Seven contestants are gathered in the Welsh countryside to compete in what they think is a survival competition series. But as cameras begin rolling live, they learn, alongside the rest of the country, that the competitors will be working against the others to keep their secrets hidden from the rest of the country. One of the contestants goes missing and the police have to investigate, led by DC Ffion Morgan. While working the missing person case, the other contestants begin to be eliminated, their secrets exposed to the nation. Resentments grow among the contestants and the crew until someone ends up dead.

A Game of Lies is a great sequel to The Last Party, with DC Ffion Morgan back on the case. This book absolutely works as a standalone with the new case surrounding Exposure, but will be a lot more satisfying when read together with The Last Party in order to better follow the personal issues Ffion is dealing with. The book shifts between perspectives well, sticking with Ffion and DS Leo Brady, with insights into the other characters surrounding the exposure show. I'm looking forward to seeking Ffion and Leo's next case. The small town setting continues to be well-explored, even if the majority of the book takes place in the outskirts of town. The book moves quickly and has an intriguing central mystery with plenty of suspects and I really liked the solution and final confrontation with the killer. Clare Mackintosh explores the hidden dangers of reality television well in the book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a copy of A Game of Lies in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a fan of Clare Mackintosh and A Game of Lies really hit the spot. I love procedural series, especially where the characters are well drawn out and the location is so idyllic it becomes a character of it's own. I also really enjoyed the plot and the pacing of it. The multiple perspectives really helped shape the book and move the story along. I would absolutely recommend both this book and this author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was VERY slow moving and the way it was told (timeline/POV) was strange. It was just fine for me, but I do think many others will enjoy it.

Good read from this author. I enjoyed the characters, and was kept guessing all along.
Thank you netgalley for the prerelease book.

Another great read by Claire Mackintosh! I continue to enjoy her books. The setting was fantastic. I I felt like I had traveled to the Welsh mountains Lots of tension, secrets and lies. Impossible to know who to trust. Really enjoyed it!
Thank you NetGalley and Claire Macintosh for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this! I got sucked in quickly. I always love Mackintosh's mysteries, but this was extra fun with the game show component. The mystery is excellent and moves along quickly. There are multiple POVs which are spaced out perfectly and not confusing at all. I love her snarky characters, how she unearths the dark underbelly of people and situations: like reality TV. The setting creates a locked-room effect that works really well and helps the mystery pay off! Definitely give this one a try if you enjoy smart mysteries!

Another interesting police procedural featuring Fli Morgan, who is a very interesting character.

This one is combined with a reality tv show, which I love, and some murders. The reality show wants the show to go on, but the police are determined to get to the bottom of things.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 rounded up!

A Game of Lies is the second instalment of the DC Morgan series and was just as good as the first (which is saying something because I adored that book). Ffion Morgan is a loveable, frustrating, and well-rounded character and I’m thrilled her story gets to continue.

Like this first book, this is a police procedural/thriller. The setting; however, is very unique - a survival reality show called Exposure where 7 contestants are competing for a £100,000 prize in Ffion’s small Welsh village. When one of the contestants goes missing, DS Leo Brady (Ffions love interest and partner from the first book) comes back on the scene to assist DC Ffion Morgan with the case.

Things are not as they seem on set and reality television is much less realistic than production would have people believe. Miles, the creator of Exposure, is detested by the contestants for his last minute change to the premise of the story. Exposure actually refers to exposing secrets, not being exposed to the elements. And some contestants secrets will destroy them if they get out.

Clare MacIntosh has kept the pacing, small town feel, tension, multiple points of views and plot twists from the last book and I couldn’t be happier that this book really did live up to my expectations.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the character of Ffion Morgan. I enjoyed the second installment in this series. I thought the mystery was fun and well-thought out. The ending made me happy. I'm not going to say much else so as not to ruin anything.

"They say the camera never lies.
But on this show, you can't trust anything you see.

Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for.

Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated - they'll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they'd ever imagined, and they're trapped.

The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people really are - knowing she can't trust any of them.

And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for."

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I've been a fan of Clare Mackintosh ever since reading I Let You Go almost 10 years ago. Her latest book, A Game of Lies, is the second in her series featuring DC Ffion Morgan.

A reality TV show is filming in Ffion's corner of Wales – seven contestants living in a camp, competing to be the last one standing. The show seems like a combination of Survivor and Fear Factor. But the contestants are surprised when they learn the show's true premise after they're already in camp and filming has begun. Each of them has a secret, and other contestants will be vying to expose them.

This setup leads to murder.

It's pretty clear early on who the victim will be, and, generally, for what reason. But the murder doesn't occur until the book reaches its halfway point. The run-up might feel long to readers who want stories to begin with a bang.

Mackintosh alternates chapters between different characters' points of view, which gives insight into the numerous folks who populate the novel. Pay attention, because in the latter part of the book, some of these chapters are flashbacks. They're labeled with days of the week, but if you've not paid close attention to the timeline of the story, it can take a minute to figure out where you are.

To solve the crime, Ffion is working again with DS Leo Brady, with whom she has a complicated past. These two. Will they ever get it right?

I'm all for imperfect heroines, but Ffion tried my patience mightily throughout the book. She's supposed to be charming and plucky enough that we (and the people in her life) don't mind how impulsive and, well, badly behaved she can be. I didn't get a strong enough sense of that charm to outweigh my exasperation with her.

The plot is the great strength of this book. It offers an intriguing mystery with a side of social commentary on reality TV. Read it for the intricate plotting, and try not to get too annoyed at Ffion.

*I received an early review copy from NetGalley.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an Arc.

I read the first book in the series and was eager to read into the next instalment to see how Ffin navigates through new cases and handles the dynamics in all her relationships.

Ffin’s life is pretty chaotic; she's separated from her husband and had a random one-night stand with Leo in the last book, only to discover she'd be working with him on a case the next day. Now, she finds herself in a similar situation with Leo involved in the current case. Meanwhile, there's a reality series called "Exposure" being filmed nearby, and Seren’s boyfriend is working there. On the first night, one of the contestants goes missing, and before you know it, Miles, who is in charge, is dead.

The book started off very slowly, and at times I struggled to get through it. It took me a while to finish. The twists were unpredictable, and I found the book interesting, though it felt drawn out at times. The Welsh language used in the story was hard to follow, and I sometimes struggled to understand its meaning. Overall, I would rate this as enjoyable and give it around a 3.25 out of 5. I'm looking forward to reading about Ffin’s next adventure with Dave the dog.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Claire Macintosh does it again! What a thrill ride of a story! The storyline is layered and very intriguing. Looking forward to more in this series.

REVIEW SHOULD RUN WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK

A Game of Lies is book two of the DC Ffion Morgan series. I recommend readers begin with the first volume, The Last Party, before perusing this. That novel contains crucial relationship and character-building that will enrich your reading experience. And it is a heck of a good book on its own merit.

Everyone in Ffion’s small village of Cwm Coed has been buzzing about Exposure, the new survivalist TV series filming at the local mountain, Pen y Ddraig. Regional postmistress Ceri is taking part in the adventure, and the denizens are convinced she has an edge since she is so familiar with their district's terrain. But their certainty of their friend’s participation turns to trepidation during the premiere episode when it is announced that Exposure isn’t about exhibiting your wilderness skills but is instead about something else entirely.

“All of you have a secret,” the contestants are told “Something you’ve worked hard to conceal from your friends and family. . . You’re not competing for cash. You’re competing to keep your secret. You’re competing to avoid Exposure. “

Written details of the secrets are kept in a secured metal box. The contestants are to spend their time trying to figure out what the others are trying to hide. At the end of each day, the person with the fewest viewer votes will have to enter the confession pod, a dark space filled with their greatest fears: spiders, rats, rushing water, or snakes, to name a few. They can keep their secret if they can hold out for the allotted time. If they want to be set free before their time is up, they will be - but the box will be opened, and their secret will be aired on national television.

