Books Set in North America; Louisiana United States

First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston (2024)

This suspense thriller is narrated by a con woman calling herself Evie Porter who works for a mysterious man known only as “Mr. Smith.”  She is sent out around the South to find dirt on others.  The novel opens when she moves in with her latest mark, Ryan Sumner, who lives in a fictious small town in Southern Louisiana near the Texas border.

Although initially Evie was supposed to investigate Ryan’s mysterious side business, she soon finds herself falling in love with him.  One day Evie meets a woman calling herself Lucca Marino, which is Evie actual name.  Lucca is impersonating Evie and providing all the details of Evie’s actual life.  Soon after their meeting, the fake Lucca is killed in a car accident.

The plot goes back and forth in time as the layers of Evie’s life are slowly peeled back.  We learn of other jobs Evie has done for Mr. Smith and how these jobs impacted her life.  Evie realizes that some of the jobs she is assigned are actual jobs, but others are test of her loyalty to Mr. Smith.

When Evie is accused of murder and an arrest warrant is issued, she realized that Mr. Smith is testing her, possibly for a final time.  She must trust her instincts to take steps to protect herself, all the while considering who she can trust.

I have been reading some rather heavy books over the past few months.  This was just the ticket for a light and fast read.  Plus, the references to and about Louisiana were fun.  The suspense was sufficient to keep my attention.  A fun book.

Read: May 11, 2024

4 Stars

Books Set in North America, New York City and New England

Nine Tenths of the Law, by Claudia Hagadus Long (2020)

This novel follows two sisters, children of a Holocaust survivor, who search for a menorah that had once belonged to their mother before it was stolen by the Nazis.  After seeing a special exhibit on Judaic art in a New York museum, Zara believes that the menorah was one of the pieces exhibited.  She and her sister Lilly take steps to track down the putative owner.

After contacting the museum director about the piece, the menorah suddenly disappears.  Zara and Lilly continued their search but find themselves trapped in a dangerous scheme that involves fraud and murder.

Although many pieces of Judaic art were stolen by the Nazis during World War II, the sisters’ attempt to recover a piece that they believed to be a family heirloom were too far-fetched for my taste.

2 Stars

Read: May 4, 2024