Book Review: Bald-Faced Liar by Victoria Helen Stone

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Bald-Faced Liar by Victoria Helen Stone

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 17, 2025)

Length: 300 pages

Author Information: Website

As you can probably guess from the title, Bald-Faced Liar by Victoria Helen Stone is a psychological thriller that explores the slippery nature of truth. But while there’s plenty of like here, especially in the way the author plays with identity and secrecy, this novel wasn’t quite as sharp or suspenseful as I’d hoped it would be.

Set along the sunny coast of Santa Cruz, Bald-Faced Liar follows a woman of many different identities. It’s why she’s grateful to be called Elizabeth, a versatile name that lends itself to countless nicknames and is common enough to allow her to fly under the radar on google searches. For most of her life she’s been on the run from her past, drifting from one city to the next, reinventing a new life for herself every time she moves. In Santa Cruz, she can blend in among the never-ending supply of tourists, whom Elizabeth also takes a certain voyeuristic pleasure watching from afar. Learning their names, scrolling through their social media feeds, and piecing together their dramas, she thrives on imagining the lives of others because her self-imposed detachment keeps her from participating in normal interactions herself.

Still, there’s a certain charm to her new home, and against her nature and better judgment, thoughts begin to creep in about putting down roots here permanently. After all, life is good, and dare she hopes she’s finally escaped the long shadow of her past? However, this sense of peace does not last. Cracks start to form in the carefully constructed illusion of her existence when she realizes someone is watching her. At first, it’s subtle—an anonymous online attack meant to sabotage her at work, followed by threatening messages in the mail. But soon, these incidents begin to escalate into more dangerous territory, causing Elizabeth to fear for her life. With no one to turn to—she’s lied to too many people for too long— she wonders if everything she’s been running from has finally caught up with her.

With such an eccentric protagonist, it’s safe to say that Bald-Faced Liar is the kind of story that runs on the strength of its quirky character work. When the book opens, we literally meet Elizabeth in a tight spot, eavesdropping on her neighbors and delighting in the scandalous details of their lives. From the start, it’s clear that while Elizabeth may appear outwardly ordinary, there’s something deeply broken beneath the surface. Her obsession with spying on others and the thrill she gets from uncovering their intimate secrets point to some unresolved trauma from her childhood. In fact, throughout the early chapters, the subject keeps popping up, leading readers to question: What exactly did she do to result in all the paranoia and constant lying? Was it something scandalous, a crime of some sort, or perhaps even something unforgiveable? At this point, all we know is that whatever it was, it turned her into a pariah and set her on her nomadic path.

On the story front, the novel also comes out strong. Because of all the questions hanging in the air, there’s a perpetual atmosphere of tension that lingers, especially as more side characters are added and the suspect list starts to grow. While none of the supporting cast are explored too deeply, admittedly this might have been a direct consequence of Elizabeth’s aloofness and guarded behavior. Regardless, several of them actually offered potential for surprising turns and red herrings. The setting of Santa Cruz also added a lot flavor, and the author did a good job of bringing the quintessential California beach town to life, making it easy to see why Elizabeth loved living here so much.

That said, the excellent setup of a slippery heroine caught in a web of paranoia eventually unravels under the weight of its own twisty plotline and shifting character tones. Take Elizabeth, whose moral ambiguity made her a fascinating study for the first half of the novel when you were never quite sure whether to hate her or root for her. But as the truth gradually came to light, it turned out the big bad reveal wasn’t nearly as damning as it was made out to be—at least, not to me. In fact, many readers would probably feel sympathy for Elizabeth, or, at the very least, not hold anything against her. Personally, I found her much more intriguing when I had a more conflicted response towards her. I hate to say it, but once her backstory filled out, she became less of an enigma, falling into a more familiar and clichéd role.

I also thought the ending overstayed its welcome just a little. After delivering a satisfying punch at the climax, the book probably should have wrapped up quickly on a high note, yet the extended denouement dragged on just enough to feel a bit silly, undercutting the tensions that the story had worked so hard to build.

Other parts of Bald-Faced Liar will strain your ability to suspend disbelief, but despite some hiccups along the way, this book still has a lot going for it. The writing is sharp and witty, and the pacing moves well. The story never forgets to stay entertaining, even when it’s straying into the absurd. It’s a thriller that walks a fine line between dark suspense and character-driven drama, resulting in a mixed bag for sure, but an interesting one.