None of the contestants or unsuspecting crew are happy. Only producer Miles Young seems delighted. He has ensured the contracts include heavy penalties if the participants should opt to leave and knows none of them has the wherewithal to do so. Nor, he believes, will they want to risk that part of the penalty will be Miles telling everyone their confidential (in some cases criminal) information.

Regardless of those risks, one of the contestants escapes the encampment on the first night. He doesn’t go home, and a preliminary search of the environs shows he has headed into the deep woods. That brings Ffion and DS Leo Brady together for the search and rescue. The missing man had a history of mental illness and shouldn’t, per the terms of the insurers, have been on the show to begin with. His wife is concerned that the threat to his privacy might drive him to self-harm. This is yet another black mark for producer Miles on a primetime broadcast that went from being eagerly anticipated to deeply disliked by the public. Viewers are still tuning in, but they’ve begun lodging serious complaints about both the concept and how it is being handled. When production property is damaged and a key player killed, the suspects are numerous - and they include the man Ffion and Leo are hunting for, who may have just been driven to a psychotic break by all that is happening,

At the end of the last novel, Leo asks Ffion to dinner via text. She never responds. He has moved on and met someone new, but it’s not working out well, and he has been trying to end that relationship. Ffion remains firmly emotionally unavailable. She’s not dating and doesn’t want to be (or so she says). Working together shouldn’t be a problem, but the two are still as deeply drawn to each other as ever and spend much page time either mentally berating themselves for past mistakes vis-vis- their relationship or desperately hoping the other will make the first move. We stay in that holding pattern until almost the end of the book.

Speaking of holding patterns, Ffion hasn’t changed much at all. In the previous narrative, she was a rogue cop unable to stick to procedure. As a result of her prior shenanigans, she’s having to commute between Cwm Coed and Byrndare for work since it is hoped being in the main office will encourage her to follow the rules. Nope. She often brings her ill-behaved rescue dog with her (he’s such a nightmare he can’t be left alone, nor can she find a sitter) in spite of admonishments from her boss and complaints from her coworkers. She also still prioritizes her relationships with her neighbors over any loyalty she feels to the law and has a tendency to wander off during the work day. In light of all that, her supervisor has assigned her a partner for this investigation. George is cool, calculating, and clever, and we aren’t sure exactly what is haunting her from her past that has her serving in Byrndare and its environs when she is obviously capable of so much more. I liked the addition of George a lot. She’s a great investigator and will hopefully be a positive influence on Ffion.

Leo has been all upward mobility since we last saw him. He has been promoted, changed departments, and stood up to his ex, demanding she honor the custody agreement. He is loving the extra time with his son. He grew a lot in the last novel and continues to shine in this volume.

The crime here is interesting, and the author does a great job of getting us invested in the contestants of Exposure. I was fascinated by their motivations, interactions, and the inevitable fallout as their secrets were revealed over the course of the show/the investigations. The book reminds us that there are actual lives behind reality TV entertainment and most of the people who sign on to do it don’t understand just what will happen as a result.

The quibbles that kept A Game of Lies from a higher grade for me are perhaps mostly due to the nature of secondary books in a series. We spent so much time treading water as Leo and Ffion worked through the same underlying issue as last time (Do they get together or don’t they and what will that mean for their respective jobs) that portion of the tale bordered on boring. The village and its citizenry play a key role here, but this story assumes you already have knowledge about them from the previous tale. As a result, the characterizations of secondary players can seem shallow. The mystery is also less intense. It hinges on the malicious nature of the game show, and while I found the cast of Exposure interesting, their problems seemed self-inflicted. There were moments when I found it hard to empathize with them. The premise that they couldn’t leave due to the contracts seemed ridiculous. Given that all the promotions for the show, as well as much of the initial information participants received, had created false expectations, I struggled to believe those forms were legally binding.

