Liar’s Bench by Kim Michele Richardson

Liar’s Bench by Kim Michele Richardson – Audio

Book Blurb:

Liar’s Bench: In 1972, on Mudas Summers’ seventeenth birthday, her beloved Mama, Ella, is found hanging from the rafters of their home. Most people in Peckinpaw, Kentucky, assume that Ella’s no-good husband did the deed. Others think Ella grew tired of his abuse and did it herself. Muddy is determined to find out for sure either way, especially once she finds strange papers hidden amongst her mama’s possessions.
But Peckinpaw keeps its secrets buried deep. Muddy’s almost-more-than-friend, Bobby Marshall, knows that better than most. Though he passes for white, one of his ancestors was Frannie Crow, a slave hanged a century ago on nearby Hark Hill Plantation. Adorning the town square is a seat built from Frannie’s gallows. A tribute, a relic–and a caution–it’s known as Liar’s Bench. Now, the answers Muddy seeks soon lead back to Hark Hill, to hatred and corruption that have echoed through the years–and lies she must be brave enough to confront at last.

My Review: 3.5 stars

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Liar’s Bench by Kim Michele Richardson is a satisfying work of Southern historical fiction that blends two converging storylines. You’ll get a good look into small town life in Kentucky and during the height of slavery. 

I became a huge fan of the author after reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and was interested in reading her backlist of books. This one became available on my local library’s Cloud Library app, so I jumped at the chance to listen. I was completely invested in Mudas’s story and really enjoyed her growth. The narrator of this book was incredible and really brought the story to life. 

Throughout the book there were themes of racial relations, mother/daughter bonds, small town corruption, uncovering a long-ago mystery and small-town life. It was a total escape and an easy listen. This was the author’s debut novel.

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