First Lie Wins is a twisty and satisfying suspense novel with elements of a spy thriller. It’s a fast-moving cat and mouse game with a cleverly surprising setup revealed at the end.

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Let’s begin with a First Lie Wins summary.

Lucky Evie Porter – she just moved in with her handsome, successful boyfriend, Ryan, who absolutely dotes on her. She has a cushy job and is finally getting accepted by Ryan’s group of women friends. Not to mention the nice house she’s moving into.

The only problem is that none of this is real. “Evie” is an alias and Ryan is her mark. As soon as she completes the assignment for her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she will move on to a different place with a new identity.

(For simplicity, I’ll continue to call her Evie.) Evie grew up poor in a small southern town. She and her mother were very close and fantasized about trading their trailer for a dream home. But then her mother gets sick and teenager Evie turns to crime to pay for her mom’s cancer treatments.

Evie has a natural propensity for petty crime. She does things like skimming credit cards and stealing modestly valuable items. She’s very good at sneaking into events and blending in with the staff. But one day she gets caught and is introduced to Mr. Smith and his world.

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Mr. Smith runs a criminal espionage service. His clients pay him well to perform tasks such as retrieving damaging information and evidence, collecting dirt on powerful people, and stealing valuable items. When he calls in a favor to have Evie released from police custody, she becomes one of his operatives and tangled up in a web of crime and deception. At least Mr. Smith pays well. 😉

Before she was sent to steal information about Ryan’s businesses, Evie was in Atlanta on an assignment whose outcome Mr. Smith was not happy about. Now he’s threatening and tormenting her. Will this be Evie’s final job, or will she school the master?

I’m not going to tell you!

I enjoyed First Lie Wins. A suspenseful plot that contains elements of a spy thriller is right up my alley. As I always do with spy thrillers, I tried to put myself in Evie’s shoes and imagine how I would react in various situations. The conclusion is always the same – I would have been a horrible spy, so I’ll just be satisfied reading about them.

Evie is a highly likable character, despite her criminal ways. She’s smart and resourceful, and even has a mostly tender heart. However, I had to suspend belief a couple of times – would a twenty-one-year-old really be politically savvy enough to become a trusted advisor to a gubernatorial candidate?

As for the narration of First Lie Wins, Saskia Maarleveld has a voice made for audio books. Her clear, warm tones set the mood for the story and never made me struggle to understand her.

I recommend First Lie Wins to readers who enjoy cleverly plotted thrillers and suspense novels.

Have you read some good suspense recently? Please share!