That said, A Game of Lies is still a good example of a cozy police procedural. Fans of the author and those who enjoy mysteries without a lot of on-page violence will find plenty to love here.

Detective Ffion Morgan is back, this time investigating a missing person from the set of a wilderness survival show being filmed in the Welsh mountains. This crime thriller is filled with secrets, twists, and competing loyalties. I loved this second book in the series and hope there is at least one more Ffion book in the future!

I recommend both The Last Party and @claremackwrites’ newest book, A Game Of Lies, especially if you love a strong female detective as protagonist and remote, small town settings.

Thank you @bookmarked for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

A Game of Lies, by Clare Mackintosh, is the second book in the DC Morgan crime fiction series. This story is centered around a reality TV show called Exposure. It’s a show set in the countryside of Wales and pits the contestants against nature. However, in an unexpected turn of events, each competitor is pitted against themselves and the secrets they hide. In order to win the competition, a contestant must discover and expose a secret of another player. If they are incorrect, they are subjected to their own worst fear until he/she admits his own secret. When a player disappears, the local detectives, specifically DC Morgan, along with DC Brady from England, are called in to figure out what is happening on this show gone wrong.

It’s hard to imagine how this concept would ever be close to realistic from a legal standpoint, but it is a creative, creepy, tension-filled plot. The pacing is rather slow, the layout of POVs from the contestants late in the book is unusual, and the lack of development in the relationship between DC Morgan and Brady is odd. I found this story a bit hard to follow at times and the Welsh jargon was not the easiest to understand. That said, A Game of Lies offers a unique concept and is a rather gripping mystery with a powerful conclusion.

Ffion Morgan is my favorite kind of main character. Morally grey, slightly broken, yet still feisty. A Game of Lies is the second book in the DC Morgan series but it COULD be read as a standalone. You definitely would get more out of it if you’d read the first one (but there aren’t any major spoilers from the first book in the second if you wanted to go back and read The Last Party after finishing this one.

So, I would probably rate this somewhere between 4 and 5 stars but I’m rounding it up to 5. It’s not exactly told in a linear fashion, but the chapter headings definitely tell you where you are in the timeline. You have the main timeline and then as DC Morgan discovers more pieces to the puzzle you’ll get a chapter (clearly labeled) from another character’s POV that might have occurred a few days prior.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like on the set of a reality TV show you’ll enjoy this one!

I did buy the audiobook to listen to as I followed along with the eARC I had and that helped with the pronunciation of the occasional Welsh phrases in the book. I’m really hoping there’s a third. I could use more Ffion (and Dave!!) in my life!

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Think darkest secrets - now imagine them being exposed on a reality TV show.

Thanks NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Seven contestants are stranded on the Welsh mountains bound by their contracts signed with a reality TV show. With no idea, what they’ve got into, their worst nightmares are about to come true. But one of the contestants going missing was not part of the deal. Detective Ffion Morgan has yet another conundrum of a case to solve and this time she can’t trust anyone or anything.

Review -

Oh my goodness! This DC Morgan series by Clare Mackintosh is just getting better and better! What a brilliantly thought out premise and the idea behind the show was just wickedly clever.

I loved the entire package – the gorgeous Welsh countryside setting, the TV show built on hideous lies and staged plotting, the contestants and the circumstances behind them entering the show, the absurdly high stakes each of them had to protect their secrets as they fight off not to get exposed by the others, ultimately to win the prize money and even the manic media journalist who keeps sniffing around.

When one of the contestants, Ryan Francis disappears soon after the filming begins, the ‘game’ is truly on. Enter Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady - the suspense builds, as they construct their case, gather evidence and start interviews with the remaining participants. And oh, the things that were done on the show! Absolutely terrifying. Reality TV at its worst!

