The Liar’s Child

Familiar themes of love, loyalty, and lies merge in this snoozy thriller from Buckley (The Good Goodbye) about Sara Lennox, who’s in a federal witness program and grudgingly beginning her new life in a rattletrap apartment on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Despite Sara’s efforts to follow orders to remain invisible, the next-door neighbors’ inquisitive five-year-old, Boon, nevertheless finds her irresistible. Boon and his rebellious tween sister, Cassie, are the concern of a social worker, who’s worried about parental neglect. Thirty-one-year-old Sara has little experience with or use for children, as she plans to disappear before she must testify in a case whose nature is only gradually revealed. When an approaching hurricane imperils everyone’s life, Sara has no option but to rescue the all-but-abandoned kids. The omniscient narrative saps the starch out of the characterizations, though the action somewhat picks up from this point forward, as each of the fugitives from the storm grapples with their personal issues. The unimaginative surprise twist does little to excuse the slow motion plot. This one’s strictly for Buckley’s fans. (Mar.)