A fantastic read, a very well-written and very clever book, Filled with twists and turns, red herrings and surprises. The plot os tight and sharp and the characters are well-drawn and complex. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great read. Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book

Wow what an incredible read! I’ve never read a book like it. Evie Porter her current alias works for the unidentifiable Mr Smith. Becoming a spy in her targets lives to gain information or artifacts for him. She is very good at her job probably the best until she comes upon her next target Ryan Sumner where all of her past and work for Mr Smith comes to a head. Such a thrilling read with so many layers to uncover. I absolutely loved Evie or Lucca’s character smart, sexy and always one step ahead. I enjoyed reading about her different ailiases and her past and, her friendship with Devon. I was pleased with the ending and thought the story was tied up nicely.

A well written and extremely clever book, and, just when I thought I was ahead of the game the author managed to wrongfoot me! My only negative comment would be that it was maybe a little too clever and possibly one less alias would have made the plotting even tighter.
Thank you to netgalley and headline books for an advance copy of this book
4.5 rounded to 5

What a cracking little twisty novel this is!

Evie Porter has it all: good job, nice respectable boyfriend and the picket fenced house she has always dreamed of. Except all of this is a lie. Evie Porter doesn't exist - it is just the latest in a series of identities that the lead character has been assigned by her boss. You see, Evie works for a shadowy character called Mr Smith who communicates with her via a series of burner phones, drop boxes and a UPS delivery guy who drops off and collects envelopes of instructions and evidence.

'Evie' has completed a series of jobs for Mr Smith and has done well, even recruiting her own little support team to help her get the information that she has been asked for. Except for her last job. 'Evie' failed at her last job and Mr Smith is unhappy - so unhappy he has warned her against messing up this job, and just to unsettle her, has sent a woman who looks like her and even has her real name and backstory. 'Evie' is now very worried and struggling to work out who to turn to and just what exactly it is that Mr Smith wants.

This is kind of a novel of multiple strands. We see the past jobs and identities that 'Evie' has been assigned and completed so that we get a good picture of her character and motivation. We see the life she has now with the boyfriend she is snooping on and we try and work out who she actually works for.

This is fairly fast paced, very twisty - once you think you have something pinned down, you soon discover that you don't - and throws in more than one red herring for good measure.

Breathless, exciting and kept me reading into the small hours.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of those books which grips you from the first chapter and refuses to let go. I loved this protagonist – a woman who is absolutely not who she says she is, and takes us along for the ride. And what an ending - I was actually punching the air. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I couldn't get into this one I'm afraid - judging by the reviews, I'm definitely in the minority but I wasn't gripped by the story.

Evie Porter has everything you could possibly want in life. But ‘Evie Porter’ doesn’t exist. ‘Evie’ moves from job to job - her employer ‘Mr Smith’, throwing her into tense and dangerous situations.
A real twisty mystery! It truly keeps you on your toes guessing the whole way through. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
With thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

OMG what a BOOK! I LOVED THIS BOOK.

It gave me the creeps, it was smart, it was UNPUTDOWNABLE (Is that a word? It is now). Wow seriously. I was hooked right from page 1 - I loved how it flipped back in time in parts and I really loved the twists and turns this book took us on, what a delight. What a creepy, brilliant, tense delight.

I love a good thriller and this was a cat and mouse thriller in the most unusual way, I loved that it was all morally grey characters and I loved all the surprises thrown our way. I loved how it was unwrapped and how it slowly started slotting together as the story went on.

Honestly - BRILLIANT. This is an instant recommend and I'll be forcing it on EVERYONE. Thank you Netgalley!!

4.5 STARS
This is a twisty, complex thriller that pulled me in from the first page.
The characters are interesting and well developed and richly drawn in this atmospheric character driven novel. Even though the characters are shady, I found they all had redeeming likable qualities
Evie has recently moved to a small town and meets Ryan who later becomes her boyfriend and they move in together. Then one day a friend from Ryan’s past turns up with his new girlfriend, who looks uncannily similar to Evie and is also using Evie’s previous identity. A cat and mouse tale told through multiple timelines, the past is seen through the eyes of Evie’s previous personas. It’s a twisty, tense and clever story, so gripping I read it in one sitting. Excellently plotted, the tale is skillfully structured and fast-paced, full of intrigue, secrets and lies.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Wow what a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down. The plot is exciting and unexpected. I don't want to spoil it.
Inserting yourself in to a different life, taking on new personas as directed by an unknown person pulling the strings
Fantastic book and I will be following the author.

