First Lie Wins (25 in 2025 #18)

Author: Ashley Elston
Title: First Lie Wins Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books Date Published: 01/02/2024

Read Dates: 09/06/2025- 09/07/2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First Lie Wins is a single POV thriller that alternates between present day and past events. Evie lives a charmed life in a small town in Louisiana with her boyfriend, Ryan. The only problem? Ryan isn't entirely honest about his business dealings... and Evie doesn;'t exist. As an employee for the mysterious Mr. Smith, Evie assumes a new identity whereever she goes and details of her assignments are doled out piecemeal to her. But this job is different than the others, Mr. Smith doesn't trust Evie and she has to figure out his game plan before it is too late.

This was a fantastic thriller, I love the chapters that gave insight into the past with Evie's real identity and previous aliases. I like the twists and turns and how everything was just the right amount of complicated. I'll have to look into more books from this author!

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight 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 isn’t like the others. 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.

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. . . .