Liz Lazarus is the author of Free of Malice, Plea for Justice, Shades of Silence, and most recently Dawn Before Darkness.
Free of Malice is a psychological, legal thriller loosely based on her personal experience and a series of ‘what if’ questions that trace the after effects of a foiled attack; a woman healing and grappling with the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.
Plea for Justice is a psychological thriller that depicts the journey of a paralegal striving to reveal the truth about her estranged friend’s incarceration, and leading her on a parallel path of self-discovery.
Shades of Silence is a thriller that depicts the resilience of a woman faced with devastating loss, the unexpected friendship forged from tragedy and the recurring societal themes that confront every generation.
And Dawn Before Darkness is a psychological thriller that reveals the treachery of a ruthless stalker, the alarming failure of the legal system and the unthinkable battle a daughter must face to protect her family.
Liz was born in Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a Managing Director at a strategic planning consulting firm in addition to being an author.
Liz’s first novel, Free of Malice, is fiction, however the attack on the main character is real, drawn from Lazarus’ own experience. It portrays the emotional realities of healing from a vicious, physical assault and tells the story of one woman’s obsession to force the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.
Liz initially ignored the calling to become a novelist—instead, she tackled other ambitions on her bucket list: living in Paris and learning to speak French, getting her pilot’s license and producing a music CD. But, like any true calling, she says that her “first book wouldn’t leave me alone—it kept nudging me to write to the point that I could no longer ignore it.”
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Our guest today is Liz Lazarus. Liz is the author of Free of Malice, Plea for Justice, Shades of Silence, and most recently Dawn Before Darkness.
1) Dawn Before Darkness begins as a romance before transforming into a legal thriller and suspense novel. What inspired this story, and what real-world issues were you hoping readers would recognize beneath the fiction?
2) One of the central themes is the exploitation of vulnerable seniors through the guardianship and conservatorship system. Why is this an issue more Americans should understand, and what warning signs should families watch for?
3) Dawn survives because she’s prepared, keeps her wits about her under pressure, and has multiple layers of protection—including technology, a loyal dog, and ultimately the ability to fight back. What message were you hoping to send about personal safety, resilience, and self-reliance?
4) Without giving away every twist, your novel reminds readers that corruption often involves networks of people rather than a single bad actor. Why was it important to explore how systems can fail—and how determined individuals can expose the truth?
5) How do people follow you?
Originally Aired 8.10.26
