This book had something interesting to say about the role of reality TV in people's lives, especially from the perspective of the people who "star" in reality TV shows. Besides that, this was vintage Cooney, with suspense, heroic but imperfect characters, and a mystery to solve. ( )

This stunning book causes you to be constantly needing to finish it, to find out the fate of the Fountain children. Suspenseful and a wonderful mystery, a great plot line, and very enticing.

Boring cover, but I could not put this one down. ( )

predictable ( )

Tris Fountain has had the spotlight on him since before he was born. Three years old and in the limelight for killing both his parents, Tris doesn't really know what's going on. He knows he has two sisters that he never sees, and an older brother Jack that takes care of him, as well as Aunt Cheryl.

When Jack discovers Aunt Cheryl has planned to sell Tris to the media in a sick celebration of the one year anniversary of his father's death, he knows he must do everything in his power to stop it. But he isn't ready for what he uncovers in the process... ( )

A family is torn apart by tragedy but a wicked aunt tries to exploit the family by selling their story to TV. This book is part mystery and suspense, but partly about the roles each of the siblings takes on when baby Tris is held responsible for killing both his mother (she refuses chemo while she is pregnant with him, and then dies) and his father (Tris accidentally kills his father by releasing the parking brake when his father looks for something under the car). But who is really responsible? And how can this family ever heal again? ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

The four Fountain children are orphans. They first made headlines when their mother gave her life to save that of her unborn fourth child. The controversy centered on her battle with cancer and her refusal to accept chemotherapy at the risk of harming her unborn child. Overzealous news reporters portrayed baby Tris as his mother's killer.

The second time the family hit the headlines was when a tragic accident killed their father. Once again, little Tris was labeled as guilty of killing his remaining parent.

Now the media has been called in by their faithful guardian, Aunt Cheryl. She believes that facing their tragic situation in front of television cameras in a docudrama is the only way to help the children deal with the ghosts of their past.

In the year since their father's death, young Jack has remained in the family home, helping Aunt Cheryl with the care of almost three-year-old Tris. His sisters, Madison and Smithy, chose to head their separate ways, one to live with godparents and the other to attend boarding school. Now, both girls have realized the importance of family and are returning home to discover startling developments regarding their father's accident.

Could it be that the one witness of the horrible event may have lied? Could that witness actually be a murderer, and how can three teens and one toddler prove it?

Caroline B. Cooney is known for her mystery and suspense. IF THE WITNESS LIED is one of her best. The tragic family portrait she creates is sure to captivate readers from page one. It is difficult to imagine the pain and suffering these characters have been dealt, and then to throw in a potential evil so cleverly disguised, it becomes a story almost impossible to put down.

Once teens get the word on this one, it won't stay on bookshelves long. ( )

After their father's "murder" by their baby brother, Jack takes on the role of protecting baby Triss while his sisters leave to try to forget what happened. When Jack "aunt" brings a tv crew to film a reality show about the family, he and his sisters reunite to stop it, and discover that baby Triss may not have been the culprit after all. ( )

In a short period of time, the four Fountain children lost both of their parents. Before their father died, the former stepsister of the children’s mother had come forward to live with the family claiming she wanted to help. Now that their father is dead too, Cheryl has set up the house how she wants it and alienated the children to the point that one lives with her godparents while the other sister has enrolled in boarding school. Only Jack and toddler Tris remain in the unhappy house. As their father’s birthday passes and the anniversaries of their parents’ deaths approach, the children feel a need to come together. That’s when they discover Cheryl has been lying to them; the three teens haven’t agreed to be involved in the TV show Cheryl has planned, but that’s what she tells them knowing they haven’t had much communication in the last year. Now the question is, if Cheryl is lying about this, what else has she lied about?

This is a good story, but it requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. It’s just a little too much to believe that everything would happen as written. I don’t want to do spoilers, but I can say that I sincerely doubt the media would’ve been interested in the story (that is, until the protesters showed up at the house, but they could’ve only known to protest if the story had been picked up. I also doubt anyone would actually protest what they are said to protest; if anything, people protest the exact opposite!). Cheryl’s motivation is more than a little sketchy. In the end, things just don’t quite add up. ( )

Most people would be excited to be on TV, but the Fountain children have already had too much publicity because both their parents died in dramatic ways. Now Aunt Cheryl has invited a producer to make a documentary, which would thrust them--especially baby brother Tris--back into an unwanted spotlight. Jack is desperate to shield his brother. Can he and his sisters protect Tris--and themselves? And what exactly did happen the day their father died? ( )