First Lie Wins

The No. 1 bestselling gripping thriller with THAT TWIST YOU DIDN'T SEE COMING

By: Ashley Elston

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

The million-copy-selling No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Sunday Times Thriller of the Month, and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick 2024. Soon to be a major TV series.
__________________

There's an old saying: The first lie wins...

At a party with her fiancé Ryan Sumner, Evie Porter is not looking for trouble. But trouble has found her.

A woman approaches. She's using her name. And Evie knows it's a warning.

Because Evie Porter is not her real name. It's her job.
Ryan Sumner is not her future husband. He's her target.

And this woman showing up now can only mean one thing. Her employer is watching. One mistake and she's dead.

To save herself, and escape her employer for good, Evie must set the last perfect trap. Which means using herself as bait...
________________

'Everything you could want in a thriller' REESE WITHERSPOON
'One of the best thrillers I've read this year' ANDREA MARA
'Riveting!' LUCY FOLEY
'Twisty and exhilarating' SUNDAY TIMES
'Strikingly ingenious' DAILY MAIL
'A clever blend of Gone Girl and Killing Eve' CRIME TIME
'Edgy and smart' NEW YORK TIMES
'I devoured it' HEIDI PERKS
'I'm still breathless' LISA GARDNER

(P)2024 Penguin Audio©2024 Ashley Elston

Critic reviews

Twisty and exhilarating (Sunday Times)

I devoured it. Absolutely brilliant (Heidi Perks)

Strikingly ingenious (Daily Mail)

Twisty and fast-paced (Observer)

Edgy and smart (New York Times)

Riveting (Lucy Foley)

This has everything you want in the thriller (Reese Witherspoon)

Buckle up . . . the best cat and mouse suspense I've read in years (Lisa Gardner)

Clever, twisty, and suspenseful, First Lie Wins kept me on my toes right up to the satisfying conclusion (Diane Chamberlain)

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)

Smart and sharp, fast-paced and twisty, this kept me on the edge of my seat (Megan Miranda)

Wildly inventive, diabolically clever (Julie Clark)

The most suspenseful game of deception I've ever read. Brilliant! (Elle Cosimano)

Unexpected and pacey (Harriet Tyce)

An absolute CRACKER of a book (Rachel Abbott)

A propulsive, note-perfect thriller (Cesca Major)

Mind-blowingly brilliant (Sun)

Brilliant. I read it in one sitting. If you love twisty thrillers, this one is for you (Sarah Morgan)

The kind of jaw-droppingly twisty read you stay up all night for (I News)

An outstanding psychological thriller... this could well be the best read of 2024 (SHOTs Magazine)

This will have you turning the pages at speed (Prima Magazine)

A great title to choose for a book club of thriller lovers (Glamour)

A break neck thrill ride (Crime Monthly)

A clever blend of GONE GIRL and KILLING EVE... Terribly ingenious and a gripping read, this is one to savour (Crime Time)

Breakneck pace, non-stop action, genius premise. One of the best thrillers I've read this year (Andrea Mara)

I loved the twists

great listen. started out slowe but spent a weekend listening to the whole thing. Great story.

So good!!!

Loved this book so much! Listened to it in two days (between work, kids and husband duties).

The twists and turns keeping you on the edge of your seat

I loved it all… so many plots folded into one neatly and wel thought through

Brilliant

Absolutely brilliant!! What a way to start 2024. 🤩

Love the plot twists, there was one that REALLY surprised me.

The second half if this book flew by

I took me a bit to really get into the story, but damn this was good. Entertaining and smart, this is easily one of the best books I've finished this year.

The narration was perfect, I'll definitely look out for her work again.