I loved the second novel of the DC Morgan series. The backdrop of being in Wales was a fresh take. Game of Lies was a fun cozy mystery which included a reality TV show as the scene of the crime, and I am here for it. This is simply perfect summer reading!

Clare MacIntosh ties in intriguing family dynamics, ones that I’ve not seen before in a novel.

Oh Ffion. She has an unexpected backstory for being a prominent small town detective and I can’t wait to learn more about her complicated past. It just shows humans are not infallible regardless of being in the Justice system.

Looking forward to more of Ffion, Leo, George, and of course the hero Dave (FFion’s dog!)

4.5 stars.

Thank you to Cindy Burnett with the Thoughts From a Page podcast / Page Turners Patreon Early Reads group for arranging ARC copies. Thank you to the publisher Bookmarked; Clare MacIntosh; and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

4.5/5 stars

Second in the DC Morgan series set in Wales, this one has an interesting backdrop around its disappearance/murder mystery…a reality show set on a Welsh mountain centered around seven contestants who have been misled in their understanding of the premise of the show. They must correctly guess their fellow contestants’ biggest secret thereby exposing them on tv and eliminating them from the contest.

After the disappearance of one participant sparks a search and rescue, a murder opens a whole new investigation, and Detective Ffion Morgan along with her British border counterpart (with whom she has a past) must work together to unearth secrets and plot each contestants’ movements to determine the killer.

This was a complex, suspenseful mystery with lots of twists and turns with a side story of a relationship complication/conundrum for Morgan. Ffion is an intriguing and often abrasive character who has a tough time showing any softer moments, and it is engaging to watch her as a very multi-faceted character.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was a solid and entertaining next step. As this one left a bit of a cliffhanger, I’m really looking forward to the next outing for Morgan.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing the free early arc of A Game of Lies for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

DC Ffion Morgan is back in this new twisted case in Cwm Coed. There’s a reality show filming on the mountain, and one of the contestants has gone missing. Ffion, some new colleagues, and, of course, Leo Brady set out to find him. This sequel to The Last Party, brings readers back to familiar characters, but they’ve got new personal and professional baggage to deal with. Ffion and Leo’s relationship is definitely undefined, and it causes issues in how they work together. There’s a whole reality TV show cast that becomes suspects in a crime, and similar to The Last Party, the author provides all of their perspectives through nonlinear timelines, so the story unfolds gradually as the detectives piece together the case. While this is a new case, this is not a standalone book. Readers would miss out on several plot points if they haven’t read the first book. This is a great sequel, and it leaves readers wanting another installment.

This is the second in Clare MacIntosh's DC Morgan series and I liked it even more than the first! I likened the first book to a modern day Christie-- and that continues with this novel-- such a strong sense of place,a large cast of suspects and an interesting detective you cannot help but root for. This story also takes place in a small town near Mirror Lake in Wales. There is a reality show (with a twist!) filming in the area. All of the participants are harboring a secret, and someone ends up dead. This is a great police procedural and I did not predict the ending at all. I love the characters, especially Ffion, her dog, her mom and Leo. Cannot wait for the next in the series! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars.

DC Ffion Morgan, a Welsh detective, is again at work in this second of the series by Clare Mackintosh. This book has a great plot involving a reality TV show that goes wrong in that contestants are being picked off one by one. However, even though the plot — and the murder mystery itself — was very interesting, and I enjoy reading about Ffion and Lou (Ffion’s former partner), this was a somewhat tedious read. It was very slow in parts, much like the first book in this series, and that definitely took a lot of enjoyment out of reading this for me. After being disappointed in the first book because of a slow moving storyline, I was still eager to read this second book in the series. However, I am not as eager to read the third as I might have been. I have, though, really enjoyed quite a few of the author’s standalone, all of which seem to be significantly more fast paced.

A Game of Lies is a clever thriller/mystery that is based on the concept of reality tv.

When seven contestants have signed up for the reality show Exposure in the small fishing town of Cwm Coed .

