First Lie Wins Summary: A Con Artist’s Deadly Game
TL;DR: The Con That Eats Its Own
Lucca Marino is a professional operative for the mysterious Mr. Smith. Using the alias Evie Porter, she’s infiltrated the life of Ryan Sumner in a small Louisiana town.
Just as her assignment deepens, a woman arrives in town claiming to be the real Lucca Marino. This forces Evie into a high-stakes battle against her own employer.
The story jumps through her past cons—Izzy, Mia, Wendy, Helen—to show how she got trapped.
Ultimately, Evie flips the script and escapes the organization’s grip by targeting its leader.
- Core narrative: A con artist fights for survival when her secret identity is stolen.
- Key themes: Identity loss, leverage, surveillance, and the power of a well-crafted lie.
- Format: Non-linear thriller with flashbacks to past assignments.
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Story Snapshot
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre & Subgenre | Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Suspense, Con Artist Thriller |
| Core Narrative Tropes | Fake Identity, Hidden Shadows, Damsel in Distress, Secret Partnership, Forced Proximity |
| Tone & Atmosphere | Calculating, tense, paranoid, and claustrophobic |
| Primary Conflict | Evie must outmaneuver her ruthless boss while maintaining her cover with her target. |
| Pacing Style | Non-linear, fast-paced, and highly detailed |
| ISBN | 978-0593492932 |
| Pages | 368 pages |
First Lie Wins Summary: The Long Con
Spoiler Warning: This section details the plot, including the ending.
Lucca Marino’s journey into the criminal world begins in North Carolina. Desperate to pay her dying mother’s medical bills, seventeen-year-old Lucca steals jewelry from wealthy homes.
She uses wigs and makeup to become someone else. After her mother dies, her luck runs out during a credit card scam in Raleigh.
Instead of jail, she is handed to Mr. Smith. He runs a sophisticated network of agents. Lucca begins a new life, becoming a different woman for every job.
As Izzy Williams, she steals a flash drive from a wealthy couple. As Mia Bianchi, she infiltrates a political campaign. As Wendy Wallace, she targets a college football coach.
The present-day plot is set in Lake Forbing, Louisiana. Lucca, now known as Evie Porter, is dating Ryan Sumner. Ryan appears to be a financial planner but secretly runs Glenview Trucking, a hub for black-market goods. Evie’s mission is to get close to him and retrieve information for Mr. Smith.
The tension ignites when a woman calling herself Lucca Marino appears in Lake Forbing. This impostor uses Evie’s real name, hometown, and even a childhood photo.
It’s a psychological attack from Mr. Smith, reminding Evie she is replaceable. The fake Lucca and Ryan’s friend James Bernard die in a staged car crash, which Mr. Smith tries to pin on Evie.
Evie is arrested under a material witness warrant related to a fire in Atlanta. The police believe she killed an operative named Amy Holder.
Ryan’s lawyer friend, Rachel Murray, represents her. Evie realizes Ryan is secretly communicating with George, her friendly UPS driver, who is actually Mr. Smith.
The pieces click into place. Ryan was hired to monitor her. The death of Amy Holder was faked by Evie and her hacker partner, Devon, years earlier to free Amy from Mr. Smith’s reach. Evie and Devon have been building a con to take down Mr. Smith from the inside.
Their plan works. Evie alters dental records to prove the dead woman in Louisiana was the real Lucca Marino. She gives police a solid alibi using a famous NFL friend.
Finally, she lures Mr. Smith to a bank vault. There, she reveals she has exposed his financial double-crossing to his dangerous client, Victor Connolly. Connolly’s men take Mr. Smith away.
Free at last, Lucca returns to Ryan. He admits he fell in love with her and protected her.
They reconcile and decide to run Mr. Smith’s old network under the name “Miss Smith” to protect themselves and start a new life.
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Summary by Chapter
Spoiler Warning: This is a detailed breakdown of all 38 sections.
Chapter 1: Evie Porter hosts a dinner party for Ryan Sumner’s friends. They question her background, and she gives vague answers. Ryan asks her to move in with him, and she agrees, hiding that she has been watching him for a long time.
