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A review by coffeekitaab
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I remember reading the blurb of this a while ago but when I went to pick it up, I had forgotten and I'm glad as this one really took me by surprise.
Ashley Elston's "First Lie Wins" is a slick and twisted story of deception and disguises where no one can be trusted and readers will be on edge from start to finish. We meet Evie Porter, a seemingly perfect Southern girl with a wholesome life. In actual fact —Evie Porter doesn't exist. Evie adopts new guises as a covert asset handler for "Mr. Smith", an enigmatic boss whom Evie has never met and their only communication is via calls he makes using a voice distortion software. When feelings for her latest mark, Ryan Sumner, start to develop, Evie finds herself battling between her professional obligations and personal emotions. Before long, Evie finds herself caught in her own web of deceit and multiple players are out to catch her red handed. The only rule: the first lie wins.
This is my first read by Ashley Elston and I was invested in this unique story. Elston is fantastic in penning out the premise and creating a quick-thinking, fierce and intriguing protagonist. I really enjoyed Evie's duality and the use of previous "jobs" as chapters to show how Evie starts out and advances in her career, her morality and compassion whilst she juggles her emotions with the tasks humanises her and adds depth to the narrative.
The supporting characters are all well developed and add significant meaning to the story - I say this to the point I was rooting for Evie and one of the bad guys before the unexpected plot twist at the end so this book definitely keeps you on your toes! Ryan and Evie's chemistry and romance was a welcome relief to the fast paced cat and mouse chasing and tension and I enjoyed the way their angle was dealt with in the book.
The only reason for the story not being a five star for me (but very close!) is I felt it may have been slightly too long/required further editing but that does not take away from the reading experience as I overall enjoyed this book alot and finished it in a couple of days! I would absolutely recommend it for readers who are looking for a gripping psychological suspense and mystery with a twist.
Thank you @Netgalley and @HeadlineBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest unedited review.
Ashley Elston's "First Lie Wins" is a slick and twisted story of deception and disguises where no one can be trusted and readers will be on edge from start to finish. We meet Evie Porter, a seemingly perfect Southern girl with a wholesome life. In actual fact —Evie Porter doesn't exist. Evie adopts new guises as a covert asset handler for "Mr. Smith", an enigmatic boss whom Evie has never met and their only communication is via calls he makes using a voice distortion software. When feelings for her latest mark, Ryan Sumner, start to develop, Evie finds herself battling between her professional obligations and personal emotions. Before long, Evie finds herself caught in her own web of deceit and multiple players are out to catch her red handed. The only rule: the first lie wins.
This is my first read by Ashley Elston and I was invested in this unique story. Elston is fantastic in penning out the premise and creating a quick-thinking, fierce and intriguing protagonist. I really enjoyed Evie's duality and the use of previous "jobs" as chapters to show how Evie starts out and advances in her career, her morality and compassion whilst she juggles her emotions with the tasks humanises her and adds depth to the narrative.
The supporting characters are all well developed and add significant meaning to the story - I say this to the point I was rooting for Evie and one of the bad guys before the unexpected plot twist at the end so this book definitely keeps you on your toes! Ryan and Evie's chemistry and romance was a welcome relief to the fast paced cat and mouse chasing and tension and I enjoyed the way their angle was dealt with in the book.
The only reason for the story not being a five star for me (but very close!) is I felt it may have been slightly too long/required further editing but that does not take away from the reading experience as I overall enjoyed this book alot and finished it in a couple of days! I would absolutely recommend it for readers who are looking for a gripping psychological suspense and mystery with a twist.
Thank you @Netgalley and @HeadlineBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest unedited review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury