We all have our reasons for being who we are―but what if being someone else could get you what you want?After a devastating betrayal, a young woman sets off on an obsessive path to justice, no matter what dark family secrets are revealed. What she doesn’t know―she isn’t the only one plotting revenge.An affluent daughter of privilege. A glamorous manipulative wannabe. A determined reporter, in too … determined reporter, in too deep. A grieving widow who has to choose her new reality. Who will be the first to lie? And when the stakes are life and death, do a few lies really matter?
Bestselling and award-winning author and investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan delivers another twisty, thrilling cat and mouse novel of suspense that will have you guessing, and second-guessing, and then gasping with surprise.
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This story will absolutely grab you and not let go. Brilliant!
THE FIRST TO LIE exquisitely captures the tightrope tension between appearances and reality. Fast-paced, the characters harbor secrets, lies, and yearnings that trigger mistrust, betrayal, and fatal consequences. Deceptively clever, I couldn’t put it down. The intrigue kept me guessing to the very end.
Intricate, complex, and devilishly clever, THE FIRST TO LIE is like reading a burning stick of dynamite. Once the fuse is lit you will not be able to look away until the explosive end. Hank Phillippi Ryan is the modern queen of the cat and mouse tale, and this is another brilliant work from a master storyteller that will keep you guessing right to the last page.
The First to Lie is a new thriller by Hank Phillippi Ryan released in mid 2020. Believe it or not, this is the first book of hers that I’ve read. I can also confirm it will not be the last. Wow! What a tremendous rollercoaster ride.
Told in multiple POVs, this novel is ripe with duplicity, confusion, double identities, and past secrets coming back with a vengeance. A wealthy family runs a pharmaceutical giant. The son and heir dies in a boating accident; his sister was there and almost died too. Now she’s off on her own somewhere. The son’s wife is angry at her in-laws because they suggested she take a fertility drug their company made, specifically because she couldn’t get pregnant. That’s just in the past. Now, two women and 1 man, seemingly reporters and lawyers, are anxious to uncover the story of this pharma company’s hidden secrets. The drug has a horrible secret side effect. As we hear each character’s story, we begin to lift the veil. Except the police, the executives of the pharma company, and a bunch of new hires and patients keep jumping into the fold!
To begin with, the book was a little shaky in the first few chapters… I’ll be honest. The intentional confusion (which I totally get) sets readers up to analyze which narrator is unreliable. Ellie is pretending to be Nora, and she switches identities a few times, so it was a tad difficult to follow. By 10%, it all settles down and I really invested in the story. Don’t stop reading! The author has a brilliant mind to weave all the back-and-forth but also to lead readers down multiple paths where we try to guess which person is really someone who’s come back from the past. I must admit, while I had part of the story right, a major curveball totally tricked me. And that’s a rarity given I mostly read and watch mysteries, as well as write my own. Kudos for the intricate details in this intense tale.
The title is quite important. Because we switch from the past to the present, I found myself asking… is the first lie in the past, or is it happening today, as in the first one in the book. Clever how the author plays us there… as it all comes together, I found myself saying ‘nope, can’t happen that way, sorry…’ yet I also trust in my authors and like when things are a little bit too fictionalized. But guess this… all my questions and concerns were addressed in the final chapters! It’s like Ms. Ryan was in my head saying ‘yep, I’ve got you now… just wait and see.’ All in all, definitely a strong read. Between 4 and 4.5 stars for me, and I will be reading more from her in the coming months.
Addictive and utterly compelling, Ryan has crafted a story that is ferociously smart and tightly plotted. This flawlessly written mystery features twists around every corner, and is a timely story about deceit, justice and revenge, all centered around the devastation wrought by a large pharmaceutical company and the family that owns it. You won’t want to put this one down until you’ve reached the final gasp-worthy conclusion!
