So who is the good liar? There’s not only one in this engaging psychological thriller, another well-crafted story from Catherine McKenzie. Perhaps liar should instead be plural --- the lies are abundant, making it a satisfying page-turner that leads us toward a twisty surprise ending.

Told from three women’s points of view --- Cecily, Kate and Franny --- each has her own collection of secrets. THE GOOD LIAR is packed full of them, leaving hints and questions crackling throughout the book. I find it tough to review a suspense story for fear of divulging any clues, but McKenzie delivers again in this, her ninth book. Incidentally, she jokes that she is the queen of books with one-word titles --- FRACTURED, SMOKE, HIDDEN, SPIN --- but this one breaks that tradition.

"Perhaps liar should instead be plural --- the lies are abundant, making it a satisfying page-turner that leads us toward a twisty surprise ending."

Secrets, lies, betrayals, twists, questions, regrets and surprises are all between these two covers (or between swipes). You won’t want to put down your book or device --- or your earbuds if you're the audiobook type like me, though this one I read in hardcover, flipping madly through the pages to the end.

I often think about the real lives and the real people behind a news story, the real-life subjects of an image that becomes part of our cultural focus if even for a short time. For those living and experiencing the tragedies and “stories” we watch on our screens, what does it mean to them? What are the consequences of being unwillingly propelled into the public eye? How do people manage painful, hard-to-process emotions with the world watching?

Lately, I’ve read quite a few books with mothers leaving their children and families, and I always wonder what it takes to get to that decision. What circumstances, what inner turmoil or angst, what history or self-talk pushes someone to make such a dramatic choice? THE GOOD LIAR asks these questions for me again.

Today I posted on social media that I’d just read THE GOOD LIAR, and the comments poured in, all saying a version of “I loved that book!” You can’t argue with enthusiastic Facebook readers. In the book and #bookstagram world, McKenzie’s newest thriller is getting lots of buzz and rave reviews, and I’m adding my own here. This is one you won’t want to miss.