Thank you for my copy of First To Lie. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more. It took me a little longer than anticipated to get into this books but once I was hooked I couldn’t stop reading, I was able to figure out what was happening to some extent and there were a few times when things just seemed a little too coincidental but overall I enjoyed the book.

Had she been a panelist on the long-ago television show, "Who Do You Trust?" Hank Phillippi Ryan's answer would always have been, "Nobody." Ryan is the Goddess of Everybody-Lies, and she keeps readers guessing from page one. Who is real? Who is putting on an act? You won't want to put down this book until you know, and you won't know until the end. The clues are sometimes whimsical, sometimes gut-wrenching. Hank Phillippi Ryan has her readers just where she wants us--asking questions and finding the surprisingly wrong answers. Be prepared to lose your mind and lose your heart to The First to Lie.

Hank Phillipi Ryan self described her work in a recent interview as fast-paced, page-turner thrillers. She's delivered all of that in The First To Lie. Told from multiple points of view, the story is both "now" and "before", which requires that you pay attention. And not everyone is who they say they are, which is no secret - its introduced in the opening chapters. I found myself constantly wondering if so-and-so was REALLY this person or someone else, and questioning characters' motives. Especially the ones (ok ONE) that I found really REALLY annoying. Overall, I had no difficulty transitioning from the different time frames and POVs, but I did get a bit frustrated with the constant uncertainty. I'm pretty sure that this is intentional on Ms Ryan's part, to propel you forward and keep your attention. And to make you invest in the story. It succeeded in that.

I haven't read any of her prior 11 books, but have added them to my TBR. I look forward to reading more of her work and having my brain challenged to keep up with her storytelling.

Thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for a copy of this book to review. The opinions expressed are my own.

... everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story. PATRICK ROTHFUSS, THE NAME OF THE WIND
Without any sneaky fine print and knowing everything you know, if you could start your adult life over as someone else, would you do it?
Mirrors make such false promises. They tell you: Look here, and you’ll see yourself.
But that’s the first lie. You see a face and a boy, sure. But a mirror doesn’t show your TRUE self.

This book will definitely keep you on edge. Guessing. Wanting to know who did what to whom and why. It’s told primarily from three perspectives. Nora, who works for a pharmaceutical company, Pharminex. Ellie, who is a new to the area news reporter working on a story involving Pharminex. And Meg, Ellie’s assistant who has some pretty crazy ways of getting info. Then there are side stories that go back to an earlier time. Lacey who marries into the Vanderwald family and Brooke who is the daughter to the Vanderwalds. The Vanderwalds own Pharminex.

This book started out a bit slow for me but it did pick up and take off with a bang. It’s a definite page turner and will keep you guessing. Until a certain point. I did figure out who was who and why they were doing the things they did. But that didn’t deter from the story at all. It’s a story about a pharmaceutical company who does some pretty unethical things. Like most in real life do daily. The main plot in this story is centered around Pharminex and a drug called, Monifan. Monifan is suppose to help women who can’t get or stay pregnant. But it has some side affects that are horrible. It can make a woman not be able to conceive or carry a baby at all. It ruined several women’s lives and thus the story Ellie is working on comes to light.

This book has several characters and if you keep them straight that is great. It’s done well. In a way that you should find easy to follow. The beginning, Epigraph, will pull you right in. Then it will alternate between some of the characters. It really is a great story that will keep you wanting more. You will want to know how Nora, Ellie and Meg are woven together. You will want to know if or how Lacey and Brooke are going to play out. Even the characters, Guy, Gabe, Liam and Trevor, all play very important roles in this story. It’s well written, well developed and the plot is spot on. The intense scenes will keep you holding your breath and wanting more. It’s really a good, very good story. You will feel like you are right in the middle of things and can’t escape. In the lives of a very rich and powerful family. In the heart of a young girl on the brink of becoming a woman, who’s life is turned upside down. In the mind of a mother who thinks she knows what is best for her daughter. For a wife who only wants to become a mother.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HankPhillippiRyan, #Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this arc. This is my review.

I gave it 4/5 stars and a high recommendation.. A must read.

A Story filled with deception, lying and revenge. Two different women, two different paths of destruction and revenge. This book will keep you guessing at and second guessing at every turn.

This was my first book of Hank Phillippi Ryan's, but it won't be my last! I will admit that I was a little slow to start this book, but once I gave it my full attention, I couldn't put it down. This book was suspenseful, unpredictable and had so many twists & turns that I got whiplash!! The characters were so believable that I kept falling for their stories, even when I told myself to beware. This book kept me guessing, as each time I thought I had it figured out, I didn't, only to get to the last page saying, "I never saw that coming"!!!

"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides." Andre Malraux

Hank Phillippi Ryan captured my attention right away as I read the prologue of this book. There are some very interesting questions to ask yourself in these few short paragraphs. Fascinating things to think about and "what ifs" that might happen if you could "start over" and become a different person. It sounds like an easy or good thing to do but is it really? You might be able to change your outer appearance but the inner you is always there. But "When the stakes are life and death, did a few lives matter?" With this intriguing scenario and "All you have to do is lie." as the motivation, Ms. Ryan weaves a thrilling story that took me on a wild ride.

The story revolves around three main characters. Ellie, Nora and Meg. Each one with an agenda that involves the Big Pharma company Pharminex, the Vanderwald empire, and the miracle drug Monifan. Just who are each of these characters and what are they after? How are they connected to each other and why? Ms. Ryan then adds characters and twists that had my head spinning. She weaves and unravels and weaves some more and kept me guessing as each page was turned. The schemeing, the lies, the deceitfully revenge driven characters had me all twisted up in a thrilling chesslike plot. What I really liked was not knowing how this would all play out and kept me reading to the surprising end.

I liked this passage from Alice in Wonderland Ms. Ryan used in the story. For me it sums up the characters and the mystery surrounding them:
"I know who I was when I got up this morning, Alice had told the Caterpillar in her most favorite book, but I think I must have been changed several times since then. I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, because I'm not myself, you see."

This was a great read for me. I love Ms. Ryan's writing style and her ability to put me into the "minds" of her characters. I could feel her "investigative inquisitiveness" througout the book and kept thinking about how some of the scenario might have come from the Front Pages of real life events. Taking those situations and creating a thrilling, psychological mystery in "The First To Lie".

I want to thank Netgalley and especially Ms. Ryan for the honor and privilege of reading her page turning novel. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my sincere own. This is a great read!

The First to Lie is a mind-blowing, twisty thriller that will capture you on the first page and have you speed reading to get to the last page!! It will keep you guessing until the end.

This is the first time reading a book by this author, but it won't be my last!! I was not disappointed and I am an avid reader of mystery and thrillers.

Every time I thought I had everything figured out, I would realize I was wrong. That is my bar set for a great thriller!

Thank you Netgalley and MacmillanTor/Forge for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.I

#thefirsttolie #netgalley

With Hank Phillippi Ryan's background as an investigative reporter, there is a sense of accuracy lent to this story about one woman investigating a pharmaceutical company's dubious practices, and one who is working within the organization, and the family behind the company. There was something that felt like a big clue very early on where I guessed one of the big secrets, and I wasn't sure if this was intentional or not (vague here to avoid spoilers). But I was very invested in this story, wondering how far the characters would go to get a scoop, to search for justice, or to find revenge.

This book was so crazy and hard to wrap my head around - in a good way! I was on edge reading it after the beginning picked up a little. Every time I thought I had a connection or character figured out I was wrong again and again, which makes a perfect thriller for me! The ending was crazy and so unexpected. Thank you for this copy!

