Hank Phillippi Ryan is the master of mystery and deception. Her novels are filled with people who are not quite who they appear to be, and THE FIRST TO LIE is no different. It is about a pharmaceutical company that will stoop as low as possible to push their drug, which often helps women become pregnant. The problem? One of the side effects is sterility. Those who were promised a baby end up never being able to have children of their own.

Several women are investigating the company. Nora Quinn is the beautiful and determined drug representative who works for Pharminex. Affectionately known as P-X, it produces Monifan, the double-edged drug that can produce a baby or take away that possibility permanently. We understand from the start that she has her own agenda, one that P-X would not approve of.

"Hank Phillippi Ryan has penned a story that is filled with questions yet is touching and thoughtful. It will keep readers thinking about the characters and the situations long after the mysteries are solved."

Ellie Berensen has relocated to Boston to work for a news station, Channel 11, and will be starting that job in a few weeks. She is investigating P-X and Monifan. Believing that the company is not warning women about the side effects, she is determined to get the scoop on this explosive story.

Meg Weest has moved across the hall from Ellie. They briefly interact, but Ellie has no idea that Meg will be working with her at Channel 11 until the next day, when Meg appears at a meeting with Ellie and her news director.

Each of these ladies is hiding something, but we don't know what their secrets are. Chapters are titled with the name of the woman from whose perspective we are reading. Then there are chapters labeled “Before" with two new characters, Brooke and Lacey. Brooke is the daughter of the Pharminex dynasty, the Winton Trevor Vanderwalds. While perpetually angry at her domineering mother and absent father, she adores her big brother, Winton Trevor Vanderwald III. Lacey meets Trevor in college and determines that she will marry this handsome scion of a wealthy family.

As we read more about the past and the present, we start to think about what Nora, Ellie and Meg are hiding. We know they are all lying, but what exactly are those lies, and is there any truth in their lives? How are they related to Brooke and Lacey? And what is the ultimate goal of each woman?

At the same time that we are being mystified by this trio, there is someone named Guy or Gabe who is equally mysterious. Who is this handsome man who has appeared and happens to be investigating the same pharmaceutical company that Nora, Ellie and Meg are? When murders occur, the investigation turns lethal. Who can be trusted? And most importantly, who ARE all these people --- really?

You may figure out some of their identities, and some misdirection appears to be intentional. But I guarantee that few, if any, will accurately guess all the surprises that await. Hank Phillippi Ryan has penned a story that is filled with questions yet is touching and thoughtful. It will keep readers thinking about the characters and the situations long after the mysteries are solved.