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 ( )

Suspense

I enjoyed this thriller, although (as with most thrillers I read) at a certain point my suspension of disbelief came crashing down. Not until right at the end, though. The overall plot of taking down big pharma and entitled rich people rings my bells, although it's hard for me to relate to all these women whose lives are meaningless unless they can have a child. I'm a woman, but I guess the mother gene was left out of my DNA. Because after a while I did want to say, omg just get on with your life. The emphasis on procreation just bored me after awhile.

Lots of spoilers now, so if you haven't read the book, stop here.

All the shifting identities got a bit confusing after awhile. I was able to accept that Brooke/Ellie/Nora didn't recognize Lacey/Meg because 'Meg' had loads of money and access to surgery (a fact which was discussed in the book), and just psychologically, Brooke was a self-centered teenager when her brother got married and so arguably wasn't paying attention to his new wife. But what I couldn't get past when the true identities were all revealed was that the relationship between Meg and Ellie, Ellie felt like the older one. Meg was kind of bumbling, and even her language was that of a young person. But Meg/Lacey was at least eight years older than Ellie/Brooke, if not more. It was unbelievable to me that the age difference wouldn't be more obvious.

Also, I think Brooke would have recognized Liam. Just saying. ( )

A breathtaking rush of journalism, the power of big pharma, and determined people in conflict, some to find the truth and others to hide it. Fantastic characters and quick pacing! ( )

Am reading this book for upcoming Bouchercon awards. Seriously disappointed that this book even garnered a nomination. Plot premise was good -- investigative reporter and lawyer trying to uncover how a big pharma company was misleading women into taking a drug with serious side effects, sometimes rendering them unable to conceive a child. But the many named characters, all of them boiling down to a few people, were confusing to track over the chapters and over the two timelines. That wasn't the biggest problem with the plotting however. The idea that these few characters actually knew each other as teenagers, but yet as 30 and 40-somethings somehow couldn't recognize each other through thin disguises, was stunningly ludicrous. A wig, contacts and a little makeup can't change fundamental appearances that much!!! And many of the scenes replayed and rehashed the same information, the same diatribe against big pharma, the same old interactions, always interrupted by texts and calls from the other characters not currently physically present. I really like Hank Phillipi Ryan, but she missed it on this one. Tiresome book. ( )