I really enjoyed the premise of this book.
It’s a reality tv show where all the contestants have a secret that they don’t want revealed. First, one of the contestants goes missing. Then, someone ends up murdered and pretty much everyone has a motive.

I loved all the POVs and how you can see they are different than how the show portrays them to be. I also thought it was interesting to kind of put a spotlight on the morals of these types of shows and the people who participate in them.
I really liked it. It’s split into 3 parts and part one is a little slow but that’s usually expected in this kind of book. Part 2 and on was hard to put down though! It was fun seeing what everyone’s secrets were and slowly figuring out who did the killing.

I enjoyed it! If you like a good who-dun-it then you’ll probably like this! I’m excited to see if there will be more to this series.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley copy.

I enjoyed this second book in the DC Morgan series more than book one. In this murder mystery, we are looking for a suspect among a group of regular people on a reality competition show.

I found the mystery to be entertaining and enjoyed all of the main characters in the book. We got to know DC Morgan more, as well as, her partner who I enjoyed. Mackintosh spins a good story and to me it was extremely fast paced. Def recommend this series.

This book takes the reader to an idyllic rural area along the Northern Wales/ England border. A new reality show is being shot here, whose participants do not know until the start that they are participating in a merciless game. Each of the participants has a secret and the goal of the show is to reveal the secrets of the other participants so that their own is preserved.
Shortly after the start one of the participants disappears without a trace. The show continues, but things take a turn for the worse when a murder happens on location but away from the ever present cameras. DC Ffion Morgan begins her investigation and as the tracks extend beyond the Welsh border, Detective Leo Brady joins her (there seems to be a history but I haven’t read the first book in the series).
This book has quite a few viable suspects, the contestants, the crew, a blogger just outside the grounds … everyone is hiding something … this is a book about secrets and lies, mental health and the compulsion of reality tv of contestants putting themselves out there but also of an audience attracted to watching people expose themselves … The mystery is well plotted, I enjoyed my reading.

The author's unique locations and vivid descriptions enrich the story, while a murder mystery unfolds in the realm of reality TV, featuring a diverse cast of suspects, family, officers, and even a memorable dog. Though the plot is solid, it occasionally feels stagnant, lacking excitement. The protagonist, Ffion, brings drama with her unpredictable attitude, but her interactions with love interest Leo disappoint. The narrative offers a twist on the murder mystery genre with cozy vibes, though keeping track of characters proves challenging. Overall, while the story has its merits, it falls short of being truly engaging, leaving hopes for Ffion's character development and relationship dynamics in future installments.

Thank you Netgalley, Clare Mackintosh, and Sourcebooks landmarks for the ebook! Although the dialect in this book made it a bit more difficult to keep track I really enjoyed this storyline! I love a good game show gone wrong, stuck in the wilderness, wondering what Halloween went who done it!

Contestants have gathered in Wales for what they thought was to be a Survivor-type reality show, only to find they've been duped; the losers will have their deepest, darkest, most damaging secrets revealed to the viewing public, and their loved ones. That fact makes everyone mad, and even makes someone mad enough to kill . . .

And, we're off and running in the second book of what I hope is a long-running DC Morgan series. Ffion's got a lot on her plate this time around: solving a juicy murder, dealing with an overly-devoted dog, and denying her feelings for another investigator. This was a fine, fun whodunnit that ends with the promise of more good things to come.

Book two in the DC Morgan Mystery series. I just read book one and wasn't really a fan of it. Book two was better for me, though. Much shorter, at least. LOL

This time, Ffion and her new partner Georgina are sent to the set of a reality TV show, Exposure, when a contestant goes missing. While they are trying to locate the contestant, they are also trying to solve a murder. This brings Ffion back in contact with Detective Leo Brady from the first book. This was the best storyline in the book for me. (That and Ffion's needy dog, Dave.)

