Today I’m welcoming back one of my favorite authors, Nancy Boyarsky.
Nancy Boyarsky is the bestselling author of the award-winning Nicole Graves Mysteries. Before turning to mysteries, Nancy coauthored Backroom Politics, a New York Times notable book, with her husband, Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system as well as articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and McCall’s. She also contributed to political anthologies, including In the Running, about women’s political campaigns. In addition to her writing career, she was communications director for political affairs for ARCO.
Liar Liar is the third Nicole Graves novel, following The Swap and The Bequest, each of which can be read as a stand alone.
Liar Liar
Nicole Graves finds herself in the crosshairs when she reluctantly agrees to babysit a witness in a high-profile rape trial. Mary Ellen Barnes is suing her university’s star quarterback for rape when the authorities won’t act. In the court of public opinion, Mary Ellen appears to be the quintessential, pious, good girl. But her lies and mysterious comings and goings lead Nicole to suspect that she’s not what she seems.
Later, Nicole would ponder the truth and its illusive nature. She’d realize how many lies people would tell to protect themselves from it. And, worst of all, how many she herself would tell to get at it. She’d always considered herself a truthful person. Yet she’d find herself lying to others, to her fiancé, and even to herself.
She’d wonder if there was such a thing as the actual truth. Or was truth relative, the product of incomplete or faulty memories, or the limitations of the observer? How often was the truth tainted by what an individual wanted, or needed, to believe?
On this bright day in mid-March, Nicole stepped into the United Terminal at LAX and encountered a situation she could hardly believe. It was as if she’d slipped back in time to the previous year when the media was stalking her. This morning, they were massed in a corner of baggage claim. After the initial shock of seeing them, she noticed they weren’t looking in her direction, hadn’t noticed her at all. They were waiting for someone else, someone they expected to come down the escalator from the arrival gates.
Here’s an excerpt from Liar Liar:
Nicole heard a sound and came in from the balcony in time to see Mary Ellen, now fully dressed, slip out the front door. Nicole ran after her. She couldn’t allow the girl to run off after what she’d said about the hopelessness of her predicament. By the time Nicole got to the elevator bank, it was empty. The girl was already on her way down.
Nicole couldn’t take the stairs; she was on the tenth floor. But the elevator bank had four cars, and luck was with her. Moments later, the door to another elevator opened. When she reached the lobby, she caught sight of Mary Ellen through the window. She had just left the building and was jaywalking across Ocean Avenue toward the beach.
Nicole rushed after her. The wind was picking up, blowing through her jacket. She was halfway across the street, when a car heading south skidded to a stop a few feet away. The driver leaned on his horn and opened his window to scream at her. She ignored him, trying to keep Mary Ellen in sight. The girl seemed to be headed toward the shoreline. When Nicole reached the sand, she started running. She was in good shape, but running on the beach was completely different from a morning jog around the neighborhood. Her shoes sank into the soft surface, making it impossible to gain momentum. Meanwhile, sand leaked into her shoes, chafing her sockless feet.
The beach near the waterline was dark, and Mary Ellen was no longer in sight. Nicole looked desperately around, trying to figure out which way the girl had gone. All at once she stumbled over something lying in her path. As she hit the sand, the figure she’d tripped over slowly sat up, like a zombie in a horror film.
My ✰✰✰✰✰ Review
While putting in the hours to qualify for a private investigator’s license, Nicole Graves is given the assignment to keep an eye on a client for Colbert and Smith investigations, the company she works for. But the client, a young woman, turns out to be more than Nicole can handle. When the client turns up dead, her personal investigation into the murder case not only puts her life in danger, it also puts her at odds with a new fiancé. In the end, Nicole must make a heart-wrenching decision—marriage to a wonderful guy or a new career as a P.I. In my opinion, she made the right one.
Great characters and an interesting story kept me turning the pages. This is the third Nicole Graves mystery I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed each one. Now I’m looking forward to the next. I highly recommend, Liar Liar.
*******
Readers are invited to connect with Nancy through her website.
Website: http://www.nancyboyarsky.com”>http://www.nancyboyarsky.com
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9020987.Nancy_Boyarsky
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancyboyarsky
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Liar-Nicole-Graves-Mysteries
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liar-liar-nancy-boyarsky/1127685241
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Nancy Boyarsky will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nancy and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.
