The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley is told from several different points of view. For quite a while it seems like two stories about tow neighbors until the paths actually join together. Ms Buckley describes the settings so well the reader feels like part of the story. Amazed me when I looked up from my Kindle and my weather was different than in the book! I was given an early copy to review.

Enjoyed this book and it definitely kept me coming back. Some great characters, good plot. I felt the ending just sort of fell flat though.

I liked this book but there was just too much going on. It started out a little slow - you are first introduced to 12 year old Cassie who lives in the Paradise apartments with her parents Whit and Diane and her 5 year old brother Boon. Sara Lennox moves to the Paradise apartment with the Witness Protection program. The book is told from the points of view of Cassie, Sara, Whit and Hank, a retired cop. The pace picks up in the last third of the book and while I pretty much had it figured out, I was a little surprised near the end. There were several plot points that were never fully explained, like exactly why Sara was in Witness Protection or how the characters got to where they were in the epilogue.

The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina during hurricane season. A haunting story of family, an FBI informant turned protector, a murdered mother, a father that is stretched too thin by work and family, and his two children that he will protect to the end.
Masterfully written in a modern day setting.

Everyone in this novel is a big fat liar, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The number of misfits and miscreants in this tale about several dysfunctional families crams numerous bad parenting choices into a fast-paced narrative that will have you inwardly screaming about the awful turn of events right up until the last page. Normally I don't like my books to have so much discord but Buckley manages to pull it off with aplomb. The way parents try to protect their kids from the truth -- and miserably fail almost always -- is what keeps the plot moving along and brings you closer to the characters and their many moral dilemmas. I highly recommend this book, it is an unusual mystery novel that will haunt you long after you finish it.

Thx as always for the read, but I found this book rather lackluster and obvious, and the characters are annoying on every level. Boon is to soppy, Cassie is to wretched to get behind, and Whit is totally, stupidly curious, and I absolutely don’t believe Sarah would go back at the end. The book feels dishonest to me.

The Liars Child is an interesting novel set in a small beach town on the Outer Banks. A family drama that centers around a small family with two kids, Cassie and Boom, their Dad Whit and Mom, Diane, and the next door neighbor, Sara. Sara arrives at the Paradise, where the family lives at the beginning of the story. Sara is in witness protection and from the very beginning as bigger plans than staying in this small town. She has to bide her time though. She begins to get to know the kids next door, as Cassie used her balcony and apartment as a means of escape from her own home. Boon becomes a fan of Sara’s after speaking to her one day, and then beelines for her everytime he sees her after that. Then Diane takes off and disappears and all of their lives begin to take a different turn. I cannot tell you more without telling you too much, but the second half of the book is a whirlwind. The characters do come alive in this story and you feel like you know them, as if they could easily step off the page. You may not want to befriend them all, but I couldn’t help rooting for a few of them and was pleased with how things came together in the end.

This is a book with hurricane force intensity -part mystery, part psychological drama ,with twists and turns that had me at the edge of my seat. I would have rated this a five except that I found some things in the ending that were dubious and therefore lacked plausibility. The ending felt a bit rushed and I wished it had been flushed out more.. The characters are extremely well drawn and pulled me deeper into their individual struggles. There are a couple of storylines that are threaded together beautifully contributing to making this such a satisfactory read . My mouth did drop open several times as I had no idea what was coming around the bend. The gist of the story can be read in the synopsis but my one word to you is go out and read this as fast as you can. This minute isn’t soon enough.

What an AMAZING book! Wow this story line was so addicting... I mean I completely was drawn in from the beginning. This is one of those books that will be immediately popular as soon as it is released. A MUST READ!!

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.

I got this book through NetGalley for an honest review and wow, I loved it. Actually I had tears in my eyes by the end.

It takes place in NC in a town called Paradise but it is far from that. Sara who is in the witness protection program gets placed in Paradise until the Feds can move her. She lives next door to a father and his two children. After a hurricane hits them she is the one who rescues the children not only from the storm but also from a life of tragedy that is tearing them apart.

