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First Lie Wins: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel) Hardcover – January 2, 2024
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“This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through.”—Reese Witherspoon
Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.
Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes--especially after what happened last time.
Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher--but then, Evie has always liked a challenge...
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPamela Dorman Books
- Publication dateJanuary 2, 2024
- Dimensions6.3 x 1 x 9.2 inches
- ISBN-100593492919
- ISBN-13978-0593492918
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through.”
—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club January ’24 Pick)
“A relentless cat-and-mouse thriller. . . This is a classic twist-stuffed suspense for fans who plan to read late into the night.”
—Elle
“The cleverly crafted plot and whip-smart protagonist mean you won’t know who to trust in this edge-of-your-seat thriller. . . Riveting.”
—Reader's Digest
“Elston raises the stakes.”
—The New York Times
“You’re in for a thrill ride of twists in this fast-paced novel that kept me on my toes from start to finish.”
—New York Post
“First Lie Wins delivers a fun and unpredictable suspense ride that keeps the guessing going until the end.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Ashley Elston handles a highly complicated plot with the assurance of someone who has been writing psychological suspense all her life. . . No wonder Reese Witherspoon has made First Lie Wins her book club choice for this month.”
—Sunday Times (London)
“One of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. . . Amazing.”
—Jesse Watters
“Riveting!”
—Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment
"Buckle up. First Lie Wins features some of the best cat and mouse suspense I've read in years, while serving up plenty of heart along this wild ride. I'm still breathless."
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Step Too Far
“What a box of tricks! First Lie Wins flickers past like a shadow-play: just when you think you've worked out what you're seeing, the shapes shift, the scene transforms, and -- hold on -- maybe you had it wrong a moment ago? Cool and clever and full-on fun, the sort of slippery high-stakes now-you-see-me-now-you-don't thriller that few novelists are bold enough to attempt these days. Pick it up, please. This is a good one."
—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story
“First Lie Wins is a high-stakes thriller that brilliantly explores identity and love, truth and deception. Smart and sharp, fast-paced and twisty, this book kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the very last. Ashley Elston has crafted a truly unpredictable, unforgettable story. I loved it!”
—Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Survivors
“Wildly inventive, diabolically clever....Filled with meticulously plotted details and stakes that will wholly consume you, Ashley Elston also delivers one of the most likeable, morally gray characters I've ever encountered. I devoured First Lie Wins and am now an Ashley Elston fan for life.”
—Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies I Tell
“First Lie Wins is the most suspenseful game of deception I've ever read…. Ashley Elston peeled back layer upon layer of a carefully crafted plot, revealing a series of twists and reveals I never saw coming. Brilliant!”
—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
"You don't know who to trust in this taut and expertly plotted thriller from Ashley Elston. First Lie Wins is an edge-of-your-seat read that's as emotionally moving as it is gripping. I loved every minute of it!"
—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
"A suspenseful and taut page-turner that is impossible to put down! First Lie Wins captivated me with its twisty premise and left me spellbound by the memory of its richly-drawn characters."
—Megan Shepherd, New York Times bestselling author of Malice House
"Who is the cat and who is the mouse? It’s hard to tell when even the bad guys are so likable that you can’t help but root for them. Clever, twisty, and suspenseful, First Lie Wins kept me on my toes right up to the satisfying conclusion."
—Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street
"Sharp, engaging, and unputdownable. Elston executes hair-pin turns masterfully, leaving readers gasping in surprise but firmly in their seats and ready for more. A smart suspense with romantic elements that keeps the thrills coming and the reader thinking of the story long after the book is done."
—Alyssa Cole, New York Times bestselling author of When No One is Watching
"Outstanding! The deeply woven characters in First Lie Wins pulled me in from the first page, then took me on a spellbinding ride. Ashley Elston has crafted an ingenious, unforgettable cat and mouse thriller!"
—Wendy Walker, bestselling author of What Remains
"A propulsive, note-perfect thriller."
—Cesca Major, author of Maybe Next Time
"A whip-smart, twisty thriller with a surprisingly big heart. First Lie Wins is the type of book that begs to be read in one sitting.”
—Kara Thomas, author of Out of the Ashes
“Prepare to trust no one on this high-speed thrill ride through timelines, identities, and motives as you work to piece together Elston's expertly crafted puzzle. First Lie Wins is a fun, clever spin on the con artist novel, perfect for fans of The Lies I Tell and The Lady Upstairs.”
—Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
"Ingeniously plotted. . . Elston whips up plenty of suspense and delivers a satisfyingly serpentine finale. This promises more good things from Elston to come."
—Publishers Weekly
"A savvy thriller with intrigue and momentum. . . from the first twist of Lucca’s arrival right up until the final showdowns. Evie is a smart and engaging protagonist, and her time on the run is anything but predictable."
—Kirkus
"I really enjoyed this – very unexpected and pacy with a brilliant central character."
—Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange and The Lies You Told
"Absolutely brilliant. I devoured it."
—Heidi Perks, bestselling author of The Whispers
"An absolute CRACKER of a book—clever, original and compelling."
—Rachel Abbott, bestselling author of Don't Look Away
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
It starts with the little things: an extra toothbrush in the glass holder next to the sink, a few articles of clothing in the smallest drawer, phone chargers on both sides of the bed. Then the little things turn to slightly bigger things: razors and mouthwash and birth control pills all fighting for space in the medicine cabinet, the question changing from "Are you coming over?" to "What should we cook for dinner?"
And as much as I've been dreading it, this next step was inevitable.
It may be the first time I'm meeting the people gathered around the table, people who Ryan has known since childhood, but it hasn't escaped anyone's attention that I'm already fully embedded in his life. It's the small touches a woman brings to a man's home, like the matching throw pillows on the couch or the faint whiff of jasmine from the diffuser on the bookshelf, that every other woman notices the second she walks through the front door.
A voice floats across the candlelit table, dodges the centerpiece that I was assured was "delicate yet confident," and hovers in the air in front of me. "Evie, that's an unusual name."
I turn to Beth, debating whether to answer her question that's not really a question.
"It's short for Evelyn. I was named after my grandmother."
The women sneak glances at one another, silently communicating across the table. Every answer I give is weighed and cataloged for a later discussion.
"Oh, I love that!" Allison squeals. "I was named after my grandmother too. Where did you say you were from again?"
I didn't say, and they know this. Like birds of prey, they will pick, pick, pick all night until they get the answers they want.
"A small town in Alabama," I answer.
Before they can ask which small town in Alabama, Ryan changes the subject. "Allison, I saw your grandmother last week at the grocery store. How's she holding up?"
He's bought me a few precious moments of relief while Allison relays how her grandmother is faring following the death of her grandfather. But it won't be long until I'm the focus once again.
I don't have to know these people to know everything about them. They are the ones who started kindergarten together, their circle remaining small until high school graduation. They fled town in groups of twos and threes to attend a handful of colleges all within driving distance of here. They all joined sororities and fraternities with other groups of twos and threes with similar backgrounds, only to gravitate back to this small Louisiana town, the circle closing once again. Greek letters have been traded out for Junior League memberships and dinner parties and golf on Saturday afternoon, as long as it doesn't interfere with SEC football.
I don't fault them for the way they are; I envy them. I envy the ease they feel in these situations, for knowing exactly what to expect and what is expected of them. I envy the gracefulness that comes with knowing that everyone in this town has seen them at their worst and still accepts them.
"How did you two meet?" Sara asks, the attention once again back on me.
It's an innocent enough question, but one that unnerves me all the same.
The smile on Ryan's face tells me he knows how I feel about being asked this and he'll step in again to answer for me, but I shake him off.
Wiping my mouth gently with one of the white cloth napkins I bought specifically for this occasion, I say, "He helped change my flat tire."
Ryan would have given them more than they deserve, and that's why I stopped him. I don't mention it was at the truck stop on the outskirts of town where I worked in the small restaurant bar making sure no drink went empty. And I don't mention that while they are familiar with lots of acronyms from MBA to MRS, the only one I'm acquainted with is GED.
These people, his friends, wouldn't mean to, but they would hold such basic things against me. They might not even be aware they were doing it.
I told Ryan I was afraid of how they would judge me once they found out my background was so different from theirs. He assured me he didn't care what they thought, but he does. The fact that he caved and invited them all here and spent the week helping me get the menu just right tells me more than the whispers in the dark that he likes how different I am, different from the girls he grew up with.
Allison turns to Ryan, and says, "Well, aren't you handy to have around."
I watch Ryan. I've whittled down our entire meeting to one sentence, and so far, he's let me get away with it.
