The Liar, Nora Roberts, 2015
My favorite quote: “She sat on the floor with harsh colors against hard white walls, rocking, weeping. Weeping not because the man she’d loved was dead, but because he never existed.”
Most interesting characters: I liked Richard, the lying liar in question. Not because he was a liar (being a liar isn’t a good thing) but because he was dead, and had the good sense to mostly avoid being in this sh*tshow
Opening scene: Shelby, a young newly-widowed woman, packing up to move out of the mansion she can’t afford now that her husband is missing/dead/whatever
The gist: A woman’s husband goes missing so she moves back to her hometown and — with the help of a local handsome contractor — she begins unraveling the secrets of his past, learning that his entire identity (and their lives together) was a lie
Greatest strengths: The Liar was a nice idea, but there are some things Nora Roberts got wrong on this one. First, no missing person is declared dead mere months after being reported missing. That process takes years. Also, debt doesn’t transfer to someone it turns out you were never legally married to in the first place … so, for all Nora Roberts’ efforts to persuade me that Shelby was noble, I actually just thought she was an idiot. Sorry Nora Roberts, but she was
Fun Facts: If you read this book backwards, it says, “I SUUUCK …” and “PUT ME DOOOWWWN …” in Latin
Other media: N/A
Additional thoughts: Nora Roberts has a way of teetering on the inappropriate sometimes, and in The Liar, it comes in the form of Shelby’s older brother, who took a decidedly unhealthy interest in his sister’s sex life. I can’t count how many times he made some creepy comment about whether or not Shelby and Griff were getting it on. I mean, is this normal?
Hit or Miss: Miss. In fact, I’m gonna need a long break from all Nora Roberts after this one. Sorry again, Nora Roberts
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
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Alistair Cross 