"First Lie Wins" by Ashley Elston

This twisty-turny cat-and-mouse thriller totally drew me in. The world of subterfuge and secret identities that Evie Porter lives in is cleverly woven. Each direction the plot takes, and each new revelation, is satisfying and nicely unpredictable. I don’t do well with stories that have too many characters, hidden identities, or overly complex plots - and this book managed to hit a perfect balance: intriguing puzzles, a good cast of characters, and an imaginative storyline, but without losing the reader in complexity.

The story kept me turning the pages as each plot point unfolded. The main character, Evie Porter, and the small group of friends and confidantes are very likeable despite the shady business they’re involved in, and I really wanted good outcomes for all of them.

I found the drawing together of the loose ends towards the end of the book immensely satisfying - any details that would have spoiled the plot earlier in the book were so subtly written that I didn’t spot many of them until their importance became obvious as the plot was revealed.

Highly recommended. I’m also very glad to see that there’s a TV adaptation in the works!

Thank you #NetGalley and Headline for the free review copy of #FirstLieWins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★★

NetGalley Review

"Dogboy v Catfish" by Luke Gracias

This is a moderately engaging police procedural.

The blurb is so concise that I’ll repeat it here:

“The police investigation into Dogboy's disappearance leads them into the dark world of counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, and drug smuggling. With Dogboy's assets frozen and the mob protecting their interests, the missing persons case escalates to homicide. Catfish is in a race against time to get hold of Dogboy's assets before the police get hold of her. One question remains - is Dogboy dead or alive?”

Yes. That’s exactly what happens. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The plot holds together, but there are no real surprises, and each chapter just felt like turning the handle to move one step further towards the end. The perfunctory writing style added to this same of trudging through the book - often seeming like a checklist of activities that each character needed to be doing. Some randomly spurious details thrown in from time to time: “Sabina had her Canon DSLR with the 400 mm zoom pointed across the street” (the only relevance here being that it was a camera) - perhaps this was the author’s attempt to inject more realism, but it just felt like padding to me. The characters were distinct, but lacking depth.

So… engaging enough for me to get to the end - that’s all.

Thank you #NetGalley and the author for the free review copy of #Dogboyvcatfish in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

My rating: ★★★☆☆

NetGalley Review

"Call for the Dead" (George Smiley Book 1) by John le Carré

This is my first spy novel, so I thought I’d start with something by a master of spy fiction. John le Carré doesn’t disappoint: the characters and settings are very evocative of their time, and a very unglamorous world of espionage is well portrayed.

I was only vaguely aware of the Smiley stories, so had no expectations. The character of George Smiley, as an aging intelligence officer no longer in his operational prime, is sympathetic and engaging - and I cared what happened to him.

This isn’t an action story: the plot has some pleasing twists and turns, with the expected deception and misdirection from some of the characters, but it’s a slow burn rather than a page turner.

I was a bit conflicted about rating this book. It’s almost certainly a good example of the genre (despite my lack of experience), hence the 4 star review. But it’s a genre that I don’t think I’ll engage with. This was one of the reasons I wanted to start with a classic - so that I’d have a good example to decide whether or not I want to read more spy novels. It turns out that I don’t.

My rating: ★★★★☆