As he watches me, a small smile plays on his face that lets me know this is my show-for now-and he's happy to go along.
Allison's husband, Cole, adds, "I wouldn't be surprised if he flattened your tire just so he could be there to help you fix it."
Laughs around the table and probably an elbow to the ribs from his wife given how Cole is holding his side. Ryan shakes his head, still watching me.
I smile and laugh, not too loud and not too long, to show that I, too, am amused at the thought that Ryan would go to such extremes to meet me.
Amused that any person would have watched another long enough to know that he always filled up at that truck stop for gas on Thursday evenings after spending the day in his East Texas office. That someone knew he favored the pumps on the west side of the building, and that his eyes almost always lingered a little too long on any female who crossed his path, especially those dressed in short skirts. And that same someone would pick up on little things, like the LSU baseball cap in the back seat or the frat tee showing through his white dress shirt or the country club sticker in the bottom left corner of his windshield, to ensure when they did meet there would be things to talk about. That someone would hold a nail just so in a valve while the air whistled away.
I mean, it's amusing to believe one person would go to those lengths just to meet another.
.
“I totally nailed it,” I say, as I dip the last dinner plate into the sink full of soapy water. Ryan moves in behind me, his arms skimming my hips until they are wrapped around my waist. His chin settles on my shoulder, and his lips press against that spot on my neck in a way he knows I adore.
"They loved you," he whispers.
They don't love me. At most, I satisfied the first wave of curiosity. And I imagine before the first car left the driveway, every woman was in the passenger seat swiping between the group text message picking apart every aspect of the night and the search bar on every social media site trying to track down exactly who I am and what small town in Alabama I came from.
"Ray just sent me a text. Sara wants your number so she can invite you to lunch next week."
That was faster than I anticipated. I guess the second wave of curiosity is barreling toward me, fueled by the discovery that all searches turned up just the bare minimum of information, and they are hungry for more.
"I sent it to him. Hope that's okay," he says.
I twist around until I'm facing him, my hands crawling up his chest until they're framing his face. "Of course. They're your friends. And I hope they'll be my friends too."
So now there will be a lunch where the questions will be more direct, because Ryan won't be there to make sure they aren't.
Standing on my tiptoes, I pull him closer, until my mouth is mere inches from his. We both love this part, the anticipation, when breaths mingle and my brown eyes stare into his blue ones. We're close but not close enough. His hands slip under the hem on my shirt, his fingers digging into the soft skin at my waist while mine slide up the back of his neck, my fingers curling into his dark hair. Ryan's hair is longer than it was when we first met, when I first started watching him. I told him I liked it like this. That I liked having something to hold on to, so he stopped cutting it. I could tell his friends were surprised when they saw him, because from my own social media research, his hair has never touched his collar. And then they looked to me, and I could see their questions. Why has Ryan changed? And is it because of this girl?
He drags his hands lower, gripping my thighs under my short skirt and pulling me up so my legs can wrap around him.
"Will you stay?" he whispers, even though we're the only two people in the house. He asks me this question every night.
"Yes," I whisper back. My answer is always the same.
Ryan's mouth hovers over mine but still maintains a sliver of space between us. I lose focus on his face. Even though he's killing me, I wait for him to close the distance between us.
"I don't want to ask anymore. I want to know you'll be here every night because it's your home too. Will you do that? Make this your home?"
I dig my fingers deeper into his hair and lock my legs tighter around him. "I thought you'd never ask."
I feel his smile against my lips, and he's kissing me then carrying me through the kitchen, down the hall to the bedroom.
Our bedroom.
Chapter 2
Ever since Ryan asked me to move in with him five days ago and I said yes, he's been impatient for it to happen. I woke up the morning after the dinner party to him on the phone with a moving company, scheduling their services for later that day, thanks to a last-minute cancellation.
I convinced him to wait, even if it was just for a week, to make sure this was really what he wanted and not just something he said after an evening of expensive wine and perfectly cooked beef tenderloin. Plus, I mentioned he was getting a little ahead of himself by calling the movers when I haven't packed anything yet.
"If you didn't really want to move in with me, you'd tell me, right?" Ryan is standing in front of the bathroom mirror, knotting a dark blue and gray striped tie, and trying to act like he's asked me some insignificant thing. He's pouting. Something I've seen before when he doesn't get his way.
