Well, this book had me in a chokehold for most of yesterday 😮
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I'd started it the day before NYE and fully intended on it being my last read of 2023 but because life, I'd only got 20% through. So then I spent my New Year's Day with Evie Porter (not her real name), the MC in this absolutely brilliant cat-and-mouse thriller!
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I think this book is best approached with no real idea of what's going on - just dive in and enjoy a wild ride!
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I can't say any of the characters are hugely likeable, but they're not exactly unlikeable either - but with how gripping the plot is, it just doesn't matter. Speaking of the plot, it's so incredibly well written. It's complicated but easy enough to follow. It does a great job of peeling back the layers and letting you into a little bit more of the story at just the right time.
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So, the twist? Pleased to say, it made sense. I didn't see it coming but I can see how if I'd been paying closer attention I might have been able to work it out, if I'd wanted to. That's all we want isn't it? A twist that's not some distant cousins auntie on the other side of the family, 7 times removed 😂 I enjoyed the ending itself as well. It felt quite tongue in cheek and it made me chuckle 🤭
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Anyway - fun and gripping. Highly recommend!
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Whilst this is Elston's thriller debut, she has written lots of other books before, which I will definitely be picking up!
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Thanks @netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for this review.

Well, this hit the ground running and didn't let up until the very end... Evie Porter has it all. A cracking life, all told. Until, that is, one day she meets herself... Oh yeah, and that really does make sense. Cos, you see, Evie Porter doesn't exist. She is a ghost, working for a "Mr Smith", assuming different identities to complete different tasks. Given an identity and location, she scouts around until she is given a target. Only problem is, her latest task is royally going a bit wrong. She has fallen for her mark. And the "herself" she meets, well, that's just someone else from her "job" who has been given her real identity and history... The identity that, until this happened, was the only thing she could rely on. The only thing she has kept clean.
And so begins a cat and mouse game where Evie not only has to complete her task, but also work out why the doppelganger, and also what motive Mr Smith has to send her. In fact, there's a bigger problem, who is Mr Smith...
Ooo what a tangled web we weave... And this one is most definitely very tangled. And also very expertly woven. With twists and turns aplenty, and also containing a cracking mix of secrets, lies and more than a healthy slice of dubious behaviour, it held my attention perfectly throughout and, even though Evie was a bit of a dubious character, I couldn't help cheering her on. As to some of the other things, I did guess a few bits early, but they were just mostly throw away "I wonder if" guesses and so didn't mar my overall enjoyment. And when the whole truth was finally laid bare, I sat back and applauded a job well done. Oh and it was also a lot of fun!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

What a brilliant and cleverly written book. Full of suspense and mystery. I couldn’t put this book down, I was page turning from start to finish. A very gripping and thrilling read, fast paced and twisty throughout.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the novel concept of “Evie”’s job and it kept me on my toes, guessing what would happen next. I rooted for the main character, so the book definitely got under my skin. There’s great twists but I think the ending was resolved in a way that felt a little rushed. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to my fellow thriller fans, it’s a brilliant debut and I will definitely by there did the next book.

Not What I Expected 🤔

I found it took awhile to get into this book, overall it was different to what I thought it would be but an overall a good read. Told over different times by various aliases.

There has been a lot of prepublication hype for this thriller and I was delighted to get the opportunity to read this one, the hype is deserved!

This is a propulsive page turner, It pulled me in early and kept me hooked the whole way through. Evie is living a picture perfect life. She has just moved in with her handsome partner, they have a beautiful home and life is good, except Evie isn't who she says she is. Evie is just the latest role for her. Her boss, Mr Smith, who she has never met, provides her with an identity, location and a target and this time the target is her partner.

This was a clever story and a decent read. I did thing the book got unnecessarily convoluted around the midway point after a very strong first half of the book but it was blip and the book returned to its twisty breath taking pace. My only other criticism is I thought it could have been 30-40 pages shorter, a tighter ending and this would have been a 4 star read for me but overall I really enjoyed it. I really liked the protagonist and nice to see a woman in such in a role.
Recommend

3.5- 4 star.

A very good read with characters that jump off the page.
Absorbing and compelling crime read,a tightly controlled story with secrets unravelling slowly but surely.
Grabbed me from page 1 til the end

This book is really difficult to review without giving everything away so I am going to try and write as little as possible.

‘Evie Porter’s’ life hasn’t always been the best but she has managed to survive. One day she gets caught in an unlawful act until ‘Mr Smith’ helps her to get out of trouble.

Now she is under ‘Mr Smith’s’ hand and has to do what he says, go where he says and be who he says. Can ‘Evie’ trust Mr Smith?!