As this book opens, we meet two women. Nora has just taken a job as a sales rep for a Boston based pharmaceutical company. However, she is not that interested in selling the product. Instead, she is keeping her identity a secret so she can try to find some kind of dirt on the company. Meanwhile, Ellie is a reporter who has just gotten a job at a Boston news station that is about to relaunch itself. She is planning a story on the same pharmaceutical company, but she is having trouble getting sources to go on the record. But in a world where everyone is lying, who can be trusted?
This book is a twisty thriller, and the less you know going into the story the better. Once again, Hank Phillippi Ryan has concocted a story that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Along the way, we get the story from several different points of view and in two distinct timelines, but it was always easy to follow what is going on, and all that information came into play before the story was over. I liked and sympathized with most of the characters. There was one character I found very annoying. We were supposed to find her annoying, but even so, she bugged me. I did feel like the timeline was a little off in one part, and I believe there was a continuity error as well. Overall, these are minor issues as I enjoyed the book while I raced to find out what was going to happen next.
A page turner!
This is a wonderful book. At first, I didn’t know who was lying. Then I thought one person was, but then I thought maybe two people were untruthful. Oh, yeah, I got it figured out. What? No way. I was wrong! You must read this book: so many twists and red herrings. You’ll love every page.
How far will an investigative reporter go for a story?
“The First to Lie” is the story of people and the lies they tell every day. Lies have a complicated half-life; some seem to be innocent and purpose driven, but even innocent lies can take on lives of their own and destroy. This is the story of people and the treacherous paths that lies lead them down.
The story unfolds from the point of view of each of the various characters, and chapters are conveniently labeled for readers. The characters are complex, multifaceted, and compelling, and they all tell lies, lies, lies, right from the very start. Nora Quinn is a sales representative for Pharminex, a company whose popular drug Monifan has a rare but devastating side effect. Ellie Berensen is a reporter for a start-up TV station who is looking for an opening exposé. She wants Pharminex to be that blockbuster story, and she is seeking victims of Monifan, real human beings, with tender hopes and fears, with desires and bitter disappointments, who will share their stories. Lies start with a hint of honesty and yet as lies are compounded layer upon layer, the truth becomes almost unrecognizable. The challenge for readers is to separate out the liars from the truth tellers, not an easy task.
“The First to Lie” is character sketches of people who are lying while trying to discover who else is doing the same thing. It is about how people think and what they do, who they really are and who they want to be, and ultimately the lies they all tell to get what they want. I received a review copy of “The First to Lie” from Hank Phillippi Ryan, Forge Books, and Macmillan Publishing. The first lie was the beginning of an almost never ending flow of lies that continued without regard for the price those lies exacted on everyone.
Another master class suspense thriller from Hank Phillippi Ryan! Set in Boston, a city this author knows well, sets the scene and adds to the story making it realistic, vivid and easy to settle in to. Great characters, awesome twists, the medical/Pharmaceutical piece is familiar and keeps this a gripping, perfectly paced read. I loved it! 5 stars.
The First to Lie is the story of a family torn apart by lies, manipulation, and self-centeredness. The characters are fully fleshed, three-dimensional, and relatable. There is plenty of action, suspense, twists and turns, and drama.
Because I read The Murder List I was a bit disappointed in The First to Lie. I started rather confused with the chapters constantly swapping back and forth between characters without any explanation of how they related to each other and then the past was brought in to play and it became more confusing. However, it didn’t take too long for me to gather what was going on, and instead of the ending completely taking me by surprise (as The Murder List did) I had figured it out for the most part. It was still very enjoyable and there were parts that I didn’t figure out, so I would recommend it.
The First Lie by Hank Phillipi Ryan is a brilliantly written mystery/thriller that is guaranteed to keep you guessing and in suspense with a new twist and turn around every corner. Without giving away any spoilers, readers will be mesmerized and captivated by the many characters and stunned by the fact that everyone lies. This story gripped me from page one and I was on the edge of my seat and totally shocked at the surprise ending. I received an Advanced Reader Copy and these opinions are my own. Hank Phillipi Ryan in my opinion is the Queen of mystery and thrillers. To give this a five rating is not doing it justice because it clearly deserves a much higher rating.
