Bald-Faced Liar
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 17
- 14 min read
Narrator: Soneela Nankani
Brilliance Audio ISBN: 978-1662514616
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: 06/01/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars +(ARC)
Living a lie becomes a matter of life and death for a woman hiding from her past in a novel of mounting psychological suspense by the bestselling author of Jane Doe and The Hook.
Traveling nurse Elizabeth May has a promising new home in Santa Cruz. And another new identity. It’s a pattern of reinvention for a woman escaping a traumatic childhood—and hiding from the decades of notoriety and destruction that followed. Invisibility has kept Elizabeth safe. Until now. After all these years, someone sees her for who she is.
Threat by threat, a vengeful stalker is dismantling Elizabeth’s carefully constructed lifetime of lies. And no one in her temporary circle can be trusted. Not her fleeting new love interest. Not the supportive friend she knows only from online forums. And certainly not the police. They’ve never been there for her.
As dread sharpens to fear, Elizabeth soon discovers something about her past that even she didn’t know. The revelation could finally set her on a path of healing and redemption. Or, now alone in the dark, it could be Elizabeth’s worst nightmare.
About the Author
Victoria Helen Stone, author of the runaway best seller Jane Doe, writes critically acclaimed novels of dark intrigue and emotional suspense. Aside from Follow Her Down, At The Quiet Edge, The Last One Home, Problem Child, Half Past, and the chart-topping False Step and Evelyn, After, she also published twenty-nine books as USA Today bestselling author Victoria Dahl and won the prestigious American Library Association Reading List award for best genre fiction. Her novels have been published in English, Russian, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, German, French, Japanese, Indonesian, Czech, Hebrew, Estonian, Polish, Norwegian, Dutch, and Thai.
Victoria writes in her home office high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, far from her origins in the flattest plains of Minnesota, Texas, and Oklahoma. She enjoys gorgeous summer trail hikes in the mountains almost as much as she enjoys staying inside by the fire during winter. Victoria is passionate about dessert, true crime, and her terror of mosquitoes, which have targeted her in a diabolical conspiracy to hunt her down no matter the season.
Connect with Victoria:
Townlift.com Park City News
By: Meredith Gustman
PARK CITY, Utah — Local author Victoria Helen Stone is set to celebrate the release of her latest suspense novel, “Bald-Faced Liar,” on Sunday, June 1, with an event at the Barnes & Noble in Kimball Junction. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., readers can meet the Park City-based novelist, grab a signed copy of her newest work, and enjoy a few extra touches—Stone will have bookmarks and chocolates on hand for visitors.
Though she splits her time between fictional worlds, Stone lives full-time in Park City since 2005. READ MORE
Exceptional Authors.
Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
Behind the Book & the Author
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Welcome to the first June 2025 #AuthorElevatorSeries. Notable guest author, Victoria Helen Stone (a long-time personal and fan favorite) joins us for the second time with her tenth psychological thriller, BALD-FACED LIAR, coming June 1, 2025. You are going to love Elizabeth May. Victoria's best yet!
Living a lie becomes a matter of life and death for a woman hiding from her past in a novel of mounting psychological suspense by the bestselling author of Jane Doe and Follow Her Down.
Join us as Victoria shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close-and-personal fun moments from this mega-talented superstar author.
Welcome, Victoria!
Behind the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for your new novel, BALD-FACED LIAR.
Bald-Faced Liar follows the daily life of Elizabeth May, a charming woman who spies on strangers and lies to everyone she meets. Her curious habits are a shield, meant to protect her after the childhood trauma of a Satanic panic trial. As a traveling nurse, she moves often so no one can get close to her, but being on her own means she has no one to turn to when a stranger begins infiltrating her life and exposing her lies.
Q. SETTING: Tell us more about the book setting and why you selected it.
I knew I needed to set this story someplace crowded, a town with enough people moving through that Elizabeth could feel unnoticed, but it also needed to be charming enough to make her want to stay. I’d been to Santa Cruz thirty years ago, but when we visited again in 2022, I fell in love. In fact, I’m hoping we can move to the area for retirement. So it felt like the perfect place to set this book. It’s beautiful, busy, and has enough personality that it’s almost another character in the story.
Q. RESEARCH: Any fascinating research for the novel, or anything you learned along the way?
The idea for this novel started with my research into conspiracy theories for my last book, Follow Her Down, and I was reminded of how crazy the Satanic panic was in the ‘80s and ‘90s. That’s how the idea for Bald-Faced Liar started to form. But when I started reading up on the actual prosecutions of daycare providers, I was blown away. The McMartin Preschool episode started this whole era, and the case is still the longest in U.S. history. It stretched on for seven years and resulted in zero convictions.
Regardless, the conspiracy spread across the country for years afterward. People were sent to prison for the vilest acts against children despite there being no physical evidence of any kind. Kids, prompted and coached by therapists and investigators, would testify about watching babies be killed and eaten, yet there were no missing infants. So then the delusion ballooned into “Oh, the Satanists must have breeding farms where they produce these babies.” Bonkers stuff. I encourage everyone to read up on it. My editor kept saying, “This couldn’t have happened this way.” But it did!
Q. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Elizabeth May (aka Eliza, Beth, Bess...) was a riot! Your favorite character to write, and/or most challenging?
I absolutely adored writing Elizabeth, so she’s probably my favorite. She was just so much FUN. Even when things are going very wrong, she has an internal dialogue that helps her talk herself down from stress. I have a bizarre sense of humor, so it was a blast to funnel all my weirdest little thoughts through her. And the best part is, I didn’t have to worry about all my normal social anxieties, because Elizabeth doesn’t have that self-consciousness. Nobody really knows her, so she doesn’t worry what they think.
Fascinating! Thank you, Victoria, for spending time with us today.
Thank you so much for asking about my book!
Continue reading below for more fun up close
and personal with Victoria.
Behind the Author
FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU RESIDE?
The nature! I live in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and it’s beautiful here every day, even when it’s cold and cloudy.
YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO DRINK OR FOOD WHEN THE WORLD GOES A LITTLE CRAZY?
A piece of fruit pie. And a gin and tonic.
DOG/CAT LOVER?
I adore cats. I love that we’re equals in the relationship.
FAVORITE HOBBY?
Reading, of course! Second to that, I’d say doing jigsaw puzzles. I can just put on an audiobook or podcast and entertain myself for hours.
FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC?
I’m so in awe of singer-songwriters. It’s probably no surprise that I focus on lyrics, so the style of music doesn’t matter as much to me as the writing. I can’t believe how much story a good songwriter can evoke with just a few lines.
A CHARACTER YOU HAVE WRITTEN THAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY?
I loved writing Elizabeth May from Bald-Faced Liar. Her weird sense of humor is like mine, so that was a lot of fun, but everything else about her was a wild adventure. She’s super extroverted, I’m very introverted. She roams the country as a traveling nurse, while I’ve lived in the same place for over twenty years. Finally, she lies to everyone, and I have a terrible fear of people thinking I’m a liar. I have no idea why, but it’s kind of a phobia of mine! It was wild to live in her head during the months I was writing her book.
NAME A BOOK TITLE ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR READERS?
Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe by Phil Plait. Every once in a while, I try my best to learn a little more about space. I don’t have the brain for it, but it’s so fascinating! I once tried reading a book that was essentially “astronomy for dummies,” and I couldn’t get past the first chapter, sadly. Just could not wrap my head around the concepts. But I keep trying!
IF YOU COULD ELIMINATE ONE THING FROM YOUR DAILY LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Hair care. My hair takes forever to dry and style, so if I were wildly wealthy, that would be one thing I’d spend extravagantly on. Someone to come twice a week to wash and style my hair while I just listen to audiobooks? Sounds like heaven.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
Too many!!! I published 29 romances in either book or novella form as Victoria Dahl. (I also wrote a few more that were just practice before I found an agent.) And Bald-Faced Liar is my tenth suspense!
IF YOU COULD WRITE ANOTHER GENRE IN ADDITION TO THE CURRENT ONE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I used to write romance, now I write suspense, so… I think I’d love it if I could write horror. I’m not sure I could, but wow, I’d enjoy it. Surviving danger is the most basic drive of life, so it would be a lot of fun to dig down deep into stark fear and survival.
YOUR FAVORITE AGE (in your life)?
My fifties! I’m fifty-two and I love it. My joints aren’t what they once were, but this age feels like freedom.
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Nearly everything, according to my husband. I’ll start laughing before a punchline, because I just know the joke is going to be funny. Humor is a great gift in life, and I grew up in a family that laughed even during dark times. Seeing the humor in even the bad parts of life is a way of seeing your way through it. We are alive, this too shall pass, and there will be brightness again.
WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?
Oh God, so much. Cruelty. Bullying. Folks who believe the rules don’t apply to them. Seeing bad people get away with bad things.
ONE THING YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE YOUR DEBUT NOVEL?
Unless you are a huge author or you organize a party, your book release day will be anticlimactic. People buy your book, but you have to give them time to read it!
THE CRAZIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE FOR BOOK RESEARCH?