Chapter 2: Ryan is eager for Evie to move in. She stages a fake apartment with cheap items to create a paper trail. The apartment manager, Shawna, makes an unexpected visit, but Evie handles it.
Chapter 3: Evie moves boxes into Ryan’s house under the watch of suspicious neighbors. At her old apartment, Ryan inspects her belongings. He admits he is searching her boxes to learn everything about her.
Chapter 4: Evie hides her face from cameras at a shipping store. She uses her knuckles to type a code and opens a secret mailbox, Box 1428. She slips an envelope inside and leaves quickly.
Chapter 5: At lunch with Ryan’s friends, Evie tells her first major lie. She claims she survived a car accident in Alabama that killed her parents. This stops their questions. Rachel Murray remains suspicious. Evie checks her fake online records.
Chapter 6: Ryan visits Evie at the gallery where she works. He gets a tense work call. He tells her she can tell him anything. Evie calls Rachel for a truce, realizing Rachel is a threat to her cover.
Chapter 7: At a Derby party, James Bernard introduces his companion as Lucca Marino. The woman correctly answers questions about Eden, North Carolina. Evie has a panic attack in the bathroom.
Lucca Marino—Ten Years Ago: Seventeen-year-old Lucca steals jewelry from a wealthy home. She cares for her sick mother, Angelina, and melts down the gold to pay bills. Wigs and makeup separate her two lives.
Chapter 8: Evie recovers and leaves the party. She realizes Mr. Smith sent the fake Lucca to target her. To distract Ryan, she seduces him in the car. She vows to discover how Mr. Smith got her real history.
Chapter 9: Evie checks her secret mailbox and finds it empty. She thinks back to her dossier on Ryan Sumner. She knows Mr. Smith is testing her and keeping her in the dark.
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Lucca Marino—Eight Years Ago: Lucca is caught with a credit card scanner at a fundraiser. A detective hands her a phone to call Mr. Smith. He offers her a job, and she meets Matt Rowen at AAA Investigations.
Chapter 10: Evie sees the fake Lucca embedding herself with Ryan’s friends. She finds an old school photo on social media. Mr. Smith tells her she is replaceable. Evie pops her tire to create an alibi and drives to East Texas.
Chapter 11: Disguised as a worker, Evie sneaks into Glenview Trucking. She hides in a shower stall and overhears Ryan threatening to cut off a rogue employee’s fingers. She is shocked by his violent side.
Chapter 12: Ryan and Evie run into James and the fake Lucca at a store. Ryan notices the physical similarities. Evie invites them to dinner, going on the offensive.
Alias: Izzy Williams—Eight Years Ago: Lucca works as a nanny for the Kingstons to steal a flash drive. Jenny Kingston catches her but falls and hits her head. Lucca flees with the drive.
Chapter 13: At dinner, Evie confronts the fake Lucca in the kitchen. She proves the woman doesn’t know Eden’s geography. The guests leave in tension.
Chapter 14: James and the fake Lucca die in a car crash. At the Bernard home, Evie searches their suitcases. She finds Mr. Smith’s instructions to search her belongings.
Alias: Mia Bianchi—Six Years Ago: Lucca infiltrates Andrew Marshall’s campaign. She finds no dirt on him. With Devon’s help, she blackmails a corrupt senator instead to protect Marshall.
Chapter 15: Evie meets Devon secretly. They confirm the dead woman is the fake Lucca. Evie decides to alter the Glenview Trucking files she plans to give Mr. Smith.
Chapter 16: Police arrest Evie under a warrant related to Amy Holder’s death. Rachel represents her. Ryan visits and promises to protect her.
Lucca Marino—Six Years Ago: Lucca confronts Matt Rowen and demands direct contact with Mr. Smith. She uses her blackmail material as leverage. She leaves an origami swan as a warning.
Chapter 17: Evie is released. She finds an origami swan at home with photos of her at the fire scene. Mr. Smith demands she retrieve Amy Holder’s stolen items. She cries in Ryan’s arms.
Chapter 18: Ryan insists on driving to Atlanta with Evie. She leaves a secret note for Devon. Ryan admits he runs a black-market business.