Soon everyone is a suspect and the magnitude of the secrets they were each hiding couldn’t come out fast enough. The pages were turning themselves, the tension becoming unbearable. Then the twists come cannonballing out of no-where and there’s hardly any time or air to breathe until the end – quite literally.

Ffion’s characterization was of course the highlight. The hint of romance between her and Leo kept me wanting more! Her portrayal is so realistic with all her flaws and mistakes. Those didn’t stop me from cheering on for her. Oh! that ending was just the ‘Pièce de Résistance’.

Thriller fans - hurry!

I love books with a spin on a reality show and the reality show in this book was pretty unhinged. The stakes for the contestants were high, providing an abundance of murder suspects.

I thought this was really well done. The POV jumping from character to character was a bit different to other mysteries featuring a police MC but it worked here. Ffion is a bit of a wild card, which always keeps things interesting, and the romantic sub-plot was a nice bonus. I enjoyed this book a lot and will continue on with the series.

3.5 stars rounded up

A top notch police procedural that sees the return of DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady to investigate a missing person and another murder in Cwm Coed.

A new reality show, Exposure, is filming up on Pen y Ddraig mountain. The seven contestants think they are there to survive the Welsh rain and cold, but the slimy producer has kept the real hook of the show under his hat until they start filming: every contestant has a secret they are desperate to keep hidden but it will be exposed unless they win the show.

Immediately one of the contestants vanishes and the police are called in to find him, but a murder is committed while they’re still looking. The only problem is that everyone seems to have an alibi.

It’s good to be back in the capable, but very human, hands of Ffi and Leo as they navigate both the investigation and their stalled relationship. There’s also a new DC added to the mix, Georgina “George” Kent whose competence and lack of drama contrasts a little too unhappily with Ffi’s more intuitive methods. And let’s not forget Dave, an out of control, farting, neurotic, giant dog who is very attached to Ffi.

The story is told from the perspectives of both Ffi and Leo, as well as the contestants and a YouTuber. This means we get to see the backstories of the Exposure seven which gives them some justification for why they’re hiding their secrets and what they believe will happen if they should come to light. Unlike the first novel, The Last Party we don’t spend much time with Ffi’s family or in the village , but we do get to know her ex-husband a little better and understand more of their complicated relationship.

Sadly, I got there before Ffi and Leo (it would probably help them if they read a few more murder mysteries) but the solving of the crime and the drama of the climactic scene are most satisfying. There was also some forward movement in their romance, but still leaving space for more to develop when they inevitably (and happily for this reader) come together again to solve another crime.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I didnt realize that this was book 2 of a series when I requested the title on NetGalley. Good news! It works great as a stand-alone read.

Premise: This is a very clever book set in Welsh mountains where seven reality show contestants are stranded and have no idea what they’ve signed up for. Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won’t just be eliminated – they’ll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they’d ever imagined, and they’re trapped. The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people really are - knowing she can't trust any of them. And when a murderer strikes, DC Morgan knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.

My thoughts: A reality show where the contestants sign up thinking the show is one thing only to find out its another is very "real" to what we find on television today. When bones are found on the production site and a contestant discovered missing, the police are called in to investigate. Then the producer behind the show is killed and everyone appears to have an alibi. Who done-it? Was it the missing contestant? or are thing not as they seem on this reality tv set?

Reality TV is the rage today with the bachelor, amazing race, alone and top chef as examples. This book really demonstrates the fact that not everything is what it seems (or shown). Producers and editors can manipulate "reality" which makes for a fascinating and intriguing read! Clare Mackintosh's book has a clever plot, twisty crime, a perfect setting and a bit of humor.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing a new to me author. A Game Of Lies has plenty of action, secrets and lies to keep you reading. And even though I hadnt read book #1 and didnt know any of the police investigators back stories, I do not think I missed much. I enjoyed it and think those who love a good mystery and a police procedural ready will too!