Rock climbing. I still can’t believe I did it. The hero of my very last romance novel was a librarian whose passion in life was rock climbing. I started watching videos to get a feel for what it’s like, then I looked around at the mountains outside my window and thought, “Well, I guess I could just try it.” I scheduled a private lesson, and I thought we’d go up twenty feet. Instead, we went up a cliff face over 100 feet tall. It was terrifying, grueling, and probably stupid, but I was so damn proud of myself afterward. I’m thrilled that I experienced that. The moment I got back to the city, I bought myself an ice cream cone and a quart of vodka.
WHAT VILLAIN DO YOU FEEL FOR?
Poison Ivy. She has solid motivation, she’s a woman in STEM, she just wants to be alone with her plants, and Batman is a billionaire who thinks he’s above the law.
IF YOU COULD HAVE A TV SERIES OR MOVIE ADAPTED BASED ON ONE OF YOUR BOOKS, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?
Absolutely, my Jane Doe series. It would be so much fun to watch Jane be snide and sneaky onscreen. It was optioned once by Sony, so hopefully it can happen again!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, VICTORIA. THIS HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN GETTING TO KNOW YOU EVEN MORE!
Thank you so much for the interview, Judith! And thank you for everything you do for books and readers.
Praise
“Bald-Faced Liar is hysterically, mind-blowingly great. There’s so much of this book that I loved, and by so muc,h I mean everything. Characters, plot, theme, voice, world-building. Sinking down into Elizabeth’s world was so delightful. What a fun, exhilarating ride.” —Suzanne Brockmann, New York Times bestselling author
My Review
From a master storyteller, Victoria Helen Stone (long-time favorite), author of the popular Jane Doe series, returns following (2024) Follow Her Down —with her highly anticipated 10th suspense psychological thriller, BALD-FACED LIAR.
My apologies for the lengthy review, but I get a little carried away with the books I am most passionate about, as I want everyone to read them!
Stone's 10th thriller is among her best!
With each Victoria Helen Stone (VHS) story, you expect flawed characters trying desperately to survive against the odds, a wicked plot, dark humor, twists, and a race against time to the finish line. She does not disappoint!
Stone, a versatile writer, has also penned romance novels under the pseudonym Victoria Dahl, with a total of 29 published works in this genre.
In her latest work of fiction, a woman is hiding from her past, where lying has become a part of her life—her means of survival. But her lies may have caught up with her in this psychologically rich, twisty, emotional, unputdownable thriller. The suspenseful plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, guessing the identity of the stalker and the motive until the grand finale.
The title "Bald-Faced Liar" is a poignant reflection of the protagonist's ongoing struggle with truth and deception, a compelling and central theme in this gripping narrative.
An exploration of childhood trauma, identity, acceptance, and survival. Victoria Helen Stone is at the TOP of her game with BALD-FACED LIAR. Highly impressive. You will find so much more than a thriller. Emotional, compelling, and psychologically rich.
About...
Set in beautiful coastal Santa Cruz, CA, Elizabeth May (nurse extraordinaire) is a traveling nurse with a habit of lying about every detail of her life, and sometimes she even forgets all her lies and her many aliases.
She often feels like a freak. She remembers the pain, the fear, the torture, and relives it in her dreams every night. The horror movie. Her frequent name changes are a reflection of her need for anonymity and her desire to escape her past—a past that continues to haunt her.
From police, prosecutors, and therapists. She was examined, interrogated, hypnotized, guided, and prayed over. It started as manipulation and a persuasion to lie to help someone. Was she a victim?
She moves every few months, from state to state, creating vignettes of life in each one. That worked for fifteen years before she landed this short-term gig in Santa Cruz, and she has been here for the last two years.
Her shady Romanian landlord offers her a nice discount for the work she has done for him since her arrival. Grigore cut a hundred dollars off her rent to keep an eye on the apartment upstairs and the cottage next door, since she is home all day. This gives her something to do between her work and also something to stress about— trying to keep up with these tenants/visitors coming and going like a revolving door. Also, her shady landlord may be of assistance later on. (Wink😉)
(Beth, Eliza, Elizabeth) She is almost forty, has never had kids, has been married, and now her life isn't perfect. But she is making it work and is a survivor.
She has come to this little beach hideaway, and this seems to be the best medicine for what ails her. She must stay safe, and she enjoys people-watching, seeing people come and go, and imagining their lives behind closed doors. Her resilience is truly inspiring.
But the truth is, NO ONE truly knows her. So she does not have to leave this place. She will never go back.
There are dangers to stuffing all your bad feelings down as deep as you can. However, on the other hand, she knows that opening up allows control to fall into the hands of others.
