NOVEMBER 2025 BOOKERS MINUTES &
MUSINGS
First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston
“If
you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything,” Mark Twain
25 Bookers
met at the home of Susan Cunyus on Veterans’ Day to discuss this month’s read
in hopes of a lively conversation and we were not disappointed, some in
attendance no doubt asking what planet the selection committee was on when we
chose this one. All kidding aside, there’s a method to our madness – to explore
different genres that challenge us to read outside our comfort zone – mission accomplished.
As always, member input is welcomed, so if you have a recommendation that you
think might be a good Bookers’ book, please pass it on to me, Jane Shaw, Patty
Evans, and/or Kat Mackey! Also, FYI, Bookish has chosen a novella, A
Carol for Mrs. Dickens by Rebecca Connolly for their December book club.
You might enjoy this one if you find time during the holidays.
It was
good to see Chris Vaughn again and to welcome new member, Danah Peterson, and a
special treat, the very well-behaved three-month old Beretta, a micro teacup
Schnauzer in the arms of Mama Russo.
Sunshine:
We
are saddened to learn of the passing of one of Bookers’ charter members, Pat
Faherty, on October 21, 2025. She was our own St. Francis of Assisi, the patron
saint of animals, who believed in the eyes of an animal, we find a reflection
of our own compassion. Pat often volunteered with The Friends of the Animals at
Cedar Creek Lake assisting in their spay and neutering procedures. Her family
has requested donations in her name to www.friendsoftheanimals.org. As no one had an objection, I’ll
be contributing $100.00 from our slush fund in PWC Bookers’ name in her honor.
Business:
Our
December 9th meeting will be our holiday party at the home of Suzy
Penner, 119 St. Andrews Drive, Pinnacle Golf Club. Rebecca Robinson, our food
and beverage czar, will be in charge of coordinating what volunteers bring to
share for this meeting. Stay tuned for an email soon. We will be discussing The
Shack, by William Paul Young, a revisit from Bookers 2008, a story
about the realities of this world and the hope of the next – the author’s goal
– not to tell people how to get to heaven, just inspire them to want to go
there.
About the Author:
Elston,
a Louisiana-based author and avid reader, was a wedding photographer with three
young boys who were starting to play sports and hated that her weekends were
consumed with work, so she took a step back from her job and started following
her passion. She describes her first book as terrible, but persevered and the
next one was published and sold declaring no one was more surprised than her. She’s
written six successful young adult novels and First Lie Wins is
her adult debut selected by Reese Witherspoon’s book club and is now being
adapted into a Hulu series starring Octavia Spencer, which Ashley describes as another
pinch-me-moment.
Being
a visual person because of her photography background, the inspiration for this
novel began seeing a group of people sitting around a table imagining what they
were discussing and thinking…what if someone was there that shouldn’t be and
then continued to “what if” as the story progressed until the plot had
developed. Louisiana became its own character through her descriptions and
southern culture was dominant like her references of the characters attending a
Kentucky Derby watch party – which most likely would not happen north of the
Mason-Dixon line. She’s currently in the very early stages of writing a new
book.
Synopsis:
First
Lie Wins refers
to the old saying that the initial lie told often sets the narrative and influences
what people believe to be true and once established it can shape perceptions
and control the truth for a period of time – the concept suggesting the first
untruth can lead to further dishonesty and complicate the situation. In Ashley
Elston’s cat and mouse type suspense novel, it proves that the first lie is a
game changer. The story involves a mysterious woman, Evie Porter, with a fake
identity who is trying to stay one step ahead of her past when she realizes
there’s something suspicious going on that she’s involved in. Instead of a psychological thriller
where people mess with each other’s heads, this novel turns out to be an “I’m-going-to-break-all-your-fingers-and-blackmail-you-type
thriller.” The story unravels slowly, with flashback chapters sprinkled in
to help flesh out her past and explain who Evie really is and what she’s up to.