Hank Phillippi Ryan’s best yet. There is so much to love in this book. The description of place that made me feel like I could see and feel it. The ramping up of tension that made me turn the page. Little twists. Big twists. I did not see that coming!
In THE FIRST TO LIE, Hank Philippi Ryan intricately weaves the past and the present into a compelling tale of deception. True to form, Ryan masterfully escalates the suspense in this smart, twisty thriller. With jaw-dropping discoveries, THE FIRST TO LIE will shock even the savviest of suspense readers. Ryan’s best yet.
Do not start reading this book at bedtime, like I did. You’ll stay up all night and be bleary-eyed, but still reading, the next morning.
Tons of twists I didn’t see coming–pick it up if you want a complete escape and become engaged in the lives of Hank’s wonderful characters!
Ryan is the queen of twists-and-turns, and wow, does “The First to Lie” deliver. I also love that the theme of the the title carries throughout the story: who lies first to another character or to a group? To themselves? What happens when trust is broken? How does that reverberate through the characters’ lives? This theme is thoroughly explored, without losing a second of momentum in this twisty-turny plot. Put on your seat belt, start reading, and enjoy!
One of the things I loved about this novel were the settings. It felt like I was right there with the characters, pulling my collar up against a cold Boston wind, waiting in a doctor’s office, in a mansion or on a small sailboat… The characters felt real as well. The plot kept me guessing and reading at breakneck speed. I highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary thrillers.
I’m not gonna lie.
The hardest part about writing this month’s book review is avoiding spoilers. The easiest part is recommending the latest bestselling novel by award winning author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.
I’ve read most of her previous action-packed thrillers, so I had high expectations when beginning this story about an undercover Boston reporter. The chapters flip between several characters’ points of view, and there’s also flashback chapters to give us background on the powerful family behind the giant pharmaceutical company at the center of the story. Every character in the book seems bent on deception until it’s hard to know who’s telling the truth and who was the first to lie.
The difficult subject of infertility isn’t normally a topic for novels, but in Ryan’s expert hands, the page-turning plot rolls at warp speed from beginning to end. Still, enough time was spent on the emotional suffering of the women’s longing and pain that I felt connected to their stories all while wondering who was lying to whom.
Honestly, the puzzle driving this plot is so complex, I just sat back with my favorite beverage and enjoyed the ride instead of trying to guess whodunit along the way.
Why oh why did I put off reading The First to Lie? Hank Phillippi Ryan is so talented that I should have known that she would not let me down. I found myself intrigued by the story, invested in the characters, and unable to stop turning page after page.
The characters are so unique. Each one has their own story, their own secrets, and the reader knows that the stories will be tied to together..somehow. I loved taking guesses at what would tie the characters together, how their stories would intertwined, and what the ending would entail.
The First to Lie is a roller coaster of a ride, the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and the rises and fall all kept me reading and now talking about this book. I have finished it and I am still thinking about it and asking my friends to read it. This thriller of a book is one of my favorites of 2020.
Ellie is a news reporter. She is trying desperately to take down a drug company. This drug company is lying and they are killing women due to their negligence. Ellie is not going to stand for it. Then, her news station assigns her an assistant, Meg. Ellie is not a fan….at all!
Ellie is a great character. She is tough and smart. Plus she is out to see justice done. Then there is Nora. Nora is a pharmaceutical rep. She is iffy. As a reader…you can’t quite put your finger on why. Then there is Meg…oh Meg is an odd duck for sure. Finally, there is Gabe…or is it Guy?
Wow! Talk about completely twisted. This book is twisted all around itself and you are guessing who is who and what is what. You think you know who this person is….but you don’t! Now, I did figure out bits and pieces. But when the whole picture came together, that was an “AH HA!” moment!
Need a good guessing game! Y’all! This is it! Now, you can’t take your eye off the ball or you will miss something. Pay attention!!!
Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.