Wow, that's about all I can say after finishing that roller coaster of a book. I have yet to be disappointed by anything that Hank Phillippi Ryan has written, and this one just knocks it out of the park. A sophisticated, twisty thriller, I literally couldn't put it down once I started. Here's just one of the things that I love about this author's novels - without resorting to a lot of extreme violence, she manages to convey her story without crossing the line into the 'cozy' type of mystery. I love cozies, but there's a time and place for them. Ms. Ryan's novels are thrillers without a lot of blood. The First to Lie kept me guessing all the way to the end - it's hard to describe it further without spoilers so I"d advise you to simply read the book. But in brief, the story involves a wealthy family whose wealth is due to a pharmaceutical company, a reporter who is on to something shady about the aforementioned company and its premier drug, a mysterious man who joins in the research and who ostensibly is a lawyer, and a 'helpful' assistant whose help is doubtful at times. All good, don't peek at the end!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The First to Lie.

I’m sitting here thinking how to review this book... I think overall the concept was really interesting and there were some great twists throughout however, there is so much in this book that made me shake my head and think how unrealistic it was. Without spoiling anything, you have multiple people pretending to be multiple other people, most of whom have met in a previous life yet had no idea who each other were??? I mean come on! I really can’t say more without giving away some of the major “twists” so I’ll leave it at that... If you like a good twist, read this book but I’d be shocked if you didn’t end up feeling the exact same way as me!

Wow! The First To Lie is the first book I’ve read of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s but it most certainly won’t be the last. You dive deep into scandal, lies, betrayals all the way into the past to present in this story. Hank has you guessing and then second guessing yourself throughout the book, with a major twist in the end. A definite fast paced, twisty book that will definitely keep you up past your bed time kind of book! 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 (roundedUp to five for Goodreads) rating from me! Thank you to Hank Phillippi Ryan, Forge Book, and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review!

I kept seeing lots of four and five star reviews for The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan, so I kept putting off writing this review, rethinking what I had read and if I really should be giving it more stars. But reviews are just one person’s opinion, so take that into account before deciding if you’ll be reading this book after reading my review. Who knows, you may end up being one of the people raving about The First to Lie.

I love the concept since I enjoy reading about Big Pharma getting its comeuppance. And the way the ladies went about their investigation was very intriguing and kept me wondering if they would get caught. I had no problem going back and forth between the characters, or even into the past with other characters. I actually enjoyed the flashbacks because I thought it added great character development and another interesting layer to the story.

What went wrong for me with the story was all the “secrets”. If only one character had done it and it was presented in such a way to be a cool reveal at the end, I would probably be giving The First to Lie five stars. But numerous characters did the secret numerous times and it was far too unrealistic. Now I know fiction doesn’t have to be realistic, and I love reading Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, and Sci-fi so I enjoy books with lots of imagination in them, but for a suspense novel this was way over the top.

Since I try not to include spoilers, I’m not going to write more, but if you really need to know send me a message and I would love to get into a lot more detail with just how far fetched The First to Lie was.

Betrayed by their rich and well established family, owner of a powerful pharmaceutical company, two women seek justice for the loss of their children, the ones they will never have because of the medication they were given by those whom they trusted mot at the time. Years later, their grief and need for revenge will put them on the warpath to uncover the despicable business endeavor of the company which continues to makes this dreadful drug. Lying once, lying twice, three times or more and unknown to the other, they change their identities to discover the truth and gather enough proof to bring the guilty to their knees. The constant switch in their appearance and activity is amusing and well put. The back and forth is sometimes confusing but it keeps the plot alive and full of surprises. Lying is an art that they use beautifully. Guessing who is who becomes a suspenseful clue game which will not be revealed until the last line..

When I first starting reading The First to Lie, I was a tad confused by the characters and how they related to the story. As the secrets come to the light, it makes for a great thriller! This book has so many twists and turns and so many secrets, you will not be able to put it down! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Who better than Hank Phillippi Ryan to write a twisty story based on an investigative reporter on the hunt to unravel the lies surrounding a family empire built on their pharmaceutical kingdom. As an investigative reporter herself, Ms Phillippi Ryan brings background and reporting knowledge to this crazy story of who's who and who's lying and the evil that is being perpetrated by big Pharma. And, don't even get me started with who's out for revenge and why. Dynasty, anyone? This is a fun and fast read that will keep you guessing and second guessing to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for a honest review.

