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First Lie Wins  By  cover art

First Lie Wins

By: Ashley Elston
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
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Publisher's summary

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“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...

©2024 Ashley Elston (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“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

What listeners say about First Lie Wins

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Better than expected!

What a fun ride! This is a well thought out book, I’ll just bet that there is a killer outline in the author’s filling cabinet. Cloak and dagger with flawed yet lovable characters. The story is brought to life beautifully by the narrator.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Twists and turns.

Disliked the frequent changes in time. Too much back and forth. Back 4 years, back 8 years..

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love a good mystery!

Kept me engaged until the final words. This story takes twists and turns that leave you never sure who the good guys are. Definitely a must read.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Some good plot twists. Story gets your attention in the opening chapters

Disliked how the number of the main character’s aliases and their stories seemed to drag on and on.

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2 people found this helpful

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I loved all the twists and turns!

This story was a good listen! There was a point towards the end where she could have ended the book but I’m glad she didn’t! It was the ending that everyone always wants but often don’t get. A little slow in the beginning but definitely worth sticking through till the end!

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Em
  • 01-14-24

Super interesting story

It kept me interested with the different alias’s and how each one tied into the bigger picture.

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Hooked 1 minute in!

Loved it! I want MORE! Great characters, great twists! You won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t ready for it to end.

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Real page turner

It has twists and turns makes this read enthralling. The audio version is performed very well!

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Really good story

The story was very intriguing. The plot was well hidden. Narrator was excellent. I will read more by the author and narrator.

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  • Overall
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Gripping

Such a great story. Wasn’t sure I liked the flashbacks at the start, but they rounded the story so well. Great writing and the author protected the ending very well. Loved it!

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