Thank you Netgalley and Forge books for the ARC of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion 4.5 stars

Are secrets lies? In this book they are.
A family owned pharmaceutical company has a miracle drug that can help with fertility issues until they don’t..
The company has lied and hid their disastrous failures.

Tragedy, deceit, characters who are not whom they seem and obsessive, twisted revenge comes to a climatic end in this another excellent book by Hank Phillippi Ryan not to be missed .

I received an Advance Readers copy of this book by Hank Philippi Ryan from Netgalley. In exchange for my honest opinion.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat through the entire story and you will not see what’s coming. This book kept me up until all hours of the night as I had to see how it ended I highly recommend that you pre order this book ASAP so you can read it when it releases on August 4.

I did read a few reviews before starting this novel. Most stated that the cast of characters got to be very confusing; I knew I had to keep my mind clear and take notes as to who is who.
Typically I curl up in the evening in my favorite reading chair with a nice glass of wine to read. However, with this novel I knew I had to keep focused.

Story is told from the POV of Ellie and Nora but additionally Brooke and Lacey
I can assure you a diverse cast of characters are in and out! Hmm who is the first to lie? Additionally who is who?

Nora ~ Pharmaceutical rep for a big pharma company
Ellie ~ is an investigative reporter, trying to take down big pharma
Brooke Vanderwald ~ 15 yr. old daughter of privilege in big pharma
Lacey Vanderwald ~ wife of Travis, Brooke’s brother and super ambitious

I hung in there as I was super curious.
Truly the most confusing story I have ever read!
On a side note I love the lack of nasty language and will definitely read another of Ms. Ryan’s novels!! My first Hank Phillipi Ryan novel and it was a wild crazy ride!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan–Tor/Forge for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 4, 2020

Wow, just wow! Another great book by Hank Philippi Ryan! Brooke, Lacey, Ellie, Nora, Meg, Gabe, Guy???? Who is really who? I don’t want to spoil anything but this book will keep you thinking about whether or not you really know who someone is. I totally didn’t see the ending happening the way it did. I most definitely recommend this book! I did receive an advance reader copy of this book but believe me when I say that had no effect whatsoever on my review. Just read it!

A fast paced page turner that you won't want to put down! Its a tale of deciept and revenge centered around a pharmaceutical company and the family that runs it. A big time company delivering promises to desperate women, but can they deliver? At what cost? Plenty of twists and a less than predictable conclusion. Two thumbs up. Thank you for allowing me to review this NetGalley

First off, I spent most of this book confused, because it was SO WELL TOLD. Like, I couldn't figure out which way was up and which way was down. Hank Phillippi Ryan seriously has a way of burying every lead so you have no idea what's going on for most of the book, up until the very bitter end!. I felt the same way about her other book, The Murder List. She has a way of writing about journalism and pharmaceuticals without making it seem boring or making you wonder why you are reading this.

You get a few different POV's in this book - Ellie, a journalist trying to undercover the secrets of Pharminex, Nora, a sales rep for Pharminex, Brooke, the youngest Vanderwald, and Lacey, a member of the Vanderwald family by marriage. The story sets up Pharminex as a drug company pushing an off market use for a drug called Monifan. It apparently helps increase fertility in women for the most part, except in rare cases where it makes them completely barren. The company is also not telling them of this this chance before administering the drug, so obviously illegal. Nora is selling the drugs and Ellie is trying to break the story. But when people associated with the company start turning up dead, they all realize there is more to the story...

The POV's at some points were pretty distracting, because Brooke and Lacey's POVs are told in flashbacks. It happens so randomly that it can be hard to keep track of what time period it is in. But that's basically my only gripe with this book, because the twists and turns were just so outstanding. Even as you start to suspect what is happening, there is one final OMG moment at the end.

Mystery and Thriller fans, go read Hank Phillippi Ryan if you haven't already, you won't be sorry!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Forge Books for an early copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of the book was so interesting, a big pharma company which is selling drugs to overcome fertility issues. The side effects are shady and hidden from the public.

Nora has just started a new job at that Pharma company, but her real motive is hidden.

Ellie, a news reporter who is working hard to expose this pharma company.

There were so many POV in this book which made it really hard to keep tabs. The storyline was interesting, the pace of the story was kinda average, characters were developed cleverly. But the story, it wasn't what I expected. There were a lot of twins and turns, more than necessary. As the story moves towards the climax, so many coincidences have occurred which felt forced, which made me feel that characters were kinda dumb. The ending also didn't make sense for me. 

After seeing so many 4 or 5 stars review, I am clearly not from the majority.

I am a fan of Hank Phillippi Ryan and I did enjoy her new whodunit mystery. I think this could be subtitled ‘Is she who she says she is?’ This book, like Hank’s others, keeps you guessing. Each character is a mystery and it is a challenge to keep them straight. Just when you think you know who someone is, they act in a way that makes you question what you know about them. You keep asking yourself ‘who is this person and what game are they playing?’

The main character, Ellie, is an investigative reporter who is undercover in order to get a major story about a coverup at a major pharmaceutical company. The problem is, she is not the only one. There are several stories interwoven and it is not till much later in the book that the reader can see how their lives are interconnected. Hank skillfully weaves each character’s story so we slowly learn how they are interrelated. It was fascinating to see all the work and skill that goes into an undercover role.

It was a relief when the police got involved but the phony credentials, the accidents, and the repeated twists and coverups kept the police guessing.
The plot makes this a book you cannot put down. Kudos to Hank for another excellent read.