I hop up on the counter and scoot down the white marble surface until I'm sitting right in front of him. He looks over my shoulder as if he can still watch his progress in the mirror behind me. He's being a little bit of a baby this morning.
I've memorized his face, but I still study it every chance I get, looking for any small piece I may have missed. He's attractive in a classic way. His dark hair is thick and tends to curl at the edges when it gets too long, as it is now. His blue eyes are striking, and even though he just shaved I know by the time I see him tonight his jaw will be shadowed and I'll get goose bumps when it grazes my neck.
Brushing his hands away, I finish tying the tie for him. "Of course I want to move in here. Where's this coming from?"
Ryan looks down at the tie, straightening it even though it's already straight but needing something to do. He hasn't touched me this morning and barely looked at me. Yep, total baby.
Since he hasn't answered me, I add, "Have you changed your mind about me being here? I know you think I've been avoiding packing, but I've set aside the entire day today to get it done, and Goodwill is coming by to pick up everything I don't need anymore. But I can call them and cancel . . ."
His eyes and hands are finally on me. "Yes, I still want you here. I didn't know that's what you were planning to do today. But you've picked the one day I can't help you. I'm swamped today."
Today is Thursday, and he'll be fifty miles away from here at his East Texas office for the day. Just like he is every Thursday.
"I know, the timing sucks. But today was the only day I could get off work and the only afternoon Goodwill could send a truck over. I don't have much, so even by myself, it shouldn't take long."
His hands squeeze my sides while he leans forward to kiss me on the lips. His pout long gone, I hook my feet around the back of his legs and pull him close.
"Maybe I can call in sick. I am the boss, after all, and it's high time I abuse my position of power," he says with a laugh.
I giggle between kisses. "Save your sick day for something better than packing. And really, there won't be that much to pack since I'm giving almost everything away." I glance through the door to the bedroom. "My stuff isn't as nice as yours, so there's no reason to keep it."
His hands go to my face. "I told you, anything you want to bring here, we'll make room for it. You don't have to get rid of your stuff."
Biting my bottom lip, I say, "I promise you, you don't want my ugly secondhand couch in your living room."
"How would I know if I didn't want your ugly secondhand couch in my living room? You've never let me see it." I try to sidestep this landmine of a conversation by looking away, but his finger pulls my chin back so we're eye to eye. "You don't have to be embarrassed."
"Yes, I do," I say, matching his stare. Then I lean in and kiss him quickly to avoid another pout. "You'll see it on Saturday when we meet the movers there. I scheduled them yesterday. And Sunday will be spent finding space for my stuff here. Save your sick day for Monday. By Monday, we'll both be exhausted and I'm sure we'll need a pajama day. Pajamas optional."
He leans his forehead against mine, his smile infectious. "It's a date." With a last quick kiss, he pushes away from me and strolls out of the bathroom.
Twenty minutes after Ryan's Tahoe pulls out of the driveway, I'm doing the same in my ten-year-old 4Runner. Lake Forbing is a medium-size town in north Louisiana that is known for its fertile farmlands and deep pockets of natural gas. There is a lot of money in this area, but it's the quiet kind. It takes fifteen minutes to get to Lake View Apartments from Ryan's house, and from what I can tell it's nowhere near the lake this town was named after.
Product details
- Publisher : Pamela Dorman Books (January 2, 2024)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0593492919
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593492918
- Item Weight : 1.18 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.3 x 1 x 9.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #97 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #46 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- #52 in Suspense Thrillers
- #79 in Genre Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ashley Elston lives in North Louisiana with her husband and three sons. She was a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years so most of her Saturday nights included eating cake, realizing no shoe is comfortable after standing for more than six hours and inevitably watching some groomsman do the alligator across the dance floor. Now, Ashley helps her husband run their small business and she writes as often as possible.
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Her latest prospective employer basically wants her to "Do me a favor, walk a crooked mile and wear a wicked smile," in the metaphorical and metaphysical sense, if you know what I mean, even if he doesn't exactly come right out and explicitly say so, or spell it out in terms we can all understand. She has certainly put herself in a perilous bind and has few other options available to her, if any at all, at that particular moment.
"Have you ever worked in a soup kitchen before?" someone inquires, interrupting her train of thought. Hence, she is further incentivized to think quickly on her feet, as the sword of Damocles sways menacingly above her, dangling by a single thread, just about ready to drop.