“The First to Lie”—Hank Phillippi Ryan [5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️] Holy damn what have I just read! This was my first book by this author and I most certainly enjoyed this suspenseful thriller that had me guessing and second guessing literally up until the very end. This is truly a story of revenge and justice mixed in with a whole lot of deceit stemming from the devastation brought on by a major pharmaceutical company and the family who owns it. There are so many secrets and lies, but what stakes will people be willing to go to in order to seek the truth and justice for lives that were ruined? This book goes back and forth between the perspectives of different characters, past and present, but it ties in together so well with a plot that’s filled with so many twists and turns along the way. I would definitely recommend checking out this book 👍🏼 *Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*📚

This isn't the first time that the lovely people at @netgalley have let me have an ARC of a novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan. I loved the previous one I read, The Murder List, and I was not disappointed by The First to Lie at all. This is a mind-blowing, twisty thriller that is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'm really struggling to review this book without giving too much away. So I'll just say - this book is ace. If you're a thriller fan it's well worth reading. Great pace and keeps you guessing!

Focused on a fictitious pharmaceutical company in Boston known as Pharminex, The First to Lie explores corruption in the pharmaceutical industry and the lengths people will go to cover their lies. Pharminex launches “miracle” drug Monifan and they’re pushing it as a booster for fertility treatments, only some of the time it has the opposite effect. Ellie, a young journalist is investigating Pharminex for a piece she is doing for a new local network. Nora, a young pharmaceutical rep, is also investigating Pharminex from the inside. Both women hold a secret, they are not who they say they are.

The First to Lie is told from the multiple perspectives of Nora, Ellie, Lacey, and Brooke. My advice going into this book is to not trust anyone or that they are who they say they are. This book had so many twists and turns, it constantly kept me guessing, and checking if what I knew up to that point still rang true.

This was the first book I’ve read from author Hank Phillippi Ryan, and it definitely won’t be my last!

I love a story about hidden pasts driving people's actions and secrets coming to light. So I enjoyed the premise of this book as investigative reporter Ellie secretly rushed to expose a pharmaceutical company's tragic and horrible wrongdoing and you don't quite know who's on what side and what they're hiding. However, I figured out some of the book's major reveals within the first few chapters, and then again about 50-75% of the way through because the prologue and back cover clued me in a bit too much that everyone was not who they seemed. That did take some of the excitement out of the book because I could attribute motivations to the characters that weren't written into the story yet. However, this was still a great mystery/thriller and an enjoyable read! Thank you to Tor/Forge, Macmillan, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Ellie, a reporter suddenly saddled with an unwanted assistant, and Nora, posing as a pharmaceutical saleswoman, are both seeking to expose a big pharmaceutical company selling a drug that promises to help desperate women get pregnant when, for many, it takes away their ability to have a child. The First to Lie, a cat-and-mouse thriller, is filled with twists and turns and just when an answer seems in sight, the roller coaster crests a hill and dives in another direction.

FIRST LINE: "Without any sneaky fine print and knowing everything you know, if you could start your adult life over as someone else, would you do it?"

WHAT I THOUGHT: This was my first time to read Hank Phillippi Ryan and I had no idea what I was missing. Smooth writing, careful plotting, and interesting characters keep the reader's attention. You'll be worried who to believe and who to care about throughout the whole ride. The reader is in good hands.

BOTTOM LINE: Be careful when you start to read this thrilling suspense novel or you might be up all night! RECOMMENDED.

Disclaimer: A copy of The First to Lie was provided to me by Forge/Net Galley for an honest review.

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Forge Books (August 4, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1250258804
ISBN-13: 978-1250258809

USA Today bestselling author HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN has won five Agatha Awards in addition to Anthony, Macavity, Daphne du Maurier, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, she's won 36 Emmys and many more journalism honors. A past president of National Sisters in Crime and founder of MWA University, Ryan lives in Boston with her husband, a nationally renowned civil rights and criminal defense attorney.

The First to Lie, Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest mystery novel is terrific. This is the story of women with reasons of their own for their interest in Pharminex, a pharmaceutical company making a “miracle” drug. Each woman is working in her own way to take Pharminex down. But why? No one - let me repeat no one - can juggle so many stories and motives at once like Ms. Ryan. And, when she gets to the reveal, it comes as an “of course!” rather than a “huh?”.

