The Fountain family may as well be associated with any other
family scrutinized under the public eye because of reality shows or
docudramas. The Fountains first made national headlines and news
broadcasts over the decision of Laura Fountain to forgo
chemotherapy and give birth to baby Tris. The public couldn’t
understand why Laura refused to have an abortion and save herself.
Then, not even three years after Laura’s death, young Tris
strikes again. As Reed Fountain scrambles underneath his Jeep to
grab something, Tris climbs out of his car seat and releases the
break causing the Jeep to roll over Reed. The media has another
field day over this young killer of both his parents.

The rest of the Fountain family --- sisters Madison and Smithy,
and older brother Jack --- are left to pick up the pieces of this
once happy family. Madison and Smithy flee to godparents and
boarding school, respectively, while Jack stays home with live-in
guardian Aunt Cheryl to take care of Tris. Jack has never blamed
Tris for his parents’ deaths and has refused to give up
loving his baby brother because of senseless tragedies. Cheryl is a
less than desirable guardian and spends much of her waking hours in
front of the television, obsessed.

When the anniversary of Reed’s death approaches, Cheryl
hatches a plan to capitalize on the public interest in the Fountain
family. She makes a deal with a television producer to film the
family and invade their personal lives once again. Now she just has
to get the whole family home again and capture their awkward
confrontations on camera. Jack eavesdrops on the plan and
immediately heads to daycare to rescue Tris. Madison, who was
planning on coming home anyway, walks out the door as soon as she
sees the cameras. Smithy, picked up by the producer at the train
station from boarding school, is just as clueless as to why the
rest of her family would agree to this mess.

Only when the four Fountain kids are reunited do they start to
piece together the mystery surrounding their father’s death
--- and their lives. Is it possible that two-year-old Tris was even
strong enough to release a parking break in the first place? Could
the only witness of the accident, Cheryl, have lied about the whole
incident? And can the Fountain siblings forgive each other after
being consciously cut off the past few years? 

Caroline B. Cooney is a prolific author of thrillers, each
compelling as the next. IF THE WITNESS LIED is a realistic look at
how families are often torn apart after tragedy and the amount of
work it takes to begin the healing process. What makes Cooney so
good is her relevance to what is happening in society. For example,
Aunt Cheryl is by no means the worst villain in history, but she
does effectively embody the public’s obsession with
television and what people will do sometimes to be on camera. If
you’ve enjoyed any of Cooney’s other well-written
books, then you’ll certainly want to pick up this one.

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