I really enjoyed this book and loved all the twists and turns. The book had me hooked from the beginning. There was a couple of times where I was slightly confused on what was happening especially during the flip backs but in the end it all made sense.

Would definitely recommend.

Evie Porter seems to have a great life. Nice house, lots of friends & a doting boyfriend- only thing is, she does not exist.. She has spent years going from place to place on the orders of the mysterious Mr Smith, finding out in depth information about her 'mark' & relaying it back to her handler. One thing she has always clung onto is her 'real' name. So when Ryan introduces his old friend & the friend's girlfriend goes by that name she is staggered. She is already having doubts about this assignment- what are her options? 'Evie' is an amazing character- not always likeable but always interesting.

I wasn't too sure about this one what I started it, bit it reeled me in & it turned out to be a real wild ride & I'm glad I was on board. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Elston’s foray into adult fiction, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication. A tautly planned story, shifting mercurially through time and place, and it’s not until we get to the end that we realise just how well-planned this is.
Evie Porter is not who she claims to be. Having just moved in with her boyfriend, Ryan, we quickly learn that she is hiding things…but it’s not clear just how much she’s hiding until we’re well and truly drawn into her web.
At times my head hurt just trying to keep up with the shifts. There were key moments in the story where I was congratulating myself on having an inkling of what was going on, only to soon find myself rather open-mouthed at a little detail revealed that shifted things in a very different direction.
While Evie is not a character it ever feels that we get to know, it’s hard not to fall under her spell and root for her as we learn more about where she’s come from and what she’s been involved in. I can’t give any more detail about the plot, but it’s safe to say nobody is what you think and the closing stages definitely are not likely to be anything you’ll see coming.
I can imagine this would make a great movie…

Evie is a woman in control and has aspirations in life. Evie is also a woman who meets someone with the same identity. Evie is a ghost who is undercover and curious if she is on a job or being set up. This book is exciting to read and I particularly liked the twists in the story. Absolutely superb thriller!

The First Lie is definitely a winner for me. Evie Porter is enjoying a whirlwind romance with a handsome and successful man, meeting his friends and moving forward in their commitment to each other. Yet, their relationship is based on lies..the first being her name. This revelation comes early on and just as you think you are getting to the bottom of it, another fresh surprise hits you. This is a book of twists and turns, and it is definitely one that will keep you engaged. A superb thriller. I won't reveal any details as it is best to go in blind and enjoy the ride. It is high octane and high stakes for Evie, and you will find yourself rooting for her all the way. I do hope there will be a sequel! #firstliewins #ashleyelston #netgalley #thepigeonholehq #headlinebooks

The quintessential part of any thriller is the hook. If a book has any chance of standing out in the sea of other nail-biting stories on the market, that has to be on the money. Like a delicious sundae that manages to get that balance of sweet and sickly spot on, First Lie Wins sets a scrumptiously high bar for 2024. And even better, this one will have you questioning what's happening right up to the very end.

At the heart of this story is a woman called Evie Porter. She has her whole life sorted. She has a handsome, caring boyfriend called Ryan, the perfect house and a fun group of friends. So what would be wrong? Well, it turns out Evie isn't actually real. Her real name is Lucca. She's pulling a con and that target is one Ryan Sumner.

But why? What is Evie really up to? Who is she? And what is the end-game here? Well, all will be revealed across the 384 pages!

To spoil anything would be a disservice to the story (and render our forthcoming ending explained when this one drops obsolete!) Suffice to say, all your questions will be answered, with a couple of lovely twists thrown in along the way that you won't see coming.

The story unravels slowly, with flashback chapters sprinkled in to help flesh out the past and explain exactly who Evie is and what she's up to. You'll find yourself questioning her motives, Ryan's motives and plenty of the supporting characters' motives along the way too. But that's partly what makes this such an endearing read.

The novel has a good pace to it, although one could argue there are a few too many flashback chapters that drag things down toward the middle portion. They're important, no doubt, but as everything starts escalating and picking up, the pacing is undone a little by a couple of flashbacks that go on for a bit too long. However, this is a minor quibble in what's otherwise a pulsating, addictive read.

The prose flows beautifully and Evie Porter is a fascinating character. There's so many layers of depth to her and toward the end of the story, you get a feel for who she is, why she's doing this and how all of this has changed her. That comes across so well in the story and it's partly what makes this such an enjoyable read.

A book is only as strong as its ending, and there's always a worry that a gripping thriller like this can throw it all away with a rushed or anticlimactic finale. Thankfully, Ashley Elston has absolutely nailed the conclusion in this one, rounding everything out with a lovely little wink and a nod in the final pages.