***I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my independent review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forge Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Ellie is a reporter who is investigating a new drug that is supposed to help women get pregnant, but she thinks it is doing more damage then good. Nora works for the company selling the drug. Their lives are never going to intersect or will they? Meg is the newest hire at Ellie's job, but something about her just seems off. Ellie isn't sure what she is up too, but she has things she is dealing with as well.


The story is much darker then anyone realizes and goes back to the past when Lacey was marrying Brooke's brother Trevor and life seemed so much simpler.



There is so much in this book going on and it is all tied to the drug and a rich family with a past and two women who were damaged by them in the past and women who are damaged by them in the present. I can't say much more then that because spoilers. There were a lot of twists in this books and so much is tied together that I afraid to even talk about what happens at points because I could give something away. This is at it's core a book about the long game of revenge when you wait a long time to make sure someone pays for what they have done too you. It is also about lies, and heartbreak, and the damage that can be caused when someone or some company has something to hide.



Overall, I really enjoyed this it was hard to put down. It really kept me guessing sometimes even after things were revealed.

In The First to Lie, by Hank Phillipi Ryan, 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.

I just love Hank Phillippi Ryan’s writing style! She really hooks me in her books and makes it to where I desperately need the book to finish and know what happens, but fear the ending because I know I’ll be hungover! This was no exception, in fact, it may we’ll be one of my favs of hers! It was well written, intense, chilling, thrilling, shocking, and absolutely unputdownable! I highly recommend to my fellow Ryan fans, as well as my fellow thriller fans! I always feel hers are realistic, original, and not the type you have to suspend believe in order to enjoy! This was very intense, shocking, and just plain tense, but I loved it! Highly, highly recommend! You must grab it and clear your schedule!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms, as well as use my low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

Having enjoyed several other books by Hank Phillippi Ryan, I was looking forward to reading The First to Lie. I was not disappointed as it is a riveting story of deceit and thrilling action. Noone is who they seem to be. Everyone has secrets to keep and lies to tell. The many twists to the plot kept me guessing from the beginning to the very end who characters really are and what their motives were. A page turner, for sure and readers who love stories of revenge, intrigue, and betrayal will not want to miss this powerful new suspense story from the master of suspense, Ms. Ryan.
I was given a complimentary copy of the book, and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

I loved this twisty story. Just when I thought I figured it out, I had to re-think again. I think this is one of Hanks best efforts. Don’t miss it. I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was happening and why. It was awesome!

As a fan of Hank Phillippi Ryan, I was delighted to receive an advanced reader copy ebook from Net Galley of her newest release. While not a fan of back and forth from past to present, Ryan does a great job of covering the family history of a pharmaceutical company and patients who have been injured from their drugs. Her experience as a reporter shines through with her main character who goes undercover to expose the pharmaceutical company. Fans of Ryan won't be disappointed. Lots of twists and turns. And you won't guess the ending.

A page turner that kept me on my toes the entire way. Who's who in this story? In the beginning I wasn't sure. Then clues kept coming sending me in the wrong direction every time. You never know!

can't review the book would not download


had to add stars to post. Have really liked ths
is author's previous books

Nora Quinn is new to Pharminex, the massive pharmaceutical business making its name with the off-label use of its fertility drug. Unfortunately, too many times the drug causes miscarriages and permanent infertility. Nora is determined to uncover the company’s secrets and put it out of business. Of course, there’s also Ellie, new to the about-to-go-live channel 11, who is building a case against Pharminex to present as an on-air expose.
Meg is not only new to Channel 11, but not-so-coincidentally occupying the apartment next to Ellie. In addition, she has been hired as an assistant to Ellie, which becomes increasingly annoying as Meg seems to stay just a step ahead of Ellie wherever her research leads her. Then there’s Guy, the lawyer, and Gabe. And every dang one of these people is pretending to be somebody else. In some cases, more than one somebody else. Sure, this is supposed to be a mystery and, sure, people die, but the distracting focus of this book is the characters switching identities so often that, honestly, it’s just silly.

I really wanted to like this novel, but the mystery is so predictable and the quick-change characters so ridiculous, that as the book ends and (surprise!) everybody is revealed as yet somebody else, it is too late to save it.

My thanks to Forge Books and to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nancy
nancysbooknook.com

Duplicitous, suspenseful and twisty are a few words I’d use to describe this book. This is the first time I’ve read this author and it won’t be my last. Their were some parts which didn’t flow quite right for me, but the storyline and plot kept my interest.

If your looking for a light yet suspenseful read, this the book for you. It’s not one where you feel you have to have the lights on, but it will keep you guessing (and guessing and guessing).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We all have our reasons for being who we are—but what if being someone else could get you what you want?

After a devastating betrayal, a young woman sets off on an obsessive path to justice, no matter what dark family secrets are revealed. What she doesn’t know—she isn’t the only one plotting her revenge.

This was a wonderfully written mystery.
It seriously had me thinking "What In The World"
I thought I might have had it figured all out...... Ummmm NO!

I just love the way Hank writes his stories.
This was a wonderful book And I devoured it all!

I do believe he is one of my favorites!

Thank You NetGalley And Publisher
This was GREAT!

THRILLER!

Hank Phillippi Ryan is a Master at creating duplicitous characters! Her latest release, THE FIRST TO LIE, is a perfect example. Ryan wastes no time introducing you to three main characters: Ellie Berensen, Meg Weest and Gabe Hoyt. It becomes quickly apparent that each of them is living a lie. What if becoming someone else enables you to enact justice on the people/family/product that betrayed you? Would you do it? Would you risk everything to take a chance at getting revenge? Would it matter if a few lives were lost along the way like collateral damage? Or is that just a means to the end? Get ready for a thriller! Ryan takes readers on a roller coaster ride of intense intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end. And Oh MY, what an ENDING!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by FORGE Books and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.