Clare Mackintosh’s A Game of Lies is a cleverly plotted, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. With her expert pacing and suspenseful storytelling, Mackintosh crafts a tale of deception and betrayal that explores the dark side of human nature. The characters are complex and well-developed, and the twists are unpredictable and satisfying. Fans of psychological thrillers will be hooked from the very first page.

A book about reality contestants. The book started off slow but I was invested as the suspension and plot thickened. I loved all of the drama in it between the contestants.

Clare Mackintosh did a fantastic job of creating a unique setting for this mystery. She brought together everyone's obsession with reality television and the secrets people hide from each other. The fictional show in A Game of Lies had skin crawling twists and a horrifying premise and I couldn't turn away until the final page. I'll definitely be buying any future books in this series and am thrilled for more

4.5 stars

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

This is the second book in the DC Morgan series of which I am becoming a real fan. In this book, a reality show is being filmed when one of the contestants goes missing and Detective Ffion Morgan is brought in to search for the missing individual. I really enjoyed this book and especially the look at reality tv and some of the problematic elements of it. I found this to be a suspenseful read that kept me hooked the entire time. It was good to be back with these characters - especially Leo and Ffion. This is one of those books where you could easily start right here and be just fine, but you would be missing some of the connections and relationships that we got from the first book. I would recommend reading them in order if possible - the first book is titled The Last Party. Both of the books were really solid mysteries that I didn't want to set down! Also, without sharing any spoilers I just want to say what a smart mystery I found this to be - it felt very Agatha Christie like which is very high praise from me.

Readers of detective fiction and mystery readers need to give this series a try. I'm going to be impatiently waiting for book three because I can't wait to see where this series goes next. 4.5 stars and rounding up on Goodreads.

I liked this one more than The Last Party. Faster paced, more exciting, characters already established. Having the mystery be surrounding a reality TV show as fun and kept the story interesting. What a freakin' reality show too YIKES! Now I'm more excited for the third one.

Clare Mackintosh does it again with A Game of Lies. Her twists keep you guessing and her settings are vivid. Reality TV incorporated into books is a new favorite of mine!

This cop drama thriller is book 2 in the DC Morgan series but can definitely be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed the unique structure of this novel and the eerie reality tv show it features. I’m not 100% sold on our main character though. While I usually enjoy an unconventional female lead, her motivations were unclear and I found myself frustrated with her at times. But overall I didn’t want to put this story down.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is a fast-paced and suspenseful thriller that will keep you hooked until the very end. The story follows Anna Scott, a successful businesswoman who is drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse when she discovers a secret connection between her husband's disappearance and a series of murders.

Mackintosh's writing is expertly crafted, weaving together a complex and intricate plot with a cast of intriguing characters. The suspense is palpable, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end. The book also explores themes of identity, trust, and betrayal, making it a thought-provoking and engaging read.

A Game of Lies is a thrilling and well-written novel that will appeal to fans of suspenseful thrillers and psychological dramas. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and dark twists and turns, this book is sure to be a hit with readers looking for a fast-paced and suspenseful read.

I’m not usually a series reader but I enjoyed The Last Party a lot, and especially Mackintosh’s writing. the reality show premise of this was so much fun but I felt like for me the mystery aspect took a backseat to the show’s storyline and I was less invested as the book went along.

I love reality tv so this one was right up my alley. This is the second in a series but I didn’t read the first one and was fine, although I liked this enough that I may go back to book one someday. Anyway, the pacing was fast, the plot was strong and the secrets were juicy and fun!

This is the second installment in a series with a very unique plot which is what brought me in. The plot was well executed with good twists and turns. Characters and motives were believable.

I enjoyed the 1st book in this series, so I was thrilled to be picking up the sequel.

Our main characters are great, both Ffion, the Welsh local, and Leo the Englishman. I like their dynamic and I appreciated that we didn't get the same old 2nd book where they got together at the end of book 1 and now we have half of book 2 spent on their new relationship dynamic. We got some great secondary characters in this story, which really helped me feel more invested.