When her single golden opportunity has suddenly been squashed and squandered away, if not severely limited and curtailed altogether, a benevolent-appearing benefactor emerges. He comes to her immediate rescue, just in the nick of time, and supports her magnificently throughout the potentially grim proceedings, considering her present predicament. She could have gone directly to jail had she been duly and properly arrested by the first police officers arriving on the scene. Had they not been flummoxed by the damsel in distress routine, and found out what really transpired, the prosecution might have wanted to lock her up and throw away the key then and there.
Truthfully, Cinderella's moral compass may have wavered and temporarily veered way off course, but at least for the time being she isn't completely bankrupt, destitute and cast out in the streets, without any hope whatsoever for a bright, promising future. To her credit, she does possess the uncanny ability to distinguish right from wrong. She is acutely aware of the vaguely ethical gray areas, it seems, and can react accordingly, but this admirable attribute doesn't necessarily constitute slowing her down much, or impeding the progress and rapid advancement she makes in her current line of employment. Undoubtedly, her life has taken a dramatic turn for the better, and it appears that she is indeed moving up on the totem pole. Her intention is to propel herself to the top of the organizational charts like a skyrocket, at least until she accelerates into a brick wall or bounces off the Plexi-glass ceiling.
Following the unlikelihood that the initial scenario actually plays out, pans out, or fizzles out, the members of an elite surveillance team working discretely in the background have a brief conversation among themselves before continuing to monitor the situation more closely and carefully. They have a big decision to make, work with her or against her. Up to this point, she has generally been unaware of their physical presence and proximity in the vicinity. But this is all about to change.
I'm guessing I can dispense with the elaborate diatribe at this point. The above generic synopsis as it stands should suffice sufficiently in whetting readers' appetites. As you may have already suspected, the novel involves a close-knit group of talented actors with a unique set of specialized skills and character traits. The plot evolves in a boldly dynamic, terrifically suspenseful manner, guaranteed to keep you perched on the edge of your seat throughout the story, wondering what happens next, as they cover a great deal of territory on their quest. Thus, the book represents the category of "most intriguing new fiction" quite well, revealing great imagination on the part of the author.
From the beginning, the author captivated me. As I began to read about Evie Porter, I became aware quickly that this book was going to be one I could not put down.
When we meet Evie she is with Ryan but as her story unfolds, we learn Evie has a lot of secrets and who she is isn't just in her name. I could this book being filled with so many twists and turns. If you ever watched the TV show The Blacklist this is what the book reminded e of. As no one was who you thought they were and just when you think you have put all the pieces together you turn the page only to learn you didn't.
The author did an amazing job of keeping the secrets tightly hidden till she wanted you to discover them. I also love that the characters were complex and each held their own story and secret. this book will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing till the end.
A very well-written story that had me absorbed into it. I am so excited to delve into it and discuss it in my book club.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Spain on April 25, 2024
From start to finish, there are so many twists and turns-that will keep you guessing throughout.
There are multiple timelines throughout the book from the perspective of Evie's past identities, therefore we get to see what events have happened to lead Evie to where she is currently.
This book is so incredibly clever, well thought out, very fast paced, with amazingly developed characters and an excellent bold female protagonist.
I loved the ending so much, while simple, it tied things up perfectly and I have to say I was a tad emotional. I didn't want the book to end, or to say goodbye to Evie-despite her flaws I couldn't help rooting for her and wanting her to thrive. I can't possibly say anymore without giving any spoilers, so I'll stop it here.
I highly, highly recommend this book if you're a thriller fan! 🩸
I will definitely look out for more of Ashley's work in the future. 💙
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024
From start to finish, there are so many twists and turns-that will keep you guessing throughout.
There are multiple timelines throughout the book from the perspective of Evie's past identities, therefore we get to see what events have happened to lead Evie to where she is currently.
This book is so incredibly clever, well thought out, very fast paced, with amazingly developed characters and an excellent bold female protagonist.
I loved the ending so much, while simple, it tied things up perfectly and I have to say I was a tad emotional. I didn't want the book to end, or to say goodbye to Evie-despite her flaws I couldn't help rooting for her and wanting her to thrive. I can't possibly say anymore without giving any spoilers, so I'll stop it here.
I highly, highly recommend this book if you're a thriller fan! 🩸
I will definitely look out for more of Ashley's work in the future. 💙