A Game of Lies
by Claire Mackintosh
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
hey 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.

The pace is slow but steady--the tension and suspense grow as the plot develops. I was never bored and was invested in the drama behind the secrets of the reality contestants, as well as the drama that makes up Ffion’s life. Overall, this series is positively progressing. I recommend this installment to fans of well-plotted mysteries and to those who love dog characters!

Why have I never read one of Clare Mackintosh's novels until now? I really enjoyed the writing style, pacing, mystery, and sense of unease of A Game of Lies. Then I participated in a conversation with the author as a patron perk of the Thoughts From a Page Podcast and loved her personality and sense of humor. Now I want to read all of her books, including her newest, a nonfiction title I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This on the topic of grief.

Back to A Game of Lies, it’s book 2 in the DC Morgan series (her first series), but I didn’t realize that and had no issues beginning here. Seven people find themselves on a remote mountain in Wales, expecting to be contestants in a wilderness survival reality show. Imagine their shock when they learn the game is actually a competition to avoid the public reveal of their deepest, darkest secret. Then someone dies, suspicion abounds, and Detective Ffion Morgan and other members of law enforcement investigate.

As the heroine of the series, readers learn about Ffion’s personal and romantic life in this book. My favorite character was Dave, a huge stray dog riddled with separation anxiety that Ffion adopted in a weak moment.

Ms. Mackintosh, who resides in Wales, incorporates many Welsh names and words in this novel, which creates a strong sense of place but is also challenging for someone like me who doesn’t speak the language. Thank goodness for YouTube pronunciation videos.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the review copy of this book; I’m eager to read book 1, The Last Party.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Game of Lies. This is my third book by Clare Mackintosh, and while I liked it, it wasn't my favorite. I read The Last Party, which was the first in this series and I really liked it, although it was a while ago, so I don't remember many of the details. I have always thought that books that are written as a series are meant to be able to read independently. While I feel like this was possible with this one, I think there were far too many references to the first book. I felt a little lost and I read the first one, so I imagine if you hadn't read it you may have felt even more so.

The story definitely kept me guessing. However, the murder that is mentioned in the description doesn't happen until halfway through - so that was a bit of a bummer. I kept waiting for it to happen. I would have preferred to not be expecting it.

I think the book was well written, I felt the characters were well-developed, and I loved the setting, but the one thing that I really had a problem with was the idea of the secrets being exposed on the show. I just don't think that would actually happen and I had a hard time accepting it as part of the plot.

Overall, a good mystery, but I'm going with three stars. I will read the next in the series and hope I like it as much as The Last Party!

This story is set on a mountain in Wales which I enjoyed reading about. Contestants are competing on a reality show - one they think is about surviving in nature. However, the first episode drops a bombshell. The show knows each person’s darkest secret and the winner will have their secret protected. I’ve never had a secret worth killing over but apparently some people do! I loved the variety of characters, especially the detectives. Looking forward to the next one!

I'm in the minority with my 3 star rating. First, I am not a big fan of reality show books and this is one of them. I couldn't connect with the characters although I tried really really hard hoping my mind would change once I got into this book. Sadly, this just wasn't the case. Just ok for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

A reality show, sort of like a cross between Big Brother and Survivor, is being filmed in the Welsh mountains. There are seven people who signed up for this show, but unbeknownst to them, their inner-most secrets will be revealed one by one. If they are outed by another player, not only will they be kicked off the show, their secret will be revealed to the TV watchers. One day, one of the players disappears, which is not part of the script.

Enter Detective Pfion Morgan. This is DC Morgan #2 book. It is up to her to figure out everyone's secrets before it is too late.

The premise of this book was much more promising than the actual execution. Most of the characters were not fleshed out well enough for me to even care at all about their "secret". It would be like a friend telling you that "Sam's mom from my kids class you don't know is having an affair." Reading it is like, ok who cares?

Special thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize that this was book two in a series that I DNF'ed. The writing is not my favorite and the detectives are annoying.