Alias: Wendy Wallace—Six Years Ago: Lucca targets football coach Mitch Cameron. She blackmails a booster to buy out his contract cleanly. She meets a recruit named Tyron Nichols.
Chapter 19: Evie visits Mitch Cameron’s home to plant a bug. This allows her and Devon to intercept Mr. Smith’s messages on a music forum. They learn about his network of agents.
Alias: Helen White—Four Years Ago: Lucca is in a competition to steal a painting from Ralph Tate. She finds it hidden behind a false wall and swaps it with a forgery. She learns the other failed agents were killed.
Chapter 20: In Nashville, Evie gets a politician’s contact info. George warns her to cooperate. Devon shows her a video Mr. Smith uploaded, showing her in Amy Holder’s burning hotel room.
Chapter 21: Evie overhears Ryan talking to George. She realizes Ryan has been monitoring her for Mr. Smith. Devastated, she hides her reaction and spends a tense night with him.
Chapter 22: Evie searches Ryan’s computer bags and finds proof of his collaboration. She drives to North Carolina and alters dental records to match the dead fake Lucca.
Alias: Regina Hale—Six Months Ago: Lucca targets Amy Holder in Decatur. Amy reveals she knows she is being followed. They are both being watched by Mr. Smith’s shadow.
Chapter 23: Evie meets the Atlanta detectives. They play videos of her at the hotel fire. They believe she is the killer.
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Chapter 24: Evie claims the woman in the video was the dead Lucca Marino. She uses a FaceTime call with NFL player Tyron Nichols as an alibi. The detectives clear her.
Alias: Regina Hale—Six Months Ago: Regina sets Amy’s hotel room on fire. She fakes Amy’s death using a body from a morgue. She calls Mr. Smith to report the “failure.”
Chapter 25: Evie and George enter a bank vault. Inside the safe deposit box, George finds only a blank origami swan. Evie reveals she exposed him to Victor Connolly, whose men take him away.
Lucca Marino—Four Years Ago: Lucca and Amy realize Mr. Smith is killing off failed agents. They agree to work together to destroy his organization.
Chapter 26: Lucca wakes up in a cabin with Devon and a very alive Amy. She has been asleep for two days. They are finally free.
Alias: Evie Porter—Four Months Ago: Evie stages a flat tire to meet Ryan Sumner at a gas station. They go to dinner, and she weaves more truth into her lies than usual.
Evie Porter—Present Day: Three months later, Evie returns to Ryan. They have an honest conversation. Ryan admits he protected her. They decide to live together and run the old message board under the name “Miss Smith.”
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Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Evie Porter / Lucca Marino | A professional con artist working undercover to target Ryan Sumner while plotting to escape her boss. |
| Ryan Sumner | Evie’s target in Louisiana who runs a secret black-market trucking business and falls in love with her. |
| Christopher Smith / George | The paranoid mastermind who runs the network of undercover agents and poses as a UPS driver. |
| Devon | Evie’s hacker partner who provides technical support and helps orchestrate the plan for freedom. |
| Amy Holder | A former operative who fakes her death with Evie’s help to escape Mr. Smith’s control. |
| Fake Lucca Marino | An impostor hired by Mr. Smith to use Evie’s real identity against her. |
| James Bernard | Ryan’s troubled childhood friend who is used as a pawn by Mr. Smith. |
| Rachel Murray | The attorney who represents Evie after her arrest and suspects her false identity. |
| Matt Rowen | An associate of Mr. Smith who coordinates Lucca’s early assignments. |
| Victor Connolly | The head of a crime family who takes custody of Mr. Smith after his betrayal is exposed. |
Who Will Enjoy First Lie Wins?
This novel is aimed squarely at readers of fast-paced psychological suspense.
The pacing is relentless, with Ashley Elston using short, punchy chapters and non-linear flashbacks to keep the tension high.
Fans of complex female protagonists who are not purely victims or villains will gravitate to Lucca.
If you enjoy books like The Last Flight by Julie Clark or The Lies I Tell, this plot fits that mold. It is also a good fit for readers who liked The Maid by Nita Prose, due to the similar high-stakes investigative pressure surrounding a hotel death.
