The First to Lie, Hank Phillippi Ryan’s newest suspense mystery, revolves around women and echoes her own life, with the multiple-Emmy and award-winning investigative reporter creating a character who will have that same job. It begs the question about the identities that we show to the world, and what will be believed about us.

Ellie Berensen, new to Boston and ready to start at a brand new channel, takes on an important case that should set her career at Channel 11 off with a bang.

Her investigation is into a drug company owned by a wealthy family, who may be keeping a devastating side effect from the women using it. This has her scrambling for information on the story and for an insider’s view. With her new boss breathing down her neck, Ellie finds herself saddled with a perky producer, Meg.

In their infinite wisdom, the channel has installed Meg in the apartment across the hall from Ellie. Meg Weest is the kind of eager woman who starts to become a pain in Ellie’s side. She asks questions that are too personal, and insinuates her self into Ellie’s story in far too many areas.

Nora Quinn is one of a batch of new sales reps for the drug company Pharminex. Acing her orientation is one thing; dealing with the doctors and the women she meets in their offices is another.

While vastly different, one thing all of these characters have in common are the secrets they are hiding, and the past hurts that have pushed them to seek revenge.

Effective flashbacks tell the story of other women, one whom has been betrayed by her own family; another whom has had her secure future and family yanked away from her.

But just whom is masquerading as whom? And when other women linked to the Pharminex case start to die in accidents, are their deaths really accidental or deliberate?

Ryan brings her own expertise and knowledge of a reporter’s investigation into play in a devious and twisted plot that will keep reader’s flipping pages as the one truth emerges: everyone is lying.