I really enjoyed this very clever book. At first I couldn't work out what was going on, but as more of the story unfolds, it is impossible not to get drawn in. The characters are good, and I would very much enjoy seeing this as a film.

This is an interesting novel where no one is as they first appear. Evie Porter moves in with her handsome boyfriend Ryan at the beginning of the novel after a flat tyre meet cute. Evie is then thrust into the right-knot group of Ryan’s friends who want to know where she is from and who she is. The First Lie is that she is was orphaned in horrible circumstances and that stops the questions dead.

No one is however what they say. Evie has assumed the identity to do gain access to Ryan, after many years as a thief for hire and master confidence trickster. She is however in hot water with her boss and the job doesn’t go smoothly.

I enjoyed this book as it continued to change direction and pace. A classic one-last-job-before-going-straight-heist plot line, with characters you can relate to.

Evie is in love - or is she? She's moved in with boyfriend Ryan and seems to be happy but all is not as it seems because Evie is on a mission for her boss Mr Smith. It all threatens to fall apart when a woman who could be her twin walks into a party using Evie's real name.

I was expecting a psychological thriller from the title but this was more of a thriller-thriller. And very enjoyable it was too. Evie is a likeable character in spite of the dodgy lifestyle she follows and we root for her throughout as she tries to find a way out from her life of crime. While reading the book I thought it would make a great film and sure enough one is being made. Can't wait to see it.

A cleverly plotted thriller which keeps you turning the page. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This novel is built on an interesting foundation at the intersections of espionage and love. The protagonist is a young woman by the name of Evie Porter who appears to live a charming life in the Deep South with a partner in a beautiful property that must be the envy of the neighbourhood. Except for the fact that Evie Porter does not actually exist – because hiding behind this fictitious identity is a woman placed in the community by a shadowy Mr Smith, tasked with fulfilling a secret mission. Throughout the plot, the reader catches glimpses of previous missions and the true character of the young woman, but when will those closest to her find out the truth – and which of the purported truths is the most accurate one?

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for letting me read an advance copy by way of an ARC, gifted in exchange for this book review.

A story with lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat wondering who is telling the truth and whonis lying. A good read

Totally had me hooked
A slightly different storyline but with fantastic characters.
My first Ashley Elston but I doubt it will be my last, I'm already looking forward to read another of her books
Thank you NetGalley

I absolutely love stories about conwomen and found this to be a really fresh take on that trope. The twists were satisfying and I was on the edge of my seat the entire read.

4.5 stars. Evie Porter lives by the motto "First Lie Wins" hence the title of the book. This book is the story of Evie Porter, except Evie Porter doesn't actually exist. The book alternates between the current timeline and a look into the past of Evie unveiling more details about her as we go.
There was an excellent twist towards the beginning of the book that I was not expecting and things really took a turn after that. The book was suspenseful and well executed. The ending ties things up nicely with a twist I wasn't expecting. Do yourself a favor and read this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for ARC.

Evie's perfect relationship, with equally perfect Ryan, is a modern fairytale. One day she's confronted with someone whose very name evokes Evie's dark and secret past. Why is this happening? What's the danger and where is it coming from? Is Evie the only one with secrets they'll go a long way to expose?

So far, so page-turning. It's all put together very well, so that as the plot unfolds and thins out like spun sugar, you almost don't notice that it's become mostly air. Evie (as she is known when we first encounter her) is very engaging, even when she's engaging in shady activities, and most readers will want her to win out in the end. To explain my main nagging dissatisfaction with the premise I would have to spoil the plot a little so I won't. Let me shut up so you can enjoy the ride, and the satisfying twist at its end.