Again, way too many characters to follow who all get their own point of view.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book in the DC Morgan series but is the second installment. I absolutely loved this and now have to go back and read the first one. With that being said, I had no problem reading this first and getting up to speed on what's going on. I love the reality show premise where seven contestants are competing to out one another's secrets. DC Ffion Morgan is a complex flawed character I found myself both loving and hating. Mostly because of how stubborn she was about her feelings for Leo! The mystery had me hooked and I had no clue who the killer was. A really twisty tense story with colorful characters set in a beautiful Welsh setting. I especially enjoyed getting to know DC George Kent and hope there will be more from her. And of course the true hero of the book is the rescue dog, Dave! Highly recommend for mystery fans.

I was super excited to dive into this one, but unfortunately it left me disappointed. It didn't have me dying to read more.

The setting and descriptions were great!

I enjoyed THE LAST PARTY so I was excited to get my hands on the sequel early. You don’t necessarily need to read the first to understand what is going on in this one. This is less of a thriller and more of a mystery/whodunnit. This had the same feel but wasn’t as fun for me. I thought more was going to happen with the plot and it kind of fizzled out. With that said, I enjoyed the setting and the characters. I would definitely read another Ffion Morgan novel since I loved a flawed MC!

Decided to DNF this unfortunately, I really did not enjoy the first book in this series and this second book started off much the same.

Thank you net galley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is the second in the DC Ffion Morgan police procedural, taking place on the border between Wales and England.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark (in particular Cristina Arreola for sending me a widget,   and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



Series Background: (Warning: May Contain Spoilers from Previous Books)
DC Ffion Morgan works out of her home-town of Cwm Coed, on the Welsh-English border. Her boss is DI Malek.  She doesn't always do things by the book. She is recently divorced, but it's a small town, so she sees him a lot, as well as her mom Elen and younger sister Seren (who is actually Ffion's daughter).  She has adopted a rescue dog called Dave, who suffers from separation anxiety.  In her last case, she ran into Detective Leo Brady, who was supposed to be a one-night fling. Feelings are lingering.

   

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions):
Seven reality show contestants find themselves stuck on a mountain, and discover that the show is not exactly what they signed up for.  Each has a secret that they do not want revealed, but the whole show is set up so that those secrets will be discovered on air, live for all to see....much to the detriment of the contestant.   Although Ffion has never watched the show, she finds her interest increasing when she realizes her drinking buddy, Ceri, (the local postal worker) is part of the show.

When one of the contestant's disappears, Ffion is called in to find him.  But soon it is more than a disappearance that will be front and center.  There is a murderer she will have to find.  She has a new partner to work with, DC Georgina Kent, but finds her rather cold.

Meanwhile, she is working with Leo again, and it isn't going so smoothly this time.


My Opinions:
I found this one dragged.  It was another seemingly long book (the first one in the series had a slow pace as well).  The plot was good, if somewhat predictable.

Again, there were a lot of suspects, but I  didn't really care who the killer was.  Never a good thing in a crime novel.  The story was told from multiple perspectives, and this worked quite well (it didn't in the last book).

The book is about lies and secrets, as well as reality tv.  Not a fan of any of them.  It is also about mental health issues, and that was handled very well.

I still love Ffion...and Dave was a great addition (yes, I'm a dog lover).  I also liked George. I had been hoping that Leo would return, and he did, but it was somewhat predictable.  So, I am a fan of the characters, which gain depth with each book.

Overall, even though I found it a little long and predictable, I still think it was a good book, and will be reading the next one!

Reality show contestants find out they are in fact on a show about exposing their deepest, darkest secrets. Then a contestant disappears. Detective Ffion Morgan is already on the case when a murder occurs and everything is thrown into even more turmoil.

I really liked this book. I love the concept, a favorite subgenre of mine is reality show mysteries/thrillers. Ffion is such a great leading character, really strong and smart with some relatable flaws. Her possible burgeoning romance with another character, carried through from the first book, is well worth rooting for. The mystery is also a strong one with great twists and turns. I definitely recommend this book-but read the first one first.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Clare Mackintosh for allowing me to review this locked room mystery. I really enjoyed this book. There are plenty of funny moments that add to the enjoyment of the mystery. I also love the premise of a wilderness survival reality tv series that brings everyone together. This is the 2nd in the series and I hope to continue reading more about these detectives. I can’t wait to see where book 3 takes us! Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

A reality show based in the Welsh mountains stranding seven contestants who believe they've signed up for wilderness survival competition will find out they've been deceived and their worst nightmares are only just beginning.