If you enjoyed the first book, you will not be disappointed with this one either. As an animal lover, it had me at farting dog in the first chapter. I'm sure I mispronounced each name in this book but I love the setting of Wales again.

Read if you like:
✨police procedurals
✨reality TV shows
✨rescue dogs with flatulence

I really enjoyed this tense read about the cast of a new, not-quite-what-it-seems reality show!

When the reality show contestants realize that it's not a show about surviving the wild, but a show about exposing their darkest secrets, one of them goes missing and murder follows shortly, as they all have high-stakes reasons to want their secrets kept.

It's the 2nd book in the DC Morgan series, but I read it as a standalone (and I'd go back and read the first now). I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Dave the rescue dog is an absolute standout!

I loved the setting, on a mountain and in a small village in Northern Wales. I especially liked how the Welsh words and sayings weren't always immediately translated, because I can look them up myself, and having the characters speak naturally to each other keeps me drawn into the story.

Overall, the mystery was enjoyable and twisty with a good pace.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

After enjoying the first book in the DC Morgan series, The Last Party, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

The main characters in this series, Detectives Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady are flawed and real, and Clare Macktinosh develops them and the story expertly. The setting is England and Wales, and the colloquialisms of the regions add to the unique flavour.

A Game of Lies centres around a reality tv series where the contestants are isolated in the Welsh mountains while filming. When a contestant goes missing, the mystery and intrigue ramp up as a type of locked room mystery scenario.

I enjoyed the ride as the detectives worked against the clock to solve the disappearance. I couldn’t put the book down. The interactions of the contestants and a behind the scenes expose of the damaging narrative of fictional reality tv made for a captivating story. As I finished the novel, I found myself excited for the next in the series to continue the story of Ffion and Leo.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the advance reader copy, and for Thoughts From a Page early reads Patreon program for the author event.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Welsh DC Ffion Morgan is back! This time, she and her team of investigators are trying to hunt down a missing reality television contestant while also trying to solve a murder. Not to mention that Ffion has plenty of personal issues to sort through, especially when DCI Leo Brady arrives to help them out.

Just an enjoyable mystery. Loving this series! I like that Ffion speaks Welsh and that is how the villagers know they can trust her. Not to mention the description of the beautiful surroundings. I will certainly be back for book 3!



Expected Publication Date 23/04/24
Goodreads Review 31/03/24
#AGameOfLies #NetGalley.

A GAME OF LIES
Clare Mackintosh

And then there were six…

There are seven contestants on the televised reality television show, EXPOSURE. EXPOSURE is a game of secrets, lies, and alibis. You can trust no one and everyone has secrets to hide.

On the first night, seven contestants go to sleep and only six are there when they wake up the following morning. It seems that every suspect has an alibi and it’s up to Ffion Morgan to filter through the lies to get to the truth.

Will she figure out what happened to the missing contestant before it’s too late?

Even if you just count the contestants, you’re at seven characters. Add in the main character, her love interest, a dog, and tertiary characters you are at way too many. Even if the author has a good idea of who the characters are you can’t relate enough information about each character to form them completely.

You end up with cut-outs of characters that are thin and flimsy and made of paper, not distinguishing characteristics. The only thing distinguishing one character from another is how bad they are, and I like my characters to have contrast and be complex and multifaceted. I want to see the good side of each bad character written.

I do like Clare Mackintosh’s writing and hope the next book is better. I will not be continuing with this series.

Thanks to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy!

A GAME OF LIES…⭐⭐⭐

This is a fun murder mystery tied to a reality TV show with an element of police procedural. I didn’t realize this was second in a series but it absolutely works as a standalone. I want to go back and read the first in the series just because I loved the two main detectives (and the first novel will give more of their backstory). If you like a locked room mystery, solving puzzles, and fun characters, I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to Cindy Burnett from Thoughts from a Page podcast and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reader copy.

