Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - First Lie Wins

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First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

55 reviews

lindaahogannxo's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Really enjoyed this book, was fast paced was a quick read and it kept me guessing until the end.

Content Warnings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

2.25

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Review:

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston serves as an adequately diverting thriller that holds up as long as one doesn’t think too hard about it. Which, to be fair, is more than can be said about a lot of entries in the thriller genre. This book delivers twists and turns that make logical sense in context of the narrative, even if their mechanics are a bit fuzzy. The story avoids gaping plot holes, although it frequently leans on some dubious plot conveniences.

Elston’s clear, straightforward writing style works in this thriller’s favor. She demonstrates an instinct for balancing technical details with an entertaining storyline, letting the reader indulge in the fun of the main character’s espionage. The main character (who goes by multiple aliases throughout the novel), is not nearly as intelligent, sympathetic, or competent as her partner-in-crime, Devon. Devon gets little character development beyond being the token Black person who helps the main character, which is a shame because one gets the sense he would be a much more interesting protagonist.

The falling action of First Lie Wins hinges on the assumption that

the reader is rooting for the main character. While she’s not an awful human being—her actions demonstrate that she has a moral compass—her motivations for crime aren’t particularly altruistic. More eyebrow-raising is the apparent happily-ever-after ending between her and Ryan, a bland and doting boyfriend who also uses violence to keep people in line at his smuggling operation. It’s supposed to be a cute ending because they’re both “morally gray,” but it ends up feeling more distasteful. If one wanted to take a more critical lens to this ending, perhaps they would question the decision to celebrate two white, financially well-off people’s choice to continue a life of crime without consequences when in reality, innocent Black and brown people are regularly murdered by law enforcement on the street in the United States.

But that is more a critique aimed at the spy/thriller genre more generally, and not necessarily a reason to condemn First Lie Wins in particular.

TL;DR:

First Lie Wins manages to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of its genre and provide a somewhat entertaining story in the process. That said, the narrative and characters fail to be particularly memorable or believable.

The Run-Down:

You will might like First Lie Wins if . . .

· You enjoy cat-and-mouse spy thrillers

· You’re looking for a break from domestic thrillers

· You want a story with a splash of romance

· You like stories that take place in the American South

You might not like First Lie Wins if . . .

· You don’t typically enjoy thrillers

· You hate convenient plot points

· You don’t like stories with frequent flashback sequences

Content Warnings

itsheyfay's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

daydaybookbay's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I rated this book a 7 out of 10. I was pulled into this thriller, and I love the idea of undercover work. Evie shows her cleverness over the years and pulls ahead in work. Some sections felt repetitive, but I liked how everything was revealed for a reason. I wish there had been some character development; the characters themselves were a bit flat.

This story is a quick read, but slow paced (if that makes any sense) game of cat-and-mouse. We watch the back and forth of Evie's work and personal life while she tries to keep it from crumbling.

The major plot of the story is introduced in chapters 1 and 2. We follow Evie in her undercover scheme for the first half of the book. In the second half, we have an altered plot and follow Evie in her con artist scheme. It is a bit basic at times, but the plot keeps pushing forward.

The flashbacks to Evie's previous jobs threw me through a loop a few times. It wasn't always clear why any of those moments were important. Eventually, it all comes full circle, and we understand, but I think they were more randomly distributed rather than strategically placed.

I'1l say it again here: there is next to zero character development. Here's a character at face value, and there is nothing added. I wish there would have been more there (maybe in the flashbacks) where we could understand more about the characters.

Content Warnings

jamie_rich's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

amandab0514's review against another edition

3.75

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a well-written and constructed story about a con woman whose motivations the reader learns only over the course of the story. I like that the main character, Evie Porter, is an intelligent and cunning woman who, although her livelihood may be unsavory, is admirable as a grounded woman who can think on her feet and is able to cultivate strong relationships.

This is a story where it's known right away that not everything is as it seems, and clues of what's really happening are revealed leisurely as the story unfolds. It seems that all the primary characters have secrets and a lot of them are out to get the other. Although the characters are interesting and fit the story well, I never warmed to any of them so I wasn't as invested in reading the book as much as I would've liked.

All this said, I think this is a good story and has enough reveals to keep the reader turning the pages to find out what comes next or get a better understanding of what the heck is going on!

I listened to the audiobook and feel the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an excellent job voicing both the primary and peripheral characters, especially the females.

Content Warnings