Bald-Faced Liar by Victoria Helen Stone @victoriahelenstone @victoriadahl.bsky.social @soneela @brilliancepublishing #BaldFacedLiar

the setup…
Elizabeth May is a traveling nurse now living in Santa Cruz. It’s a job that perfectly suits her lifestyle as she normally never stays anywhere long enough to form roots, long term friends or connections. Even here she compartmentalizes her life, using different versions of her name…Eliza, Beth, Betsy, etc…as her identity with the volunteer animal shelter, her neighbors, the regulars at the beach. You get the picture. Long ago she fled from her Iowa hometown to escape a traumatic past. But now, she seems to have a sinister stalker that’s not only trying to expose that past but threaten her life.

the heart of the story…
At first, Elizabeth’s lies seem almost diabolical. She lies about everything, even the most inconsequential…her job, name, weekend activities…you name it. But as more of her past is revealed, you get a sense of the why and she feels a bit tragic. Elizabeth is so good at it, too. But the threat is real and she can’t be entirely open with law enforcement because of her mountain of lies. And she’s unapologetic about it.

the narration…
Soneela Nankani is another one of my favorite performers and she hit all the right notes in capturing the essence of the complicated Elizabeth May. She was excellent in her storytelling, too.

the bottom line…
Elizabeth’s a complicated character with a terrible and traumatic past that I might have run from, too. With so few people in her life, let alone knowing her real name, the suspects were limited and I went back and forth about them. I was drawn into the story from the onset even though the pacing slowed somewhat from some repetitive musings. But when it got back on track, I couldn’t put it down. This bald-faced liar kept me guessing.

Book Info

• Release Date: June 17, 2025
• Narrator: Soneela Nankani
• Audio Length: 11 hours, 7 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)