I was thrilled to be able to review The First to Lie, by Hank Phillippi Ryan. A USA Today Bestselling Author and an Investigative Journalist who knows her stuff and has many awards and Emmy’s to prove it.
But just what does an Investigative Journalist do?
You can certainly find out in The First to Lie! Ellie, the main character, takes on a story that she believes will be huge.
But does she have other reasons, or is she just trying to help other women and expose a company that could possibly be responsible for murder?
Her character was very realistic as she journeyed to places and spoke with people who could help her break the story for her new job at Channel 11. A great glimpse of the day in the life of an Investigative Journalist, a job I’m sure this author knows well. Ellie wanted to unravel the story of a company that tore apart a woman’s dreams, but she discovered she wasn’t the only one.
The story is a great mix of characters with a setting that made me feel I was there, experiencing it with Ellie. The cold, slushy streets of Boston and the intertwining of how each character played their field kept me turning pages to figure out who was what and where.
Then there’s Gabe. Who is he? Bad guy? Good guy? Should she trust him? And seemingly innocent Meg, just trying to help. A nice blend of showing us past lives and how it could be affecting the present. And…a nice twist at the end even after I thought I’d reached the end of my guesses. A book that, while trying to sleep, I woke up thinking I knew the answer finally! It will keep you up turning pages to figure it out. Ellie was so realistic I felt like I knew her. Frustrating at times, but life’s true whirlwinds of solving mysteries were well written.
And isn’t that every author’s dreams? To have you unable to sleep while thinking of the story you’re reading?
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to review the book.
It releases August 4 but is available for PREORDER now!