Wow - so many lies and so much deception in this book! Spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was REALLY who; thought I had some figured out and was always wrong! Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Though at the end, when we found out who was who, it was hard to believe that some characters didn’t recognize others - not mentioning names here so as not to spoil for others. A good read!

An immaculately composed puzzle with turns everywhere, The First To Lie is an opportune tale about duplicity, equity and vengeance, all based on the obliteration created by a huge pharmaceutical organization and the family that possesses it. Addictive and completely convincing, Ryan has made a story that is fiercely brilliant and firmly plotted. You won't have any desire to put this one down until you've arrived at the last heave commendable end! I finish this book in one day it was that good of a page turner I had to get through I was so anxious to no whats next.

One of the things that I love about this author is her ability to keep me guessing as the plots unfold. Her ability to introduce believable twists and impeccable pacing are second to none. This latest standalone novel certainly delivers on this front and takes things up a notch. In fact, there are so many twists that your head may be spinning by the end! The chapters alternate between a present-day storyline involving an investigative journalist in the Boston area looking into a pharmaceutical company and a storyline that takes place about 15 years prior in Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay plays a starring role in the Maryland-centric storyline, which I really enjoyed as a native Marylander :) I would've described it as the Western Shore, rather than the Eastern Shore, since Anne Arundel County is the locale but that's a small quibble on my part.

Both storylines are presented in alternating chapters from different characters perspectives. The present is told from the perspectives of Ellie (the journalist) and Nora (a pharmaceutical sales rep at the company Ellie is investigating). The past is told from the perspectives of Brooke (the daughter of the family that owns the pharmaceutical company) and Lacey (the daughter-in-law of the same family). Ellie believes that the company is preying on women who are having trouble getting pregnant and are desperate to have a child. Ellie is keen to expose the company and is willing to go as far as possible for the story. Her employer is a new channel that is just a few weeks away from making its debut, placing extra pressure on Ellie to get the story down fast and airtight, The station assigns Meg to help Ellie with the story and it soon becomes clear that Meg has her own reasons for ensuring the story airs as soon as possible.

Many of the characters are not who they seem (this is hinted at in the book's description), which will keep the reader guessing about who they truly are and what their true motivations may be. I did figure out one of the twists fairly early on before it was revealed, but I didn't quite guess the follow-on twists. I was close on one of them, but had a key piece backwards. The author plays fair with the reader and I really appreciated the way the clues were presented and how the story progressed. It was a compelling page-turner from start to finish and definitely kept me on my toes.

This review is based on an advanced reader's edition copy that I received via NetGalley and Forge as part of the author's "super reader" team. Many thanks to Forge for providing me with a sneak peek of the latest standalone novel by this author! It is always a treat to dive into one of her twisty thrillers.

I am definitely in the minority on this one, but I just could not find my way into the story.. Too many characters telling too many stories that overlap and are true but then aren't and then are again... Instead of finding it intriguing like so many other readers, I just got annoyed. This may just be a case of the wrong book at the wrong time - or maybe
Phillippi Ryan's writing is just not for me. I had a similar issue with Trust Me - although I finished that one, it was like pulling teeth by the end. It may well be this is just a case of a reader and a writer that don't mesh well. The book has been overwhelmingly positively reviewed, so definitely check out other reviews before basing a decision on my experience - but if you find yourself starting to get irritated as you spend more time flipping back and forth trying to remember who said what and when than you do actually moving ahead in the story, know you're not alone...

The First to Lie is the latest book by Hank Phillippi Ryan. This is the first story I've read by Ms Ryan and I'm happy to have discovered her. The story is told in different points of view and some back and forth in time. I found the beginning a little confusing. This book is like the movies where you're telling the heroine not to do something and of course, they do it anyhow! I want to thank NetGalley and Forge Books for an early copy to review.

When you go to a doctor you trust them with your life. But what happens when they lie to you? And when that lie effects the rest of your life in a bad way, what would you do----many would seek revenge. Two women who seek that revenge go undercover to get the revenge they seek, and take down the pharma. company who was behind their losses, and the losses of many other women, even tho it belongs to their own family.

Book Review 💊



“When the stakes are life and death, did a few low matter?”



