The premise of this story was heartrending., and the author made you really care about the people who had been hurt. All the characters were interesting, and each of their stories converged on the mystery from different angles. I enjoyed this, because it meant I had to stay on my toes to catch the characters in their lies or the small discrepancies in their accounts of events. These clues added up to a great up to a great story with a startling reveal at the end. Another stellar job from Hank. Brava!

Gosh, so many people pretending to be other people, quite confusing really. This was an entertaining read, with quite a few twists (though many quite predictable and some a little ridiculous). The story revolves around a pharmaceutical company and a reporter trying to find out if they are misrepresenting the safety/side effects of one of their drugs....

Great book with some twists and turns I did not see coming. The characters were so interesting and the story line was fascinating. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for an Advanced Release Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story truly is heartstopping. It is full of twists and turns, some you see coming, some you dont. The storytelling is seamless and you won't be able to put it down.

The First to Lie was a wild mystery, murder ride, thanks to Hank Phillippi Ryan. A reporter setting out to prove a pharmaceutical firm is misrepresenting a drug to patients looking for one last chance at having a child, only to find out they can never have children due to a drug allergy, turns into multiple murders. No one is quite who they seem, and the pharmaceutical family is about as dysfunctional as it gets. At fitdt I wasn't quite a use the book was really going to be worth it, but Ms Ryan saves it for the final quarter and hits a home run.

When I read a mystery I attempt to figure out the five W's (who, what, when where and why). I tried to accomplish this in Hank Phillippi Ryan's book The First to Lie. This one grabbed me, swung me around and kept me guessing. Just as I would come to one conclusion Ms. Ryan threw me a curve and my theory went right out the window.

Her characters, all well developed, each had their own secrets, some were only skin deep while others were in the core of the character. Those subtle secrets were the ones that an individual could totally miss. And who were the characters really: Lawyer? Doctor? Pharmaceutical sales rep? Investigative reporter? Associate investigative reporter? Or none of the above?

Hank Phillippi Ryan did in this suspense mystery what she has always done and done very well that is to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, constantly guessing until the very end. In this case, I ended with a "Wow!"

Another great read from Hank Phillippi Ryan. Thank you, Ms. Ryan!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

The First to Lie is about Nora, a pharmaceutical sales rep and Ellie, a reporter for a station that hasn't gone on air yet. Ellie is looking into the pharma company that Nora works for. The pharma company makes pills that help woman become pregnant.

Ellie meets a young woman outside her apartment and finds out (the next day) that this woman, Meg, is now a producer at the station and also working on the story into the pharma company. The pharma company is owned by a very wealthy family who has 2 children, Trevor and Brooke. Trevor is an accomplished sailor but mysteriously dies on a boat with only his sister on board. After his death, Brooke disappears and there is a gala being planned in Trevor's memory which Ellie thinks Brooke may show up to.

There are a couple of deaths and some deceit in this book but it is not rushed and wraps up nicely in the end. I have recently discovered this author, even though I've seen her on a local news channel. I am really enjoying reading her books

THE FIRST TO LIE by Hank Phillipi Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had a hard time with this book. There are so many people pretending to be someone else, and I could not keep track of who was who. The story line of revealing Big Pharma and their tactics is good. The book was also a bit slow in some places. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and McMillan-Tor/Forge. All opinions expressed are my own.

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.