The contestants have no idea that the game actually is to reveal each other's secret to the world.

Secrets have a way of imploding your life with devastating results.

DC Ffion Morgan and DC George Kent are sent to the site to determine the origin of the bones.

The contestants are all in an uproar and when the first secret is exposed one of the contestants goes missing.

Ffion doesn't always follow the rules and she finds herself in hot water but she is determined to get answers.

Now someone on the set is murdered.

Wh0 can she believe . Not the contestants, not the production staff.

Clare Mackintosh cleverly throws in twists and turns , red herrings that will keep you guessing to the last page.

I loved the concept and it worked very well as you try and guess the murderer and who's secret will be revealed next.

Get your copy of A Game of Lies and settle in for a wild ride.

I cant wait to see what Ffion and Leo get up to in their next case.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a page turning read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Overall, I enjoyed this whodunit quite a bit. Even though she is supposed to be prickly and cranky, I adore DC Morgan. I do think the book fell off the rails a teeny bit towards the end. It all felt just a bit farfetched, but I am willing to suspend my disbelief because the main characters are so well-written. I hope Mackintosh is writing more books in this series.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is the second book in the brilliant DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady series. It's a real page turner with lots of twists and turns throughout and full of mystery and suspense.

This is a book that is great for you holiday and I do recommend you read the first book The Last Party but you will be ok if you haven't read this.

This was a very good mystery - lots of surprising twists. The character viewpoints were very interesting and insightful as to what was actually happening. I really like the characters for Ffion and Leo and look forward to more books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

4.5🌟
What would you do to keep your secret, well... secret? Murder perhaps?

No doubt, most everyone is aware of the glut of “reality” TV that shamelessly push the boundaries! Now the latest offering adding to the feeding frenzy is, Exposure.

A group of contestants signed up assuming it would be another Survivor themed show. What they didn’t know is that it was meant to expose them…and their deepest secrets. And what the producers also conveniently failed to mention, there’s no way out!

Wait…what? And, let the games begin!

This is book two of the DC Morgan series by Clare Mackintosh, featuring Detective Ffion Morgan and her lovable dog Dave, who suffers from abandonment issues (among other things).

Leo is back too, in this latest addition to the series. And yes, the chemistry is still there. Will they finally drop their walls and give each-other a chance? Come on you two, enough is enough!

A new character, George makes her first appearance. She’s new to Ffion’s department but quickly became an integral part of the team. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from her in future installments.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the author treats us to a juicy crime drama while still heavily focusing on the characters themselves (Bravo!).

She also made us (ok, me) take a look at reality tv and how much is true vs manipulation from behind the scenes.

We criticize the producers for putting these shows on the air, but aren’t we just as guilty for watching them?💁🏻‍♀️

Overall an excellent addition to this series! Take the time to read book one The Last Party to really get to know the characters. I guarantee, (well hope anyway) that you will be as hooked on this series as I am! I can’t wait for book three!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark

Having fully enjoyed the first Ffion Morgan mystery, The Last Party, I was very excited to read the second installment in the series.
This story kept me interesting from the very first pages through to the last. I think I even enjoyed this mystery more than the first.
Taking a look at the potential evils of reality TV and the ways that viewers are manipulated by cleverly edited together TV segments, I thought this book had a lot to say, along with being a very engaging whodunit mystery.
Clare Mackintosh is a talented storyteller and I was happy to revisit these characters again.
Please find attached my more detailed, but still spoiler free, review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXXwCnUcpg

Clare Mackintosh created such a wonderful character in Welsh Detective Constable Ffion Morgan in “The Last Party” — so I’m thrilled to have her return in a new mystery. This time North Wales DC Morgan is involved in the disappearance of a reality show contestant. The show is called “Exposure,” a “ game” of public humiliation, with seven people spending two weeks in the woodlands while trying to “expose” each other’s embarrassing secrets. You can assume these are “bad” secrets (life-changing, marriage-ending, job-ending, shame-inducing, maybe criminal or blackmail-worthy), so the participants are probably more than just quirky. After the first episode, one of the participants goes missing and Ffion’s Criminal Investigation Department gets the call.

