Liar's Bench
  • Published: 1 March 2022
  • ISBN: 9781496734228
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $32.99

Liar's Bench

Formats & editions
Paperback
1 Mar 2022
Paperback
15 May 2015
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From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson's atmospheric, beautifully written debut transports readers to a time and place where the KKK is still a power, the South is struggling to find itself, women are exploring new freedom, and teenagers are caught between old and new ways of growing up. A story of first love, raw courage, and truths that won't be denied, set against a Southern backdrop passing uneasily from bigotry and brutality to hope in 1970's Kentucky.

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson's atmospheric, beautifully written debut transports readers to a time and place where the KKK is still a power, the South is struggling to find itself, women are exploring new freedom, and teenagers are caught between old and new ways of growing up. A story of first love, raw courage, and truths that won't be denied, set against a Southern backdrop passing uneasily from bigotry and brutality to hope in 1970's Kentucky.

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.

Kim Michele Richardson's lush, beautifully written debut is set against a Southern backdrop passing uneasily from bigotry and brutality to hope. With its compelling mystery and complex yet relatable heroine, Liar's Bench is a story of first love, raw courage, and truths that won't be denied.
 
  • Published: 1 March 2022
  • ISBN: 9781496734228
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $32.99
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About the author

Kim Michele Richardson

NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson, is a multiple-award winning author who has written five works of historical fiction, and a bestselling memoir. Kim Michele was born and raised in Kentucky and lives there with her family and beloved dogs. She is also the founder of Shy Rabbit, a writers residency and scholarship implemented for low-income writers.

To learn more, please visit Kim Michele on her Facebook page and or website at www.kimmichelerichardson.com

Also by Kim Michele Richardson

The Book Woman's Daughter
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Sisters of Glass Ferry
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
See all

Praise for Liar's Bench

Praise for Liar's Bench

"You'll hear echoes of To Kill A Mockingbird in this haunting coming-of-age story, in which old and more recent tragedies collide." —Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author
 
"Richardson's debut novel will keep you riveted until all the loose ends are tied." —Kentucky Monthly
 
"This glorious debut novel is one of an unexpectedly fine crop of recent and new Southern fiction... Liar's Bench succeeds on many levels. As a coming-of-age story, it is splendidly realized and uplifting. As a portrait of a Southern community painfully stumbling into the age of racial and gender equality, it is penetrating and convincing. It is a high energy action tale. Ms. Richardson's evocation of the sensory world is supremely effective: much of any reader's delight will be rooted in savoring the sounds, smells, tastes, and fragrances that enhance her captivating vision of a typical Southern small town during two linked periods of its history." —Southern Literary Review
 
"This has southern small-town charm...includes recipes and discussion questions and may appeal to those who like Rebecca Wells or Jennifer Chiaverini." —Booklist
 
"A satisfying mystery with thought-provoking historical elements, written in a sassy Southern voice." —Historical Novels Review

"Richardson manages to put together a chilling view of race relations in the South." —Publishers Weekly

"A powerful echo of mankind's slight but steady triumphs over prejudices and racial injustice." —Morris Dees, former financial advisor to President Jimmy Carter, Founder of The Poverty Law Center, and author of A Season for Justice

"A highly imaginative coming-of-age story with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Very hard to put down!" —Noah Bly, author of The Third Hill North Of Town

"With value for readers of all ages, Liar's Bench is a story that will stay with you long after the reading's done." —Jamie Mason, author of Three Graves Full

"Liar's Bench is one of those rare books I wish I had written." —Ann Hite, author of Ghost on Black Mountain and Georgia Author Of The Year 2012

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