This plot is complex and full of twists and turns on every page. Philippi keeps you guessing from start to finish. Character within characters in this fast paced plot. How far would you go to right wrongs, seek revenge and report a story? This book has it all.

I literally couldn’t put this down. I almost want to start from the beginning and read it again. If you are looking for an excellent mystery then this is definitely the book for you. So many twists and turns leave you wondering what did I just read. Excellent plot but easy to follow. Fantastic characters you want to learn more about. Highly recommend!

The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan is an engrossing, if sometimes confusing, thriller involving reporters, lawyers, and big pharma. We are introduced to a cast of characters who we know are duplicitous for their own personal reasons. The story is told through the eyes of Nora and Ellie in the present tense, who each have an agenda to take down a big pharmaceutical company who is marketing a drug off-label to help women who are having fertility issues. There is also a back story told from the perspective of Brooke and Lacey who are members of the Vanderwald family which owns the big pharmaceutical company. I like that this book takes on the issue how big drug companies can conduct a cost-benefit analysis to calculate the cost of individual liability cases against the potential profit of using a drug which may have adverse side effects. It also tackles just how far investigative reporters are willing to go through to expose the truth. Ryan also manages to delicately discuss how painful infertility can be and what some women are willing to try in order to successfully conceive. This novel is full of twists and turns and characters who may not be who they profess themselves to be. I don't want to inadvertently give any spoilers, but Ryan does deliver a solidly entertaining thrill ride.

A bit too confusing for me. Several of the characters are someone else, or (supposedly) someone else, which led to a kind of merry-go-round type of story. Decent writing, ok plot. But nothing to elevate it above other more engrossing mysteries.

When a big drug company promises to help families with fertility issues but ends up causing infertility in women, Ellie, Meg, Gabe, Guy, and Nora become involved in one way or another. Who can be trusted? Who is guilty? The novel sends the reader on a wild goose chase with many suspects before neatly tying up all the loose ends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

I was beyond thrilled to get an early copy of The First To Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan in exchange for an honest review! She is one of my current favorite authors and I loved The Murder List and Trust Me so much.

This book was a great thriller read but I must admit I missed the legal aspect that were in her other books! It isn’t my favorite of hers but I will forever be a fan. It was a bit hard to follow but with a great storyline as big Pharma is taken on and it’s super relevant these days! I pretty easily figured out what was going on with only a few surprises! No jaw dropping moments for me.

Overall, I totally recommend this read if you are a fan of this authors writing! I did enjoy it - but admittedly it fell a bit short for me possibly due to super high expectations!

3.5 🌟🌟🌟💫 - from me for a solid but in my opinion not a stellar read. I just expected more - 🤷‍♀️

The First to Lie is a riveting twisty novel of lies, deception, and revenge! This book takes us in to the world of a pharmaceutical company who becomes the target of an investigation of an intrepid reporter. It was fascinating to read about all the ins and outs of investigative reporting, as well as the inner-workings of big pharma. At the heart, this book is about women who yearn for just one thing--to be able to have a family of their own--women who are desperate enough to do whatever it takes to make that happen--and a company that promises to do that for them. My head was spinning with all the subterfuge that wove through this finely crafted story!

new to me author and I am so glad I found him! This book was a true page turner. I will be reading everything he writes

This was a book with a lot of good twists and turns. It kept me guessing to the end. Really enjoyable!

Hank Phillipi Ryan always delivers the thrills. I loved The Murder List so I was very excited to read this book! In this well-crafted mystery, a pharmaceutical company may be manufacturing fertility drugs that actually make women infertile. Ryan brings her journalistic knowledge to bear in this description of what goes on inside Big Pharma. It also has a parallel story from an alternate narrator about a long-ago family drama that becomes important to the plot.

There were crazy twists and double twists in this book. I saw a lot of them coming but they were still very thrilling and well executed. I wasn’t as interested in the family drama aspect as I was in the mystery at Pharminex but eventually they came together in a great way. While I think I like Ryan’s legal thrillers a bit better, this was still a very well-plotted mystery that is very much worth your time. If you like well-written and page-turning mysteries, Ryan is a writer you should not miss.

Thanks to MacMillian, NetGalley and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. I’m excited to read more Hank Phillipi Ryan!

This was my first Hank Phillippi Ryan book and have to say it was a great read. It took a little bit for me to get into it however, once I did it was good fast read. It was not a book that kept me guessing and I was able to figure out where things were going pretty fast however, it was still an easy read.

Really enjoy books by Hank Philippi Ryan.Her latest kept me turning the pages staying up late to finish the story.Tense chilling multi layered #netgalley#macmillan

My first time reading Hank Philippi Ryan and she did not disappoint! This is a real page turner that will keep you guessing and second guessing until the end.

A pharmaceutical giant whose greed and deceit are ruining peoples lives. The desire for revenge by those who have been hurt knows no bounds and they will go to great lengths to achieve it.
A cast of literally changing characters (who all lie) will keep you on your toes and engrossed in the twisty plot set in Boston.

This took a while to get into. I started it about 3 times before I could get engaged. Also, it was easy to figure out who was who, even with all the red herrings. As a fan of Ryan I’d recommend it...the Boston descriptions are also worth it but I’m not sure it’s one that would engage new Ryan readers.

Nora is a Pharminex rep who secretly wants to take down the company who has been lying to and harming women. Ellie is a reporter also trying to take down Pharminex. She has connected with a lawyer working a lawsuit against the drug company. Ellie’s new assistant Meg seems overeager and kind of untrustworthy. Is Pharminex responsible for the death of a patent and a rep? Can they all uncover the truth?

A twisting story that has you guessing who is lying and who is telling the truth.

This was a super entertaining read. Had lots of twists I wasn’t expecting, so kept me interested until the end. I enjoyed several of this authors books, but this was my favorite so far. Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

Thank you so much to Hank Phillippi Ryan, NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan, for an advanced copy for an honest review.

This book started off and I was already being invested and ready to finish this one as quick as possible, but truly didn't want it to end after all.

I incorrectly guessed multiple times, at exactly what was going on in this book, but I never was correct and at the end of the book, this blew me out of the water. I absolutely loved how Hank Phillippi Ryan started and finished this book, and was able to keep me guessing from start to finish. This read truly shows how life can be a vicious circle, and how everything can come back around again and again.

Love, love, love this one, and I can't wait for the next book by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

At first I was so confused they were so many characters to grasp but as the plot progressed I began to understand and I fell in love with the plot. It's a story about deception. There is Nora a redhead who is overconfident and who has an agenda when she gets a job as a sales representative of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies ever and that fertility bomb(truth or fiction), Ellie the ambitious reporter and Lacey the mean girl in my head 😂😂 Overally the book was one rollercoaster ride that will blow you away(hold on to your hats)

I don’t read a lot of suspenseful type books. They’re just not my thing. But I didn’t know what to expect, and I’d heard good things about the author. This book did not disappoint.

It kept me on edge, especially once I got all the characters straight in my mind. Nora, Ellie, Meg, Lacey, Brooke ... there were a lot of girls/women to keep straight. The story is told from several different perspectives. It also has some flashbacks to an earlier time.

I did not expect any of the twists that happened in this book. The things that I thought I knew, well, I was wrong. The book has complex characters. The story is well written and keeps you going from page to page

Oh my gosh what a crazy ride!! This book grabbed me from the beginning and kept my brain guessing until the last page! So well crafted and a host of fun characters.
Always enjoy her writing style. Great read and I highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.