I recently read Liar’s Bench by new author, Kim Michele Richardson.
This book was a good read, full of suspense and “big” topics stemming from growing up in the South in the emerging 1970’s. The language of the book was full and beautiful. There were lots of metaphors that I wanted to savor as I read the book that made it an enjoyable read.
Liar’s Bench ties the murder of slave Fanny Crow to the main character Mudas Summers’ mother’s murder. They were both tied up in lies, mystery and prejudice.
I liked that the characters in this book were complex. I didn’t love the Mudas Summers in the beginning of the book, but I came to appreciate her and her struggles.
Mudas Summers, daughter of the small town district attorney, discovers that her mother has been murdered on her seventeenth birthday. The murder is being called a suicide, but Mudas knows better, so she begins to investigate. Mudas is surprised to find out that her love interest, Bobby, is a descendant of a slave who was wrongfully hanged in her small town of Peckinpaw in the 1800’s. Through her investigation and with the help of Bobby, she finds evidence of foul-play and is entangled in a web of corruption and injustice as she and Bobby fight to solve the mystery surrounding her mother’s death.
Liar’s Bench is set for release on April 28, but I was able to receive an advance copy through NetGalley. I highly recommend this book is you like beautifully written words, suspense, and books that make you think on more complex topics.