals and more of their secrets slowly become known over time.

An intriguing novel that has a few periods where it seems the story has skipped ahead or a storyline dropped a bit then picked back up very quickly. A good read for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

Rating: 4.4
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

** I chose to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carla Buckley does it again! I love her writing style, so I squealed with joy when I got to read her newest. This was an excellently plotted and developed story full of interesting characters and "what would you do" situations. Loved it so much. Five stars and two thumbs up!

What a book!
I was given this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
A dysfunctional family, a young baby left in car by mother almost dying, mother disappears and returns and then disappears and doesn't return. - and a neighbor - a woman with secrets all come together as a hurricane arrives.
The children left alone while the father helps his parents are brought together in neighbors car trying to miss the hurricane.
But is what is and what it seems to be are not always the case.
This book will tug at your emotions and have you cheering at the end.

Whit is struggling to keep his head above water and his family together. They are also hiding a secret. When a hurricane hits and his children are alone, Sara, a woman who is not who she seems, rescues them.

This book has chapters that are from different characters perspectives. I wasn’t sure where it was going or who exactly the liars child was. I enjoyed the book right up to the last chapter. The ending wasn’t what I expected and I was somewhat disappointed. That being said, I enjoyed the story. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

3-4 stars. A book that is good, but lacking something, maybe the ending or not completely fulfilling the story it’s intending too. While, I did enjoy it, I thought that the vaste amount of characters were hard to keep straight and that it didn’t fully give a complete picture.
Will use in a challenge, as well as recommend in Chapter Chatter Pub,

Trouble. This is a story about many different types of trouble and the people living with it. A woman in witness protection is delivered into her new life. A family of four becomes a family of three. Where has the mother gone?

The children love their parents but the fighting causes the son to cling and the daughter to rebel. As a hurricane approaches, the children are left by their father. They are rescued by their neighbor but don’t know how to find their father.

Life can be complicated and messy. This book captures that so well. The author does a good job executing a surprising ending. This is a fast paced thriller that you will enjoy!

The Liar's Child is one of those books you read while wondering where the title came from. Who will turn out to be the Liar's Child? There are many characters, and a few times I had to flip back and remember which point of view I was on, but overall I liked all of them. Sara took a while to warm up to, but I think that was the author's intention. Overall a good solid story. Not one I'd read again, but well done and engaging enough that I was happy I had read it once.

The Nelson family is a bit of a mess. Whit works long hours to provide for the family. Diane seems to be a bit manic, seeking the attention of her peers one minute and locked in her room the next. Cassie has entered her pre-teen years and is seeking the approval of older kids by engaging in some dangerous activities. And Boon is recovering from a trauma he suffered as a result of some parental neglect. Although they live at The Paradise, their lives are currently anything but.

Sara moves to The Paradise as part of the witness protection program. In exchange for some information, she can avoid prison. But life on the Outer Banks is like a prison to Sara, and she is planning her escape.

Sara's best chance to flee comes unexpectedly as a hurricane rolls in. As she is ready to leave, she notices Cassie and Boon have been left alone. On a whim, she takes them with her and her plans change drastically.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were not likeable, but they were definitely interesting. The plot took several unexpected turns that I enjoyed.

I would recommend to readers who enjoy family dramas and thrillers. It's a fun ride.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel.

I wanted to like this book more but I feel like I just wanted more from it. We learn early on that the main character is in witness protection, but never really get the full story. We learn early on her father was a shady man, but never get the full story. The ending comes out of nowhere and again, gives you a resolution but not an expkaintion. In addition to that I feel like there just wasn’t much plot. The premise was good, but poor execution.

I really enjoyed this book. It is refreshing to have a book that shows the strength and ability for a person to start over regardless of the situation. The plot moved smoothly and the decriptive writing allows the reader to feel storm and stress felt by Sara. Great book with a very satisfying conclusion.

This was a good book, but the ending was very abrupt. It definitely left me wanting to know more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The book follow 3 different people/families. Sara, who has entered witness protection program. Whit whose wife recently left their son locked in a hot car all day and then disappears from Whit's and their kids lives and Hank, a former cop who searched for missing kids, thinking he can make amends for not being their when his son was abducted years before.

Sara is placed in a apartment complex. She hates being in the witness protection program and has plans to bolt as soon as she can. Next door, lives White, Cassie and Boon. Since Whit's wife left the kids are on their own quite often and Boon takes a liking to Sara.

With a hurricane quickly approaching, Sara is going to leave the Outer Banks and makes a quick decision to take Cassie and Boon with her. Their father is left on the mainland and unable to get back them.

It seemed like the story spent a lot of time covering background information and once Sara took the kids things rapidly moved forward. And then the book just kind of ended. It left me going back wondering if I had missed a few chapters. I don't want to give anything away but I was left trying to figure out how we got to the last chapter. I was left wanting more.

I give this 3.5 stars out of 5.

Sara Lennox is being placed in NC as part of the Witness Protection Program. She is placed at an apartment complex called Paradise in the Outer Banks, which is anything but paradise. Next door lives a family: Whit, Diane and 12-year-old Cassie and 6-year-old Boon. The chapters are told in the different points of view of the characters. Sara doesn't want to be involved with the family next door because she is hiding something and seems as though she will be leaving soon. The family next door is a mess. The mother recently left her son in the car on a hot day when she went to work. The charges against her have been dropped, but the town looks upon the family with disgrace. Then, Diane disappears. Shortly after that, a hurricane touches down. The kids have been left alone. Sara is about to take off. She sees that they are alone and the storm is raging. What should Sara do?
The storyline is interesting. I was wanting to know more about Sara and the Witness Protection Program. I was concerned for the safety of the kids. What would happen to them? The rest of the family? But, then the book abruptly ended. I was reading on a Kindle and I kept clicking back to see if I had missed some chapters. I had not. It seemed as if there were too many loose ends; some aspects of storylines that had not ended satisfactorily. Then all of a sudden there was an epilogue, and even that didn't hold the answers to the questions I had.
I received an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.