Who Is the Liar

A Novel

By: Laura Lee Bahr

Narrated by: Cicely Meadows

An ingenious novel of suspense about sisterhood, innocence, murderous games, and how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love.

In a tight-knit town in the 1980s, a child-killer is on the loose. And Topaz’s parents are on edge. At ten years old, Topaz is so vulnerable. But she has nothing to worry about. Her eldest sister, Ruby, has made sure of that. Swearing Topaz to secrecy, Ruby reveals she has trapped the monster in their root cellar.

Bound and bloodied in the cold space is kindly Brother Johnson from the church. Pleading with Topaz to cut him loose, he says her reckless sister is a liar. Brother Johnson is right about that: Ruby does lie. She also likes to scare people. Still, even Ruby wouldn’t lie about this. Would she? The game—and the secret—is in her hands. But Topaz just wants to do the right thing.

Let Brother Johnson die in the cold space? Or try to set him free—and then see what happens next?

©2025 by Laura Lee Bahr. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Bahr keeps her cards close to the vest, gleefully toying with reader expectations via the first-person perspective of her young and conflicted protagonist. This one’s difficult to put down.”—Publishers Weekly

“At times a coming-of-age story and at times pure suspense, this dark and disquieting book will keep readers off balance all the way to the last page.”—Booklist

“An impressively crafted and original suspense thriller of a novel, Who Is the Liar is an extraordinary and fascinating read of the first order. Offering up an emotional rollercoaster of a ride for the reader from start to finish…Highly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review

Bravo!!

Wow.my heart pounded the whole time. I loved the point of view from Topaz. Love for your sister. What happens when fear festers and give rise.

Excellent, creepy psychological thriller

I loved this book~the story kept me on the edge of my seat, the family dynamics are complex and believable, the 10 year old main character is fabulous and having alarming events filtered through her perspective makes it creepy and compelling in the best way! I couldn’t put it down, and highly recommend it

Great book with some very thought-provoking content.

From the very beginning, I was glued to this book, but since finishing, I don't quite know where to start with my review. There's so much to unpack, but I'll just keep it simple.

Poor Topaz doesn't know what to believe, as she processes the huge secret that her sister, Ruby, has shared with her. Ruby, though known to lie, is her big sister. She'd never tell a lie of this magnitude, right? Brother Johnson, a man of God, couldn't possibly be the monster Ruby has painted him to be. He's supposed to help and protect, and he's really nice. Who does she believe? What is she going to do?

The topas girl is so dumb. She should be declared Mentally challenged

No way in it In god's green earth did a girl like that doesn't call the police
Although the conflict drives the story, it's a flawed. One and I really, really hated this book that I just I couldn't take it then just flash forward to the end, it stretches out for no need if people liked it, I don't know why they did.

Worst book I’ve read in awhile

I only kept going because this was a Book Club choice and I didn’t want to be left out. Otherwise I would have stopped by Chapter 4. It was awful.