A warm story of suspense and compassion you wont want to miss. Due out March 12, 2019; put it on your TBR list now.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A true psychological thriller with plenty of suspense and twists. It all takes place in Paradise. However, it is anything but paradise. Sara is transplanted there as she is now in the witness protection program. She is supposed to keep quiet and stay out of trouble. That was all well in good until she encouraged her neighbors. The only thing that was a little disappointing for me was the ending. A good,solid read.

Prepare to be totally engrossed in this story about the relationship between a young woman trying to escape her past and the two troubled children she rescues from a hurricane.

This was an amazing story. Cassie and Boon are Whit’s children. Sara is their neighbor, a woman in Witness Protection who has plans to run as soon as she can. The children’s mother had recently disappeared and was believed to have run away from her responsibilities. Everything comes to a head during and following a hurricane on the NC outer banks. Whit leaves the children alone at their apartment to go “help” his parents who had severe damage to their home. Sara takes the children with her while she is attempting to get away from the storm. The story is told from different viewpoints each chapter. The reader gets to learn the whole story in bits and pieces and gets to watch the characters develop throughout...and learn about themselves. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine for an e-Galley for an honest review.

Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Paradise Apartments isn't exactly the Ritz. It's old and tired and falling down and just sad. Much like the people who call it home.

The most notorious residents are the Nelsons. Mrs. Nelson has issues. Serious mental issues and when she leaves her small son alone in a hot car all day, everyone is looking at her oddly. Most of all her 12-year-old, Cassie. Cassie knows what happened that day and has become sullen, rebellious, a thief and a liar.

When Mrs. Nelson disappears no one is surprised. And I was quite sure the husband had quietly killed her and disposed of her body. 

Meanwhile next door Sara Lennox has moved in. It's supposed to be a safe house for her to stay alive until her testimony that will put her boss in prison. She hates it. She hates the people next door. She is plotting her escape every day. And just when it seems she has everything set to flee, a hurricane comes barreling in over the islands. Ready to leave she sees the children from next door. She grabs them and runs to safety.

She's no saint. No one is looking for a woman with 2 children. But then new information comes to light and she knows she can't abandon them.

There were stories within stories here. Hank was in the first and then we don't see him until the end. It was difficult to see why he was there at all. 

Everyone in this tale had serious flaws! Not a one of them was likeable except the little boy Boon. It wasn't my favorite by this author.

Netgalley/March 12th 2019 by Ballantine Books

3.75 Stars! This is a story, within a story - more of a drama with some surprising moments! I am already a fan of this author - she does a great job describing the depths of her characters and their situations. And although I enjoyed this book, I was a bit confused at times as it jumps around in the narrative and the ending was also a bit flat! Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Laura Buckley has penned a psychological thriller weaving together the lives of three families as they face their daily trials trying to hide their true selves. I couldn't put it down as sympathy built for all the characters involved knowing someone was going to lose as secrets were revealed.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and Random House for an e ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This book was more than it seems. It's part mystery, thriller, with a great deal of family and character turmoil thrown in. I truly thought, through the entire book, that I knew exactly where this was going, only to be surprised at the end. That said, it was done skillfully, and caused me to pause and think about the implications for everyone involved. Really well done.

An author has wrote a good book when she makes the reader emphasize with the villains. This story has multiple layers and is told in that good suspenseful way that prevents the reader from taking a break until the last page has been devoured! 5 shiny stars. 10/10 would read again.

Carla Buckley's The Liars Child was written in such a way that several of the characters had a lot in common. A 12-year-old girl going on 16 and her 5-year-old innocent brother whose mother has disappeared are left alone. Their neighbor is in witness protection and befriends them (much to her surprise) when a hurricane threatens their homes. As the story unfolds the lies become more evident, misconceptions abound and life comes crashing down on them all. Choices must be made. Do you continue with what you thought you wanted or will you be part of other's lives? I would recommend this book for those that enjoy a good mystery.