First Lie Wins: Reese’s Book Club: A Novel by Ashley Elston <— Okay… this one was a fun one!! Psych-thriller and all of the exciting (and scary!!) elements that goes with it, and what I loved, is that we’re following the story through the eyes of one of the villain (or I should say villainess – which I love!). AND it kept me guessing, AND I was wrong at the end, and I loved that!
I was told to go in blind and I totally did, so if any of you like twists and turns and surprises and having NO clue what’s coming, then yes, go in blind and consider this part, my mini review. —> 4.5 STARS!!
Cheryl: …have you read First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston – go in blind but it was another couldn’t put it down for me!
…I’ve not read a psych thriller quite like this before and it was very entertaining. Go in blind!
Tasha J: I did also read First Lie Wins, loved it!
Brenae: Loved this book!! Recommended it to all my friends!
And now, for the rest of you… so what’s it about?
Our heroine started out as a grifter of sorts, down and out living with, and taking care of, her sick mom.
When Mama first got sick, I took over her orders. I’d been helping her in this room for as long as I can remember, so it wasn’t a big leap. But pageant dresses and custom-made costume jewelry didn’t bring in enough money to get Mama the treatments she needed or pay for all the medication she was on.
So I had to get creative.
She’s eventually discovered (and eeeeeeep!!! That whole scene had my knees shaking) BUT she’s hired for her amazing underground criminal abilities and being able to infiltrate anything to get whatever is needed. YAY HER!! Good money, great at what she does, but the stakes become higher and higher, and the thrill is now becoming a threat.
It’s been said that if you want a slice of time to stick out, to be crystal clear in your mind, one small difference in an otherwise normal routine is all it takes.
The jobs themselves are pretty crazy and interesting (I love how each one is unveiled slowly, building to exactly where things start taking a downward spiral). And what makes everything harder is that the person running the show, is… ??? Nobody knows. This one is kind of like… “Charlie’s Angels” (but in reverse) meets Alias (LOL!! That’s how I just described it to my husband). But the people doing the dirty work, pretty much do it individually and don’t even really know each other, so anybody could be an another bad guy. OR… anyone could be THE BIG BAD BOSS!!!
She’s at the top of her game and exactly the type of person HE/SHE wants to keep under control, at any cost. And right now, her current job is more dangerous than she realizes… and everything becomes so VERY personal.
In fact, her next “mark” is a super-rich boy taking over the family business, and her flirting game while needing help with her flat tire definitely gets his attention (she’s been watching him for awhile and knows his routine and just what he likes).
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he flattened your tire just so he could be there to help you fix it.”
Laughs around the table and probably an elbow to the ribs from his wife given how Cole is holding his side. Ryan shakes his head, still watching me.
I smile and laugh, not too loud and not too long, to show that I, too, am amused at the thought that Ryan would go to such extremes to meet me.
Amused that any person would have watched another long enough to know that he always filled up at that truck stop for gas on Thursday evenings after spending the day in his East Texas office. That someone knew he favored the pumps on the west side of the building, and that his eyes almost always lingered a little too long on any female who crossed his path, especially those dressed in short skirts. And that same someone would pick up on little things, like the LSU baseball cap in the back seat or the frat tee showing through his white dress shirt or the country club sticker in the bottom left corner of his windshield, to ensure when they did meet there would be things to talk about. That someone would hold a nail just so in a valve while the air whistled away.
I mean, it’s amusing to believe one person would go to those lengths just to meet another.
Though some in his crew are not very accepting of her as his “new girlfriend”…
I don’t mention that while they are familiar with lots of acronyms from MBA to MRS, the only one I’m acquainted with is GED. These people, his friends, wouldn’t mean to, but they would hold such basic things against me. They might not even be aware they were doing it.
I told Ryan I was afraid of how they would judge me once they found out my background was so different from theirs. He assured me he didn’t care what they thought, but he does. The fact that he caved and invited them all here and spent the week helping me get the menu just right tells me more than the whispers in the dark that he likes how different I am, different from the girls he grew up with.
and one, especially, has her in her sights.
I look at Allison, deciding to go for the less aggressive question. “I went there for a bit.”
Weary glances around the table show me how frustrated they are.
There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true.
And what makes things even more complicated are the feelings that are connecting them on a whole other level that she’s never had an issue with before. Oh oh.
Holding my face inches from his. “I think you’re wonderful.”
“Well, I think you’re pretty wonderful too.” And for the first time, these words aren’t spoken only to further my cause. For the first time, I mean what I’m saying.
In moments like this I wish things were different. That this was real life and that my biggest concern was the petty drama between me and his childhood friends. When I wish I was the girl who got a flat tire and he was the guy who just happened to be there to help me. That there was a real future ahead of us.
There’s so much he doesn’t know. So much I can’t tell him. And so much I never will.
Everything is getting too close for comfort, and the surprises even surprise her.
…it’s more than a peek. It’s almost as if he’s searching for something.
After he’s riffled through three boxes I ask, “Are you looking for something?”
His head comes up and his eyes catch mine. A small smile forces his dimples to appear. “Just trying to learn everything there is to know about you.”
Oh oh AGAIN!!! Yep!!!!! This one kept me on the edge of my seat, kept me guessing, and the risks and reveals, twists and turns were satisfying and so was that ending!
It takes everything in me to hold it together until I’m in the privacy of one of the bathroom stalls, because I am freaking the f*ck out.
As soon as I’m inside and the lock is engaged, I slump against the door. I let out a silent scream and squeeze my eyes shut.
This is not good. This is not good. This is not good.
4.5 STARS!!! <— I highlighted SO much of it, I couldn’t resist. 😉 If you love a great psych-thriller that gets more and more dangerous as it goes, this one is for you!!
[lasso rel=”first-lie-wins-reeses-book-club-pick-a-novel” id=”110751″]
➔➔➔ Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 starreviews. 😀
➔➔➔ Love this genre? Browse more psych-thriller features and reviews on my blog. 😀