The action takes place on the English/Welsh border again. On the Welsh side is a small everyone-knows-your-name-and-much-more town named Cwm Coed (pronounced “Coom Coyd” ) with personal connections like the town mechanic is Ffion’s dad’s nephew’s wife’s cousin. The English side is Cheshire County, where DS Leo Brady is —he’s a single dad and a semi-close acquaintance of Ffion’s who would like to become closer.

The story is peppered with Welsh phrases (which also makes this uniquely different from other British countryside police procedurals) as Ffion and Leo’s teams search for the MisPer (missing person - a new term for me). The reality show producers only care about continuing their daily show and get in the way, as does a vlogger doing her own digging around. There’s a public outcry (from the #BeKind movement) against the cruelty of the show, so soon outside protesters will be arriving. And then there’s a murder.

As in “The Last Party,” Ffion and Leo are so good together. And now it’s a trio with adorable Dave, Ffion’s gigantic, hairy, flatulent, sofa-eating rescue dog. The plot was action-packed and, eventually, everyone’s secret gets revealed. Loved it! I hope there’s a third installment with Morgan and Brady (and Dave!) 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The action does take place mostly outside in wooded Wales.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love books about reality tv--more than I like reality tv! This one is a great mystery as there are seven contestants on Exposure who will spend two weeks in Wales with the prize of $100,000 at the end. And although much of it is scripted as the idea is for contestants to "out" each other with their biggest secret exposed,(while keeping their own), one of them turns up dead so it throws everything into disaster mode. DC Ffion is on the case with rescue dog, Dave and her ex, Leo. Of course there are the usual conspiracy theories as well as illegal activity, bribes, affairs, bigamy, and creepy scenarios when contestants must endure their own fears of torture. It's a thrill a minute and worth every second!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

It’s always a gamble requesting the arc to a sequel to a book you haven’t read yet and this one didn’t pay off for me.

After DNFing the Last Party, I was nervous to begin Game of Lies. Luckily I did end up liking this one more, but had it not been an arc I might have DNF it as well. It wasn’t bad but I just didn’t find myself very interested in it.

The female main character also really annoyed me. Sometimes I can handle this if there are other things going for the book but with this one I found it grating one me. Ffion is extremely emotionally stunted as an adult and maybe they explained why in the first book but it just made me want to shake her.

Overall, this is a slow mystery. It is NOT a thriller. I did think the writing was well done and I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

Seven reality contestants are stranded on a Welsh mountain. Each contestant has a secret and are working to keep it that way. When someone ends up dead, and everyone has a motive, and an alibi, Ffion Morgan must figure out who did it and why.

This is the second book in the DC Morgan series. It can be read as a standalone, but you will lack a bit of the backstory. The premise of this book was so interesting. I'm not usually a fan of reality TV in my reading, but this was an interesting take on reality TV, with a bit of a locked-room mystery.

This is a multiple-perspective book, which I felt mostly added to the story, however, there were a couple of perspectives that I wasn't sure why we got them. The characters, whether they got a chapter or not, were interesting, had depth and drew me in. My favourite character was Ffion's dog, Dave, who added just the right amount of comedy to a serious story.

The mystery was great and Clare Mackintosh is a master at weaving clues and red herrings into her story, leaving us guessing at every step. It feels like the author thinks about and plans out her plots and reveals them so well. She also brings us the interesting relationship between Ffion and Leo, which continues from the first in this series.

I also loved the Wales setting of this book, with the added Welsh phrasing and names in it. I found myself looking up how to pronounce various things and learning how to say them. I loved it. I thought this book was so good with mystery, intrigue and fun. I can't wait to see what happens next for DC Morgan. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is the second book in the DC Morgan series. A Game of Lies is a police procedural / mystery wrapped up in a chaotic reality TV show. 7 contestants are part of Exposure, a reality TV show they thought was about survival in the woods. They got something different than that since the show is all about exposing their deep, dark secret. When one of the contestants ends up missing, DC Ffion Morgan is tasked with finding him. George is Morgan's new partner, and Leo from the previous book, also enters the investigation. Great characters!

