This cat and mouse thriller is just begging for a reread.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston follows Evie Porter, a con artist who is given her latest assignment by the mysterious Mr. Smith to get close to her mark, Ryan Sumner. Everything goes according to plan until Evie meets a woman who has assumed her real identity. At the same time, we get flashbacks to her past and her previous jobs that all culminate and connect back to her present con.
This is one of my top favorite books this year. At page one I was immediately intrigued wondering what in the world was going on that I was furiously turning the page to find out what would happen next. I really liked Evie as a character and was amused by how good she was at being able to read the people around her and act upon it. Then as the story got deeper into revealing more about Evie, her feelings for Ryan, as well as her complicated history with Mr. Smith and the assignments he would give her, my curiosity was piqued even more. This was no simple job or mystery, but a bigger game within a game.
What I really love is how I could not predict any of the twists and reveals. I think there are some stories where the twist can be so out there that it doesn’t completely make sense, or sometimes too easy to spot after closer inspection. First Lie Wins however, devotes time developing the story and its characters while leaving just an ample amount of breadcrumbs that are possible and come back into play as the book progresses. Once everything does come together, it’s surprising and unexpected yet makes sense. The pacing as well compliments this as it didn’t feel too rushed or too slow either.
I really want to go back and reread it again because it is a whirlwind of a ride. And here I was thinking my book hangovers were over for now.