The murder at the reality tv show site seems to be a current trend, which is unfortunate because I find these books all feel the same. I'll be the first to admit that this could be due to the fact that I never watch reality TV shows, though. Part of the struggle here was that I never really felt like I got to know the contestants, so I was much less invested in the alliances and drama. The mystery didn't break a lot of new ground and I never got fully caught up in it unfortunately.

Despite the fact that I liked book 1 more than book 2, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I'm hoping the next one moves the character arcs forward a bit more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the DC Morgan series, and was excited to get back into the world of Ffion Morgan. Clare Mackintosh does a great job of combining police procedural storylines with personal storylines. I was glad to see Leo was back! The reality TV show storyline was relevant and the mystery was interesting to watch unfold. Macintosh is great at keeping you guessing! Overall really well done and hoping for more Ffion!
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy through NetGalley.

Clare Mackintosh has quickly become a new auto-buy author for me! Her thrillers are so fun and inventive, plus her writing is entirely grossing and just jumps off the page!

After reading book 1 in this series, I was so excited to see a book 2. I really like the main character - Both Leo (the officer from another location) and Ffion, the local officer. They were a great team as they got to know each other and solve the mystery.

In this story, we find Ffion involved in a mystery at a nearby filming site - where they are filming a new reality show called Expose. I thought this setting was interesting and I liked the challenges, the alliances and learning about each character.

Although I didn't find the mystery quite as compelling, I did like the pieces, the clues and how it all fit together. I really loved Dave - he was such a great character! I also really loved George, what a great officer she is. My heart broke for what I remembered of her and I loved her presence in this story.

And here it is - we have movement on the additional storyline and some lines have been drawn and some hints have been laid. Although we got to know the characters more, I'm hoping for more movement otherwise in the third installment. The author hinted we're getting another one and I've love that!!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Secrets! Lies! Betrayal! All the great elements of a reality show....until you add murder.

You'd think a reality show filming locally would be great for the community, but when a murder rocks the camp, DC Ffion Morgan is on the case.

Following the clues, nothing makes sense or is quite as it seems, and solving the case becomes more and more of a challenge. Throw in an old boyfriend, a clingy dog, and a blogger who wants to get the scoop, and you are in for a wild ride.

The novel kept you guessing at every turn; just when you thought you had answers, another piece of evidence presented itself to make you doubt yourself.

If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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

This was a quick read. I liked the premise that it made you think you knew who the killer was and then it worked backward to get to the real killer. This is the third reality tv themed novel I have read this year, so that seems to be a trend. There are several characters to keep track of, so you need to pay close attention from the start. Also, it’s part of a series. I didn’t read the other book in the series and seemed to understand what was going on. I don’t know if it would have been a different view if I had read the first..

I was so excited for this to come out, as I really enjoyed her previous novel, The Last Party. However, A Game of Lies just did not live up to my expectations. While Mackintosh is usually brilliant at weaving complex mysteries with compelling characters, this time the plot felt overly convoluted and, at times, hard to follow. The pacing dragged in the middle, which made it difficult to stay engaged, and some of the twists felt more forced than surprising. I appreciate Mackintosh’s ambition to craft an intricate story set against a high-stakes backdrop, but unfortunately, it didn't quite come together as seamlessly as I’d hoped. That said, it wasn’t a total miss – there are still moments of gripping tension, and the setting is vividly described, but overall, it didn’t deliver the same punch as her previous work.

Mackintosh has a unique brain and for some reason, it is interesting for me. Maybe we think alike but she is better about writing it down than I am. I'll always read her books.

I LOVE this author so much and this book didn't disappoint. Even though this was a slow burn, it totally worked! The twists were truly jaw dropping and I was consumed until the end. The suspense that Mackintosh creates in her reads is unreal. You are literally at the edge of your seat and waiting to see what happens!