Searching for the cousin she hasn't seen since infancy, Irene is acutely aware that she has not given her mother's sister much thought over the years. A family estrangement meant that Irene had not had any contact with her aunt after the death of her own mother, and the scandal that surrounded Briana after involvement with a high-profile murder case only added to the distance between the two sides of the family.

When Irene finds Travis, she is surprised at how strongly she feels the connection between them, and how quickly she begins to care about him. She is also surprised at how bitterly he feels towards the family. Still, they both want answers concerning the circumstances of Briana's death, and when Travis narrowly escapes a bombing attempt on his life, the two cousins begin to follow a trail that leads straight back to Travis's father and the old secrets someone is desperate to keep hidden.

Page-turning suspense and tight plotting kept me riveted as Irene and Travis escape one dangerous situation after another, but it is the characters and the relationships that make this book, and this series, such an outstanding one. Vividly real and absolutely convincing – I know these people. Irene and her husband Frank (still facing the aftereffects of their last adventures), the details of their lives, with friends, relatives, pets ... they all come alive for me. I care what happens to them.

Irene's developing family feelings for Travis and her need to reconcile childhood memories with new information that casts those memories in a fresh light added a personal depth to the mystery. The plot is nicely complicated, with the connections between past and present adding to the intrigue. All in all, Liar is excellent; a wonderful read and just what I have come to expect from this series.

--Jeri Wright