The story itself isn't just thrilling, it's also pretty intelligently written too. There are a few audible "aha!" and "ooh!" moments likely to pop up and that's testament to Elston's ability to take readers on a real rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Given we're only looking at a January release on the calendar, First Lie Wins makes a very good claim for being one of the best thrillers of the year. Gripping, moreish and addictive; this is a must-read.

9/10

This book was so disappointing!! The premise sounded super exciting, and it was getting so much hype! The synopsis was great, but the execution just fell flat for me.
For a thriller, the pacing was just so slow. it didn't make me want to read.
There was something about the structure and the writing style that didn't work for me. It just felt jarring. I couldn't get to grips with it.
Not for me, didn't enjoy it at all.

This novel is a book that bounces from past and present with a dangerous game of cat and mouse, it’s quite a suspenseful story that has you changing your mind on who you deem a good character or not. Overall this was well written, it started really well and had me gripped but I found the middle section quite hard going and I don’t know if I would have persevered at times if I had not been given this story to review.

I was hooked immediately with this mystery thriller, it had so much deception, danger and real intelligent plotting that I could definitely see making a terrific TV series/film. I felt Evie had such an interesting back story and showed her true colours to the reader when it mattered so you felt you wanted her to succeed despite her dubious actions. As the plot unfurls and you see the real danger looming, which delivered plenty of tension and satisfying drama until the last page.

Southern girl, Evie Porter isn’t what she appears to be. The outside world sees her as someone with a perfect boyfriend, Ryan, a beautiful home, and a very influential group of friends. However, Evie Porter doesn’t actually exist!

Evie is given a new identity, location, and ‘target’ for every new assignment by her boss, the mysterious ‘Mr Smith’, someone Evie has never met. She is tasked with learning everything about the target person, passing it all on to Mr Smith, who himself has orders from clients.

Ryan is currently the target person, and she begins to see that she could live this kind of luxury lifestyle in the future, but she can’t mess this job up like she did last time - Mr Smith was not amused, and she’s learned that he’s not one to upset!

Evie’s true identity is unknown to others, but the day someone arrives in town using Evie’s real name and background, is the day that things begin to change.

Wow! What a complex but extremely clever storyline this is. Cat and mouse games, and twists galore make it such an entertaining read!

This was such a complex and twisty psychological thriller that just kept us guessing right to the end!

I fell for the dream right from the start - Evie and Ryan, a new couple with obvious background differences.
Together they made a beautiful couple and I was sucked right in to their new life that was building - but we soon discover that all is not what it seems and Evie could be on a job to con the lovely Ryan.

The story is told from Evie's point of view and as we flip from the present day to the past, we are gradually made aware of her previous jobs and how each panned out - but also see how Evie is softening to living a new life with Ryan, if only she could get out of this job.

I don't want to give any spoilers so won't say more about the plot - but I abaolutely loved how convoluted this was and how almost everything twisted and turned until we weren't entirely sure who to trust and what was real or set up.
As the threads all pull together towards the end - everything starts to make sense, but we are still treated to some shocking moments right up to the final few pages.

A little bit of a slow burn as it does take a fair bit of concentration to keep up, but I loved this about it and felt it really worked well with the storylines.
There's always something going on, so never feels like a slow read.

This is my first read by this author and I hope it won't be the last!
A really great read and I'm looking forward to what's coming next!

Go in blind and enjoy the ride !

I had a great time reading this a brilliant fast paced Thriller with so many twists and turns so cleverly written, and I was hooked from the start. Easy 5 Stars.

I listened to this via audio and found it to be a very engaging experience and was very well read. Had a great afternoon listening.

Thank you to Netgalley, Headline, and Ashley Elston for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Lucca Marino works for the elusive ‘Mr Smith’. Each job requires a new name and identity and takes her to different locations. The jobs vary, as does the time it takes to complete them, but usually her task is to extract information or items from individuals or ‘marks’ for one of Mr Smith’s clients. After a job goes badly wrong, Lucca senses Mr Smith is not only displeased, he’s decided to test her. However, she is quite unprepared for the tactics he intends to use, or the danger it will place her in.
It’s a gripping fast paced read. Moving between past and present it teases the reader with twists and turns as the story progresses, with Lucca having to use all her wits to try and outwit her boss . You are left wondering how Lucca (whose current under cover name is Evie Porter) is going to survive, especially when things take a sinister turn.
First Lie Wins is a definite must read for anyone who enjoys an excellent thriller. Highly recommended.