My favorite 'character' by far was Dave... a dog the Ffion rescued and causes so much trouble. But he is the best! I loved when he came into the picture. I hope he is a recurring character.

The pace of the book is somewhat slow, but I enjoyed all the characters and the POV's of the different contestants. The only "problem" I have with these books is that they have so many Welsh names for people and places that I often have to skim over them. Not a big deal when you enjoy the characters, story and mystery.

A solid thriller with a fresher take on the locked room/remote setting. MacKintosh's characters are reality contestants with secrets, stranded in the Welsh mountains as part of the show. When a contestant disappears, Detective Ffion Morgan has to take on the case and deal with a cast of paranoid and frightened reality stars. The book had some interesting things to say about who we are versus how we present ourselves in the age of constant image crafting and social media.

4 reality show stars

While I’m not a big fan of reality TV, I was a fan of the twists in this clever tale, the second in the DC Morgan series. I enjoy the flawed female main character, Ffion, and how she makes countless human mistakes. I root for her every time! I also really enjoy the Welsh setting, and the words thrown in give it a bit of an exotic air. It sounds beautiful there, and I’d love to visit!

A reality TV show is taking Wales by storm. It is being filmed near Ffion’s hometown. She’s a detective sent in when some bones turn up. The contestants were all lured to participate, hoping to win a huge payout.

One of the twists I really liked was the reveal of the show's true idea. I went into this one blind and didn’t read the blurb. I hope you can do the same and enjoy the twist!

Soon, there are some big problems on the set, and Ffion is reunited with Leo, another detective we met in the first book. There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this one, and I wish we had time for a deeper dive into each one so that I grew to root for them. A rescue dog was also in the mix, and he made a hilarious addition to the story. As the team investigates alibis, darker secrets come to life.

I’m a fan of this author and will continue to read future books in this series and her stand-alone books have been great too.

In the first DC Morgan mystery by Clare Mackintosh, The Last Party, Welsh detective Ffion (fee YON--I looked it up) and British detective Leo came together to work on a murder case on the Welsh/English border. In that book, we learned about their foibles, personalities, and (in Ffion's case), family secrets. There was definitely a spark between the two (they had shared a one-night stand under fake names prior to meeting as detectives), but it seemed to fizzle out at the end of the story. In book #2, A Game of Lies, Ffion and Leo are unexpectedly paired on a case once again, although Leo has been promoted and has resolved a personal challenge, while Ffion is still a thorn in her boss's side. She often forges her own way ahead regardless of orders she has received, but there's no doubt her resilience and perseverance get results.

In a new reality competition show called Exposure, seven contestants vie for a big monetary prize, but--as they learn when the show is about to start--their worst secrets may be exposed on TV and they may even be closed in a small room for up to 3 minutes with their deepest phobias--water, snakes, spiders. One contestant disappears after the first episode, and there is soon a murder to be dealt with.

Personally, I found the reality show setup pretty distasteful. However, the author sets up almost all of the contestants and a number of the production staff as murder suspects, so the mystery is intricate and not easily solved. Mackintosh is a competent storyteller, and the action ropes the reader in until it comes to its inevitably suspenseful conclusion. The two detectives' relationship doesn't progress a lot in this book, but there are hints that this might change in the next book in the series. I continue to enjoy these two characters, so I'm in! Side note: There are some brief sentences in Welsh, but the author makes sure we get the context.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed Game of Lies, the second mystery in the Ffon Morgan series by Clare Macintosh. Once again, Macintosh uses the Wales setting to create an engaging mystery with strong characters. I will definitely read the next one in the series to find out what happens to Ffon Morgan, her colleagues and her family!