The Liar

By: Nora Roberts
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: April 2015
ISBN: 978-0399170867
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: March 12, 2015

With over 200 delicious novels to her credit, Ms. Roberts offers up her latest delicacy: The Liar.

Rendezvous Ridge is nestled in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. There is no fanfare and big city lights. Rather, it’s Shelby Foxworth’s humble beginnings. After a handful of years away and a tragic end to her troubled marriage, Shelby comes to her senses and realizes big cities aren’t the healing power she and her toddler, Callie, need. It’s time to reconnect with the only family that ever gave a darn about her. It wasn’t easy to accept defeat and failure—now faced with the exorbitant debt in the wake of her husband’s death. To add to her troubles, the truth about Richard (or whatever his real name was), rears its ugly head increasingly the further Shelby is faced with making matters right. It isn’t long before she learns the stranger she shared a bed with and created a beautiful child with wasn’t much more than a crafty con-man and she was the pawn who was left behind to clean up his messes.

With resolve to head back to Rendezvous Ridge, Shelby tables grief and hunkers down to turning her life around. There is no judgment or ‘I told you so’s’ when she goes back to her roots. Rather, her parents welcome her with open arms and set to doing what loving parents do: provide shelter from their child’s storm and space to afford her the time to heal. How fortunate for Shelby handsome Griffin Lott would be a major factor in her journey forward. He doesn’t stand much on a person’s past and he makes no bones about how instantaneously smitten he is with the redheaded beauty. Indeed, life as Shelby knew it was pointing in a positive direction once home. This is, however, until some unfinished business from her past manages to catch up with her.

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review Ms. Roberts’ advance copy of The Liar. Regardless of whether it is a first-time author or a seasoned veteran, the bottom line comes down to this: ‘was this an engaging and well-written book?’ Simply put, yes it was! I was immediately immersed into this story because of the natural and signature style Nora Roberts owns. This writer knows how to set her anchor and immediately establish plot. Ms. Roberts’ distinctly crafted voice continues to age more gracefully with each novel she delivers. Her writing is like sipping a fine wine and her character development exudes credibility. There is no over-the-top ‘glam’ that has been peppered with ridiculous impossibilities. Rather, in the case of The Liar, a single mom is faced with a real dilemma: ‘how could I have been so wrong about the man I thought I knew and loved?’ This is a possibility for anyone and Ms. Roberts takes the premise and runs with it. There is a familiar and comfortable flow throughout this story—the breaks between prose and dialogue are spot on and complement each other beautifully. It is no wonder Nora Roberts’ novels consistently find themselves on the NYT Bestsellers List. It’s an inevitability when a novelist sees her end in sight at the very beginning and focuses on the essence of great writing: treat the audience to the coveted escape they desire. Thank you for the pleasure of reviewing The Liar Ms. Roberts. I’ve been a fan of your work for many years and once again you have delivered!

Quill says: The Liar has come along just in time. It’s a must have, great read for that summer vacation this year!