Book Review: The Liar by Nora Roberts

The Liar
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: G.P. Putnam's Sons (April 14, 2015)

Description: The extraordinary new novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Collector.

Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …

The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.

Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …

My Thoughts: Nora Roberts has another hit. Shelby finds herself widowed with a three-year-old and massively in debt. While going through her husband's stuff she discovers unexplained cash and a few different sets of IDs. The man she thought she married, and was no longer in love with, wasn't at all who she thought he was. After trying to get a handle on all the various lies that he told her, she decides to go back home to her family in Tennessee. That's when the story really takes off for me.

I loved the close relationships that Shelby has within her family. Her mother and grandmother are strong women who are very competent. Her father, grandfather, and brothers are find examples of men who understand responsibility and relationships. Shelby does have some fences to mend with her best friend because her husband had kept her from her friends and family. He was the type to constantly belittle her and, while he gave her access to credit cards, wouldn't let her have any cash. He also kept the family moving from place to place to make it impossible for Shelby to find any friends in the new places they went.

When Shelby gets home, she has to rediscover her strengths and rebuild her confidence. She meets a new man too. Griff Lott is a transplant from up North who has a successful contracting business with his partner who is engaged to Shelby's best friend. Griff falls for her and for her daughter Callie. He is just the sort of strong, loving, reliable man that Shelby and Callie needs but Shelby is afraid to trust herself again.

Shelby is also dealing with the problem that her husband was probably responsible for a multimillion dollar theft of jewelry and stamps and his former partners and a private eye are convinced that Shelby knows where he stashed his loot. All of them follow her back to her home in Tennessee and cause problems for her. When both one of the partners and the private eye are killed, Shelby, Griff and her family band together to protect Callie and Shelby herself. Then there is the jealous local woman who is more than willing to cause trouble for Shelby.

I had a pretty good idea what the plot twist would be by the time I was halfway through the book and was pleased that I had guess correctly. But I don't read Roberts for the mystery. I read her books because of the characters and the relationships. This book overflowed with wonderful characters and had so many wonderful relationships.

Favorite Quote:

He nudged her up another step so they were eye level, then laid his lips on hers. "Stay. Sleep with me tonight. Wake up with me in the morning."

How could she resist? Why would she? She trailed her fingers over his cheeks. "I wasn't expecting to. I don't have a thing to sleep in."

"If that's an issue, I won't sleep in anything, either. We'll be even."

"That's fair." She laughed again, a little giddy, when he swept her up, carried her the rest of the way with the puppy running to catch up.

I bought this one for my Kindle. You can buy your copy here.