First Lie Wins

Evie Porter, born as Lucca Marino, is the active, dynamic protagonist of First Lie Wins. Evie is a highly resourceful and observant character who comes from a humble background. She grew up with little money or formal education. She had to care for her unwell and dying mother and became a con artist to pay for her mother’s treatments. Evie’s excellence as a criminal was noticed by the malevolent crime boss Mr. Smith, who coerced Evie to complete jobs in his employ. This character background creates a moral motivation for Evie’s criminal activity in support of her role as the novel’s sympathetic anti-hero. Mr. Smith often gives Evie very little information about how to complete the tasks he’s set for her, so Evie often must devise solutions to seemingly impossible problems on the fly. Though Evie is forced to complete these jobs under threat of violence/exposure from Mr. Smith, she still enjoys her criminality and chooses to continue in a life of crime after Mr. Smith’s demise. Arguably, the narrative presents her character arc as gaining control over her life, rather than turning away from a life of crime.