Liar's Bench

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In the bestselling tradition of The Secret Life of Bees, this atmospheric tale set in 1970s Kentucky delves into civil rights and family secrets. On her seventeenth birthday in 1972, Mudas "Muddy" Summers discovers her beloved mama, Ella, hanging from the rafters of their home. The townspeople of Peckinpaw suspect Ella's abusive husband, while others believe she took her own life. Determined to uncover the truth, Muddy finds strange papers among her mother's belongings that deepen the mystery. Muddy's almost-more-than-friend, Bobby Marshall, understands the town's buried secrets well. Although he passes for white, he carries the legacy of his ancestor, Frannie Crow, a slave hanged a century earlier at nearby Hark Hill Plantation. A seat in the town square, made from Frannie's gallows, serves as both a tribute and a warning, known as Liar's Bench. The answers Muddy seeks lead her back to Hark Hill, where she confronts a history of hatred and corruption. Kim Michele Richardson's beautifully written debut captures a southern landscape grappling with bigotry and brutality while yearning for hope. With a compelling mystery and a relatable heroine, this story explores themes of first love, raw courage, and the undeniable truths that must be faced.