When one of the contestants has gone missing, DC Ffion Morgan is assigned the case where it seems a little strange but when a body is later found brutally murdered the case becomes very complicated since a couple of suspects have personal relationships with Ffion so this assignment is a little too close to home.

Secrets and lies abound where they steer the case off course and Ffion makes some critical errors which may jeopardize her career as well as her life!


This was a fun and entertaining Welsh police procedure mystery that had humor as well as murder. The book was not quite a cozy mystery but it was not a dark, gritty story by any means which I was hoping to read. The storyline was very good and enjoyable after I realized it was a lighter style with some unrequited romance thrown in. Ffion was quite the character and her uncontrollable dog was a wonderful addition that I couldn't get enough of reading about. Around the three quarter mark the book took on more serious tones so I was completely invested by then and had an appreciation and love for all the major characters which I hadn't expected.

I definitely recommend this novel to readers if they're looking for a good locked room style mystery with light hearted overtones!

I want to thank the publisher "Sourcebooks Landmark" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 1/2 LYING AND SECRETIVE 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Author: Clare Mackintosh

I don't know where the trend for books with multiple POV started, but it needs to stop. "A Game of Lies" had way too many and some that were just irrelevant. Those points of view made for a choppy plot. The book takes place in Wales, and the Welsh language is scattered throughout the book. Ffion and Leo are the detective protagonists -- Ffion is Welsh and Leo is English. A reality show is filming outside Ffion's village (and right on the border of England) and a contestant has disappeared. The plot was good, but I never felt any connection with the characters, and frankly, I found Ffion aggravating. She is not very likable, at least in this book. I did not read the first book in this series, but I don't think that is necessary.

I didn't read the first book in this series. When I requested it on netgalley I didn't know it was part of a series but I thought it sounded really good. A book aboutba reality TV show gone awry . I've been enjoying books about reality TV shows. In this one, the characters are on a survival show being filmed in the woods. The contestants then find out that it's a show meant to expose their secrets. When one of the contestants turns up missing….the police begin to investigate. Maybe some secrets are best staying buried.

This was good. It was a slow burn but the mystery of the plot kept me intrigued. I think reading the first book beforehand would be the way to go, but I did enjoy it without doing that so who am I to tell you what to do?! 😂

Out April 23.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

PUBLICATION DAY: April 23, 2023

Ffion Morgan is back to solve another murder in her hometown situated in Northern Wales. This time around, a reality TV show is filming in their area and drama ensues almost immediately. What began as a survival game turns to a more dangerous game of exposing hidden secrets - when the rules change drastically, one participant goes missing. When a murder occurs Ffion must use all her wits to discover who did it. Will working with Leo again cause complications that she would rather avoid? Or will she finally learn to let someone in?

PROS and CONS:
Ffion is back for more! I love this prickly detective! I found this one a little harder to get into than the first in the series, keeping track of all the characters was a bit tricky in the beginning. But as we got to know the contestants and crew, it was easier to keep everyone straight, and to try to figure out who the killer was, and why. The love story (in my opinion) felt a bit forced, but I’m always here for a happy ending!

READ IT?
If you enjoyed the first in the series, you’ll enjoy this one too!

4 Stars

I love reality TV, especially competition shows, so the premise of this book was automatically appealing to me. I also enjoyed the quirky characters, and the Welsh countryside setting. Overall, this is a solid read that should have wide appeal. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, a second book in a series that I actually enjoyed way more than the first, unheard of! This was a really exciting story, with equal parts mystery plot and thriller atmosphere. Like a Survivor show gone wrong, where everyone has secrets, and we have to puzzle the pieces. Even if you didn’t totally love the first book in the series, I’d still recommend giving this one a try. I thought the concept was much more intriguing, and I was totally hooked into it. I also like the side characters way more in this one too. I love that we got to go deeper into Ffion’s personal and family life, and her budding relationship. I love Clare’s writing and ability to build suspense. You’ll be hooked on this twisty, fun, fast-paced read, with a snarky, lovable detective.