Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

71 reviews

raechrae's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

oproy's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved this book. I’ve read my fair share of mysteries and even though some of the twists in this were predictable, I still found them satisfying. Would highly recommend for a flight or a vacation. Character development and dialogue was believable unlike some other fast-paced thrillers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

mynameisrebecca's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder

heresyourletter's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would describe this as a "cozy thriller", much like the style of Hallmark movies. It was an easy read and enjoyable for the most part, with lots of plot twists. However, I found it hard to sympathize with some of the characters' decisions.

Devon was the only character I liked and I kept wanting the main character to end up with him instead.

I also find it hard to believe that someone who spent the entire book wanting to "get out" of her line of work and have a nice quiet life in a home of her own would then become a spy boss at the end.

. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Cancer, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Classism, and Infidelity

Despite being a thriller, the descriptions of violence are very toned down. It's more about the threat of violence than actual violence. One character is briefly incarcerated and questioned about a crime by police. One character drinks heavily over the course of several days (and drives home after). One very brief "closed door" sex scene. Very brief mention of a character's interest in BDSM.

The main character's mother dies of cancer before the book begins. There are a couple of flashbacks to show her suffering with her terminal illness. Two characters die in a car accident after the car is tampered with. Several prominent politicians/judges are filmed in a hotel room with a group of women who are implied to be either exotic dancers or sex workers. One character threatens to cut off the fingers of another character. Brief description of a character setting fire to a hotel bed. One character falls and hits their head on the floor. Brief mention of blood. It is mentioned that all spies (except 2) were killed by their boss after a mission. One character is implied to have been killed by an organized crime boss.

katiejohns's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

bluerskies's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Death of parent

machenn's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Murder

erincastor's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

karina_dreamsinwords's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had a great time with this mystery/suspense novel and am impressed with Elston’s adult debut!

This gave me Mission Impossible meets Kingsmen vibes with the secret agent aspect, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

I’m excited to see what other adult novels Elston brings in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Car accident and Murder

julesmq's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The premise immediately intrigued me: domestic espionage in the small-town American South with a mix of romance woven in. The story did not disappoint. It’s lighthearted in that there’s no high stakes and no violence, but it still kept me guessing until the final revelations. I even fell for the red herring! That always makes a story satisfying to me. The author was new to me, and I probably won’t seek out her previous bibliography in YA fiction, but I’ll look forward to another adult lit book if she writes one.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent