Is there anyone who hasn't told a lie? Anyone who hasn't been lied to at least once? Be honest, because everyone has, but hopefully it was nothing as hurtful, and not to the size and quality of what Nora Roberts has written of in her newest book THE LIAR.

Shelby Pomeroy Foxworth is married to Richard Foxworth. Shelby having been raised in a small mountain town might be naïve, but don't confuse that with dumb. In Shelby's case they're too very different things. However when the sauve Richard sweeps her off her feet and offers her a world that most of us only ever dream of she can't resist. For a few years life is good and the travel is vast and varied. Soon it begins to wear on Shelby and she wants the simple life she once had, but that just isn't possible or is it?

Richard Foxworth appears to have it all...a beautiful doting wife, an adorable child and enough money to travel...and a more than comfortable life. Soon however it all comes to an end when Richard drowns in a storm (fortunately Callie was ill and mother and daughter stayed home or this story might be totally different).

Not only does Shelby find herself a young widow she finds out that the life she an Richard were leading was one lie piled on top of another. As she begins to unravel the lies, she finds out more about Richard and his lying ways than she ever knew. She has inherited nothing but a mountain of debt and no way to pay it off. Does that put her down and out? NO! She gathers her wits about her and figures out a plan to get it paid off without any help or charity from anyone.

Shelby moves herself and Callie home. Here she is surrounded by family who loves her and is more than glad she is home. They all want to protect Shelby, but she is determined to find her own way and that includes not wanting a made up job at her grandmother's day spa. In the hills of home, both Callie and Shelby blossom in more ways than one, and they both just happen to fall in love with the same man, Griffin.

Luckily for them Griffin happens to fall right back in love with them, so life should be good right? Unfortunately no! The troubles that Shelby thought she left behind seem to follow her home to the Ridge, and in true Shelby form she wants to handle it all herself, but her friends and family just won't let that happen. As danger escalates, Shelby does defend herself, but not just physically...she also uses her brains and when the cavalry arrives she is ready to let them handle it.

THE LIAR by Nora Roberts continues what to my mind is a streak of great writing. Many of my personal friends loved THE SEARCH, but I wasn't thrilled. Then came THE WITNESS and since then I've been unable to either put my book down, or turn off my kindle until the last page has been read. The highest honor I can give a book is to say, "If I were a keeper, I would keep it," and THE LIAR would be one of the few on my keeper shelf.