Evie has a
handsome, caring boyfriend named Ryan Sumner, the perfect house, and a group of
fun friends. What could possibly be wrong with her life – as it turns out Evie
isn’t actually real. Her name is Lucca Marino and she’s pulling a con, and the
target is her lover. She’s been hired by the mysterious Mr. Smith to carry out several
jobs including retrieving sensitive information to blackmail clients; however,
she turns the tide in her favor eventually gaining the advantage over her boss.
In all
sorts of twists and turns, readers find out what Ryan was really doing with his
“legitimate” trucking business; the real identity of Mr. Smith; the surprising
role Amy Holder played in the schemes; who ordered the fake Lucca and James to
die and why it was necessary; why Evie Porter does not reclaim her real name; and
why Evie and Ryan connected in the first place and his role working with Mr.
Smith. In the end, the pair decide to stay together with a little wink and a
nod as neither are squeaky clean characters, but both are likeable crooks and
perfect for each other.
Our discussion:
Before we
begin our rating system, let’s address a couple of questions. Both Evie and
Ryan are morally gray but despite her life of crime, there were a few lines she
would not cross – refusing to leave Miles unattended after his mother was
injured; giving financial advice to Tyron; changing critical information about
Ryan’s business so Mr. Smith wouldn’t be able to take it from him. Does this
redeem her in any way? We’ve got a tough crowd – overwhelmingly No.
The story
alternates between the present and a series of flashbacks – the purpose being
to give readers insights into Evie’s actions or thought processes in the
present…what happened in the past driving both. Did you find these distracting
and slow the pace of the novel down? Some thought it did impact the pace
especially in the middle of the book where some of the flashbacks went on too
long. Having said that, without these references, her motivation would be
muddled. “All Evie’s jobs in the past were short cons, but this was a long con
that would not have made sense without the flashbacks,” said two astute Bookers!
Evie left
behind origami swans after each job was completed…it was her calling card and
an art she learned from her mother. In Japanese culture, this gesture wishes
the recipient good luck, prosperity and longevity, a happy and healthy life. The
character, Mr. Smith, proved to be the exception.
At the
end, Evie is set to take over Mr. Smith’s business. Many hoped she would give
up her life of revenge and crime and settle into an ordinary relationship with
Ryan. But that Pollyanna outlook probably would not fit with her character profile
– once a con always a con.
Life is
full of “firsts” and Bookers experienced that today as we began offering our
assessments of the novel using our rating system. Leading us off a couple of
members created a new category, 0 to 0.5: which must be a slight step below “put
your money back in the piggy bank,” the issues being the alternating chapters
(at least the author titled whether the chapter was present day or a flashback –
otherwise it would be difficult to keep up with the storyline) – the back and
forth was annoying, the ending was flat, and overall they just didn’t enjoy the
book – the only positive comment was kudos to the author for her knowledge in
creating the intricate plans. The two’s (borrow don’t buy) thought it was fun
but silly with unrealistic and underdeveloped characters and couldn’t wait to
turn the last page. The majority chose three (good beach read) as it was
clever, a page-turner, good characters, twists and turns at every chapter;
looking forward to the movie; some redeeming qualities at the end but most didn’t
like the way it ended – would rather Evie and Ryan give up the cloak and dagger
lifestyle and just be regular newlyweds. Our two fours loved a good con artist and
a page-turner, and no one felt the urgency to include this one in their will.
Jane Shaw
shared with us that on a recent river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel,
Switzerland, she visited the ship’s library to find only one book in English – First
Lie Wins. Kinda’ like one of those woo-hoo moments when the unexpected
happens. And to close out our meeting our unofficial “official” photojournalist,
Karla Lawson, placed her phone on the mantel for a group photo when it fell behind
the glass door of the fireplace below, giving an all-new meaning to the “find my
phone” option whereby our hostess’ husband had to be summoned to save the day. Thank
you, Ronnie!
Happy
Reading,
JoDee
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