First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston Published by Penguin on January 2, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 352
Format: Audiobook
Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.
Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn't like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.
Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there's still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .
I started listening to this at work and ended up finishing it at home because I couldn’t stop it. I had to know what was going to happen.
This was such a twisty novel that kept me on my toes, which is quite praise for a mystery/thriller novel. The story starts immediately with a dinner party with Evie and Ryan. The narrative went between present day with Evie and the past identities Evie has impersonated throughout her career for Mr. Smith. The summary let’s you believe the big twist is this mysterious woman who shows up in town with Evie’s real identity, Lucca Moreno (I don’t know if I spelled the name right since I listened to it). Yet, this is only a small aspect of the mystery that really gets solved a few chapters in. The real mystery is who this Mr. Smith is and what Evie has done in the previous job that has garnered Mr. Smith’s ire.
I was second-guessing myself each page on what I knew and who I thought was guilty. It was masterly written, and I was so surprised with how everything turned out. By the end, the whole puzzle fits together. I really loved what Evie and her team decided to do at the end, and the whole business they create.
Yes, this review is super vague but there’s not much I can say that doesn’t give everything away!
Ooh, I like the premise of this. Very faintly reminded me of Camino Island, in that a woman is hired to assume the identity of an author and then investigate a bookstore owner who possibly stole some very rare books.
I’ll have to check that one out!