She must keep herself safe. She is resourceful and always looking over her shoulder. She is fun and has a warm personality. She needs to remember what lies she tells. She needs to stay under the radar. She even uses humor and plenty of snark as another coping mechanism. Keep everyone at a distance. Do not get invested in anyone.
She can never get too close to anyone if they stumble upon the truth about her past. Her use of humor and snark is not just a coping mechanism, but also a way to keep people at a distance, preventing them from getting too close and discovering her secrets.
Then she discovers she has a creepy stalker, which destroys her carefully laid life, and now she is forced to confront the present and her traumatic past, which started her on this journey in the first place. A false facade.
Why is this happening now, and who remembers her from Iowa? She cannot go to prison. She second-guesses everything, trying to backtrack how she slipped up. Are there others involved in the case? Who is dead, alive, and what is their motive? Is she next? It is time to pull off the biggest lie of her life.
What about Mike, the sexy environmental chemist/neighbor? Of course, she tells him she is an accountant when she meets him.
What about her online friend, Tristan? Can he be trusted?
She can never trust anyone with her most secret feelings. She cannot even trust herself. Her struggle with trust is palpable, and it's hard not to feel empathetic towards her. Will she be discovered and have to relive her trauma? INTENSE!
My thoughts...
Victoria Helen Stone never ceases to amaze me with her awe-inspiring talents, creativity, and well-drawn characters. Plus, I love her settings and vivid descriptions. All her books are well thought out, and there is always something beneath the outer shell of her main characters, which is usually a woman showing great strength when things get intense, and there is nowhere to turn.
With BALD-FACED LIAR, Stone has created a complex main character in Elizabeth, blurring the lines between right and wrong and how a traumatic childhood shapes your adult life.
An exploration of the capacity of the human heart to harm, manipulate, to heal, and ultimately, to hope. Victoria is a savvy writer who delves deeply into her characters’ motivations.
A riveting page-turner, intense, delivering thrills, twists, superb characterization, emotional depth, and entertainment that we all come to expect from her work. Well done!
The author brilliantly builds suspense as the stalker comes into play, causing Elizabeth to question everything in her life, including her sanity. She keeps readers guessing as to where she is taking us, but hang on for the ride!
Elizabeth is in a terrible position, so you feel for her. Yes, she was just a girl. Yes, she ruined several lives. But she cannot forget, and it tortures her. How can she ever trust anyone after a childhood defined by false memories and community hysteria? All the damage was not only to her but to many. What is the cost of a lie?
The "cost of a lie" refers to the negative consequences, both emotional and relational, that can result from lying. These consequences can include guilt, anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and damage to relationships. Additionally, lying can lead to a loss of trust, both in oneself and in others, and can create a cycle of further deceit.
Her coping mechanism is DENY. Deny. Deny.
Elizabeth has many personalities, and we see all sides throughout the book. From vulnerable and fearful, to strong, resilient, and courageous. Inspired by the Satanic Panic (you must read up on this as haunting, unsettling, disturbing, and intriguing).
The "satanic panic" of the 1980s was a period of widespread fear and hysteria surrounding alleged satanic cults and ritual abuse of children. While it began in North America, it quickly spread to other parts of the world. The panic involved numerous false accusations, unjust criminal trials, and the disruption of countless lives.
Psychological thrillers delve into the human mind, frequently focusing on the inner turmoil and intricate relationships of their characters. Books and films delve into themes of obsession, manipulation, and the blurred lines between reality and delusion. The author cleverly guides Elizabeth through a range of emotions and complexities, as well as her innermost thoughts, as she struggles to move beyond her past, her identity, and her new life.
Interview...
Check out my fun #AuthorElevatorSeries QA with Victoria, where we go behind the scenes of the book and this mega-talented superstar author! I am truly honored to feature her for the second time. The first was back in 2018, the year I introduced my Elevator series with her, Jane Doe. Here we are seven years later, and still a favorite. You can view it here.
Elizabeth (aka Eliza, Beth, Bess...) is a total riot! I think fans are going to adore her as you follow her on her wild adventure called LIFE.
As always, Victoria Helen Stone shines and is one of my favorite authors, having read all her books and anxiously awaiting her next masterpiece.) I love her dark humor! Highly entertaining.
Movie-worthy! Be sure and add this gem to your summer reading list. Ideal for book clubs and further discussions. I hope we see her again in future books to catch up!
Recs...
BALD FACED LIAR is for fans of well-written character-driven psychological suspense, Jane Doe, and the author, as well as those who enjoy works by Kaira Rouda, A. J. Banner, Sally Hepworth, Laura Lippman, Freida McFadden, and Jenova Rose.
Many thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for a digital and paperback advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. Also, my Kindle First Read Pick.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: June 1, 2025
