Some books can carry mysteries universal — like how generations of women get on with their lives when constantly faced with mistrust and abuse. But often such mysteries seem to be of a specific time — as when perceived by an innocent and forthright young woman who’s undergoing the trials of loving a multiracial man in a small Kentucky town. Author Kim Michele Richardson has already brought vivid sparks when writing about mistrust, small minds and the vulnerability of the young — that was in her memoir “The Unbreakable Child.” Now she’s delivered her debut work of fiction: “Liar’s Bench.” A town-square bench refashioned from a gallows is just one of the memorable devices by which Richardson connects the past with the present and shows unity of spirit underlying those who would challenge broken and bygone ways of living.