January 2024

When I was on vacation last summer, I read FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston and could not wait for it to come out so I could discuss it with people. I read a lot of thrillers and am used to twists, but this book definitely ratcheted up the game…a lot! I am not alone in saying this as friends who are now reading it are calling and writing to tell me “how good” it is.

The protagonist is Evie Porter, a con woman, but on the current “job” she likes the guy she is conning, which definitely presents a challenge. She’s thinking about getting out of the game, but then someone shows up. This makes her wonder just how she ever will be able to walk away from the life she has been living --- and what that life would look like. She also is not sure who exactly is giving her the jobs she has been doing. She is aware that his name is Mr. Smith, but she knows little about him. So would she be found if she walked away? Is it even possible? She is fast on her feet, but can she really stay that much of a step ahead?

We also move through the past with Evie, and we see her in other places with other names playing cons. The storylines are set in the South, which is home territory for Ashley, so she knows it well. And when readers are there, she has the right atmosphere surrounding them.

This is Ashley’s first book for adults after a career writing YA novels, and I am so looking forward to seeing what she does next. My interview with her will appear on the Bookreporter homepage January 19th.