While this book was entertaining and kept me reading, I felt like I wanted more from it. It was a police procedural centered around a reality game show. Contestants originally thought they were competing in an outdoor survivor type show, but instead were being set up to have their inner most secrets exposed to the world. In order to keep secrets safe, would they give in to the pressure? Would they murder?

I didn't really like the main character much and I think that was part of the reason for my lower rating and overall enjoyment of the book. I just found her to be a little stubborn and frustrating. Overall, it was decent but I just wanted more thrills and chills.

At first, I was a little grumpy with what Mackintosh did to DC Ffion Morgan following the first novel in this series, "The Last Party." Soon, however, I was sucked in to this story of a reality tv show filming in the rugged expanses of Northern Wales. The show was billed as a survival game, but it turned out to be about the deep, dark secrets of the contestants. When one of the contestants goes missing, Morgan and her unit are called in to investigate, along with Leo from across the county border. Morgan is so frustrating at times, but she's a well-drawn character and I really enjoyed the multiple narrators throughout the book. I hope we'll be getting more of Ffion and Leo. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital review copy.

This is a police procedural about investigating a murder that occurred during the filming of a reality tv show. I had a very difficult time caring about the characters in the show, but the storyline was a good one. I liked following Ffion’s investigation, and I think the star of the book was her dog, Dave!

First of all- I didn’t realize this book the second in a series, so that’s my bad. However, I still enjoyed it and now I want to go back and read book one. The plot was an intriguing mystery with a mix of reality show vibe and your classic who-dunnit. I thought the characters were quirky and I enjoyed the multiple POVs that were provided.

I so enjoyed The Last Party, the first book in the Ffion Morgan series, that I snapped up this second one as soon as it was available. The setup for this book is a new reality series called Exposure, which is set in a woodsy, challenging area near Ffion’s Welsh hometown. Ffion is called out to check on some bones found onsite just before the series begins. The bones aren’t human, but the callout gives Ffion a chance to see some of the people involved in the show, including two people she knows from town, and the absolute scumbag of a producer, Miles.

When Ffion and her family watch the first episode, they see that Miles has introduced a twist in the game so nasty it’s no surprise at all that it leads to murder. Ffion is assigned to the case, along with a new DC, Georgina. As in the last book, it’s a joint task force investigation with Cheshire, across the border in England, and Ffion's onetime hookup Leo—newly promoted to Detective Sergeant—heads the team. After painstaking investigation, the team is left with no suspect—that is, until Ffion makes a discovery that turns the whole investigation upside down.

I really liked the setup for this mystery. It’s a blend of the modern, with its reality show setting, but with the traditional, as in an unlikable character is murdered in a seemingly impossible way, with loads of suspects having motive and opportunity. I enjoyed the Wales setting and the local characters, including Ffion’s family. But I do have some quibbles. As in the first book, Ffion isn’t much of a team player. She tends to be impulsive and go off half-cocked, sometimes leading to disaster. She also stubbornly refuses to be open about her feelings, which leads to frequent and ongoing misunderstandings. Seeing these patterns continue in the second book disappointed me; made me worry that this character is a perennial screwup and her own worst enemy. My other issue is with the resolution of the mystery. It’s presented in lengthy exposition, which violates the good old “show, not tell” rule, and just isn’t as satisfying as it should have been. I did still mostly enjoy the book and I recommend it, though I'd suggest reading [book:The Last Party|60305071] first. And I’m looking forward to reading the next Ffion Morgan book, hoping that Ffion grows as a person.

I found the reality TV game series compelling to the point that I found myself skim-reading the parts with Ffion, which were why I was initially drawn to the series! That isn't a bad thing, and I would recommend this to folks who enjoy a dual POV and multiple timeline suspense/thriller. There are some elements of an escape room that make it seem theatrical in a positive way, but there is just enough character development for DC Morgan to keep the series going.

I enjoyed the writing and storyline in the second book of the DC Ffion Morgan series. I loved the setting and the characters (Ffion, Leo, George and lovable Dave the dog) .
I will definitely pick up the next book in the series and any book written by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the the digital ARC.