First, we are introduced to Nora, who has been hired as a pharmaceutical representative for Pharminex. Her job is to get doctors to prescribe the new drug no matter what she has to do to get them onboard. Then we meet Ellie, an investigative reporter for a new tv station, and Meg, Ellie’s new, nosy, and ever-present producer. What these women have in common is a secret and a thirst for justice.

This is a tough plot to discuss without giving too much away and I am trying to be very careful not to ruin it for anyone by including spoilers. Suffice it to say that if you can put this down to go to sleep, you’re a stronger person than I am. My suggestion is to start it early in a day. Luckily, it’s summer and maybe you have some time off? In my opinion, there’s no better way to spend it.

By the way, because Ms. Ryan is such a good writer, I found it easy to keep the characters and the various points of view straight. Do yourself a favor – read The First to Lie. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Scientists at the giant, family-owned pharmaceutical company Vanderwald discover that Monifan, used to hasten healing after surgery, can also increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, fertility doctors start using it off label. The results are spectacular, and women desperate for a child flood the clinics prescribing it. What the doctors don’t mention to their patients is that there is a possibility the results may instead be devastating.
Three women converge on Boston to uncover the deeply buried and dangerous secrets behind the drug. A lawyer representing a firm that is also interested in Vanderwald convinces one of the women to join forces with him, but she doesn’t quite trust him. Each of the four is lying, but their intentions for doing so are unclear until deep into the story. The reasons for the interest in the company and the drug are different for each truth seeker. Some want to expose wrong-doing; others are seeking revenge for personal tragedies.
The First to Lie is another top-notch thriller from Ms. Ryan. The plot is complex, with plenty of twists and turns and surprises the reader will not see coming. Each character is fully fleshed out and unique. Their stories unfold in real time, revealing their backgrounds and motivations in ways that make perfect sense in the end. Highly recommended.

I don’t even know how to begin this review..I’m still reeling from how amazingly creative this story was!

A powerful family who owns an extremely large drug company, what could go wrong? You set out to help people but instead, your company gives way to tragedy. The depth of how deep this novel went and the ingenuity of the lies is like a breath of fresh air! I have not seen a book dive so deeply into untruths and be able to keep them separate in a very long while!

This is my first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan and it won’t be my last, I’m hooked now and can’t wait to read more! A truly special thanks to the author and Forge books for my copy! These opinions are my own, this is perfect for a weekend read, you will not be able to put it down!

The best part is you don’t have to wait, you can order from your favorite bookseller today!! Get your snacks and drinks ready and just binge read!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have to say I for one hate books that keep switching from one character to another in every chapter, (it just drives me nuts.) I honestly got about 5 chapters in and stopped not sure I wanted to keep reading it, but I decided to give it a second chance after all I love Hank Phillippi Ryan's books so I wanted to give it a fair chance, and I am so glad I did!

This book is written in more than just a one person perspective on a single subject about a drug that may or may not do what they claim, heartbreak, revenge and justice. You will be pulled in so many directions rooting for the people who only wanted one thing only to have their lives ripped apart, and looking for revenge for all the lies that would be uncovered along the way.

If you could taker a pill that would solve your fertility issues, would you? Many women would say yes, but what they don’t know is that while it works for many, for some it could ruin their chances of ever having children. Ellie its determined to take down the pharmaceutical company that isn’t disclosing the full truth. Meanwhile, Nora is just trying to do her job as a sales rep. Or is she? Will Ellie be able to make the truth known?

Whew! This was one of those books where you have no idea who to trust. Everyone was someone else, everyone had something to hide, and everyone seemed to want the same thing, but maybe not? It had me wondering the entire time who was on what side and who was who and who you could trust. This one definitely messes with your head! That said, I really loved it! I am still trying to get my head around everything that happened and how it all turned out! I had to love the take down the Pharma giant angle too! When I was looking for jobs I had a lot of Pharma recruiters reach out, but I just couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t feel right trying to get doctors to give out my drugs over others, especially when you never truly know which ones work and for who. I just didn’t feel comfortable with that kind of sales. I need to sell a product I truly believe in, which luckily for me I am! Anyway that sidetracked!! I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend grabbing it if you haven’t already!