Woahhhh what did I just read! The First To Lie is a fast paced, page turner!! A few time times I went back and was like noooo that’s not what I read but yep it was. So many lies and deceit! I was slowly putting it all together but I hadn’t guessed it all correctly! The characters were fantastic, I felt like they could be people you could know. I loved that the story was thick uncertainty!!! The ending was explosive with tying up all the twists!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Hank Ryan, Forge Books and Netgalley
For my copy for honest review!

Releasing September 2020 (not my picture).

As a Super Reader, I was gifted a NetGalley copy of "The First To Lie." This is also the first book of Ms. Ryan's I have had the opportunity to read.The premise of this book is that a large pharmaceutical company, Pharminex, is marketing a drug that has more side effects than they are willing to admit. There are quite a few people who were hurt by this drug, either physically or emotionally. So many characters in this book were pretending to be someone else entirely in order to uncover the cover-up about this drug.

If you like a read that has characters that are sometimes hard to keep up with as to which identity they are at certain times coupled with some deep-seated family secrets and perhaps a bit of romance along the way, I highly recommend you add this to your to be read stack!

entertaining, twisty and convoluted. while i guess a lot of the twists, there were a few that surprised me. enjoyed the book and the moral questions it raised, though the ending felt weak to me and not believable esp the identity of one of the main character. it felt harder, as well to get involved in the backstories of brooke and lacey, maybe needed more of a bridge from the past to the present. it was an ambitious effort and i am glad for the arc and the chance to read it

This book was my first of Hank Phillippi Ryan's, but certainly not my last. She keeps the twists and turns going like no other book I've read! Very confusing at times, and amazed the characters could keep themselves straight! Wow, a real page turner. The only thing I was sure of was that Abigail wasn't real, but other than that, I didn't really know who was who. I wanted Trevor to show up though. The only real let down. Enjoy the book, it will grab you 'til the end.

Oh my gosh! Wow! I loved this book. It was very engaging, hard to put down. I had to find out what was going on. So many twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems. Sometimes a little confusing, but the confusion is cleared and you continue, or was it?? You are kept on the edge of your seat throughout. Is the pharmaceutical industry to be trusted at all, especially where money is concerned. How many have been effected? You must read this book! Do not miss it. I loved this book, it is truly brilliant!

This was the second book that I’ve read by the author, Hank Philippi Ryan. I enjoyed the story immensely right up until the end, where the finale didn’t land just right with me AND that’s ok. Sometimes you don’t agree with how a story ends but can still enjoy the ride and it was quite the ride. The story starts flipping between two characters, Ellie and Nora. Ellie is about to start a new job as a journalist for a TV station that is about to reopen in the coming weeks. She’s following a story about a pharmaceutical company’s miracle drug whose off label use promises to help women who are having difficulty getting pregnant. However, the drug has devastating effects for some patients. Nora has just landed a job at the company to sell this miracle drug and she’s learning all about it, visiting doctors’ offices to sell the product, but she also knows that it might not be great for all patients. As Ellie is trying to investigate and bring down this company, the family that owns the company, the Vanderwalds, are getting ready to throw a gala in honor of their son and highlighting the scholarship that was started in his name after his death around seven years ago. It is fast paced and the intertwining of the various characters storylines does at times get complicated and you know that it is building to one or more dark twists. If the ending had landed a bit better with me, I would have rated it higher and it was a very enjoyable ride.

When I opened the cover of The First to Lie I had no idea what to expect. One third in, I still wasn't sure what was really going on. We knew, up front, there would be lies. But how does the reader differentiate lies from non-lies? I have heard that everybody lies. But they don't always lie all the time. Or do they? Just about when I thought I had some idea who was who, out of nowhere came some crumbs indicating I was on the wrong track altogether

This story felt like a ride at the fair - the one where the car is traveling along and abruptly changes direction. Can you get whiplash from reading a book?. From one page to the next, from one moment to the next we don't know where this is going. "She felt poised on the edge of a chambered nautilus shell, about to wind deeper and deeper into its dark center." And we were with her every step of the way.

"Lawyers and journalists. Together they had the power to make things right." If only that were true in the real world.!

As it ended I predicted a couple of things based on pieces I was putting together. But there was one surprise that was so over the top I am still shaking my head. It should have been obvious to one character very early on but then we'd not have had this fabulous ride. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for and advance copy.