I read and reviewed “The Last Party” so it was great to be able to read its follow-up, “Game of Lies.” Ffion Morgan returns when a reality tv show contestant goes missing.

The best part of the story is Ffion’s dog, Dave. Put in an quirky animal and I am hooked. I also appreciated the return of Leo from Book #1, though you can jump right into this novel without having to read “The Last Party.” New to the story is George, Ffion’s partner, who is a good contrast to Ffion, though their interactions did come across as slightly plot driven.

Overall, I liked the mystery and thought the story moved itself at a good place, though the novel could easily lose fifty pages. I do not know hardly anything about Wales, so appreciate the details the author provides. The reader gets a good understanding of the culture and language, and the setting adds intrigue to the story. I found the end to be satisfying with enough left for a third book.

Three and a half out of five stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group, Sphere for the arc in return for an honest review.

In “A Game of Lies,” set in a small Welsh town near the English border, a reality show sets up camp near a mountain and a lake in the region. The reality show, entitled “Exposure” includes 7 contestants, who reside in a fenced encampment, as well as a small production crew that live in a nearby farmhouse and it’s converted stables. During the first day of filming, the contestants are told that the show is not a survival test, as they had been led to believe, but instead would be a contest to see whose secrets will be revealed. The objective is to finish the 14 days with each of their secrets intact. TV viewers can vote for the contestant they want to expose, while the participants can guess at an individual contestant’s secret. If they guess wrong, they are sent to the “Confession Pod,” a tiny coffin-like structure where they will be exposed to their greatest fear (e.g., spiders, rats, drowning, etc) for 3 minutes or until they confess their own secret. Similarly, those who are voted to be exposed will also be subjected to the same conditions until they reveal their secrets. The secrets are kept in individual envelopes in a locked box in the encampment.

The revelation about the changed nature of the show pits contestants against each other as well as against Miles Young, the Production Manager whose idea it was to change the nature of the contest. To add to the tension, none of the other members of the production staff were aware of the true nature of the contest until shortly before it was revealed to the contestants, and some of them are not happy about the change, feeling that it is cruel to subject the contestants to this treatment.

Early in the show, one of the contestants who had a history of mental illness disappears. Since the reality show impacts both the English and Welsh sides of the border, both Ffion Morgan, a detective for the Welsh side and her team join forces with Leo Brady representing the English side, to find the missing contestant. Halfway through the book, the missing person case turns into a murder investigation.

The novel is full of descriptions of a beautiful mountain and lake setting, and includes a colorful cast of characters, particularly Ffion, a prickly loner who doesn’t always play by the rules and is trying to conceal her feelings for Leo from both herself and her team mates. The supporting characters are also fully realized and make it clear that the Welsh town is a close knit community.

This is the second in the series and is a good addition to the police procedural mystery genre, with its unique twist of having the murder occur halfway through the novel. I also like the fact that unlike many police procedurals, the novel doesn’t focus on the police interviewing suspects, but instead is told from several different perspectives, including those of the contestants. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries set in beautiful surroundings with a colorful cast of characters.

Engaging and entertaining. Clare Mackintosh is a consistent first purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

I was pleased to see the return of Ffion and Leo in this book and the addition of George was solid. I liked the reality show hook=-it was a great way to get a lot wacky characters in the same spot. I liked the flashes back to the days before the murder through the eyes of the contestants.

I wish we flashed back to the bigamist's wife--she had a good long chapter early on and then we really didn't see her again.

I hope there are more to come!
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I still haven’t read the first in the series and my ARC is unreadable on Kindle so when I get to book one, I’ll just buy book two if I enjoy it.

Such a great book! I felt like i was reading the script for a tv show. Really interesting and original concept that kept me hooked until the end.

I didn't read the first book in this series, and even though this is considered a standalone, I'd like to go back and read it before I go on to the next. An absorbing procedural in a unique setting.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this novel.

I am sad to say this book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t come anywhere close to loving it. I think I am just not much of a fan of detective-focused thrillers. I found myself wanting to hear things from the perspectives of the contestants more instead of those investigating. If you like the detective focus it might be for you but it unfortunately wasn’t for me. 2.5⭐️s rounded up.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book, with my honest review below*

I was interested in this book due to the author and premise and in many ways it delivered, but didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I enjoyed the character of Ffion Morgan, her small town and the characters surrounding her, as well as Leo, her past love interest. I also enjoyed the idea of the plot, following reality show characters to get to the bottom of a murder where all have a motive - the reality show was set up to expose each participants secrets. What didn’t quite hit the mark for me were the number of characters and the red herrings not always being wholly believable. Without a doubt this had talented writing and was a very interesting concept, but I found my engagement flagging with more and more plot complexity that didn’t always serve a purpose, in my mind.

I would recommend it for any reader who is craving a complex mystery and deeper character studies and has the attention to devote straight through to keep everything straight.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is a captivating thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The premise is intriguing, with the backdrop of a reality show set in the Welsh mountains, where contestants' secrets become the focal point of a high-stakes game.

The narrative cleverly weaves together the lives of seven strangers, each harboring a hidden truth. The tension escalates as contestants attempt to uncover each other's secrets, leading to a gripping atmosphere of suspense. Mackintosh masterfully builds the stakes, making it clear that elimination is not the only consequence – exposure on live television awaits those whose secrets are laid bare.

Detective Ffion Morgan's character adds an extra layer of depth to the story. Her struggle to discern reality from the carefully crafted personas on screen adds a compelling dimension. The disappearance of a contestant adds an unexpected twist to the drama, forcing Ffion to navigate through the intricate web of lies.

What sets A Game of Lies apart is its exploration of trust and deception. The tagline, "The camera never lies," takes on a sinister meaning as the characters grapple with the consequences of their hidden truths. The suspense is heightened by the remote and isolating setting, amplifying the sense of danger and paranoia.

The unpredictable nature of the plot kept me guessing until the very end. Mackintosh skillfully introduces red herrings, making it challenging to pinpoint the true culprit. As a fan of mystery and suspense novels, I appreciated the author's ability to maintain a high level of tension while delivering a satisfying and unexpected resolution.

In conclusion, A Game of Lies is a stellar addition to the thriller genre. Clare Mackintosh's storytelling prowess shines through, creating a narrative that is both gripping and thought-provoking. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with intricate plots and well-developed characters, this book is a must-read. I give it a solid four stars for its compelling storyline and the skillful execution of suspense.

The fire crackled as she looked around at the other people sitting with her in the woods. Everyone nervously looking around or staring at the ground. They all thought they would be survival camping; cameras tracking their every move for everyone to watch… but turns out it’s something more devastating than they all thought.

A Game of Lies is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. It’s a thriller following a detective, Ffion, who is investigating a missing person from a reality tv show. The contestants and crew of the show all have something to hide, so will she be able to get to the bottom of all this?

The premise of this book sounded so good, but really fell flat for me. The main character was selfish and unprofessional, the book followed way too many characters instead of focusing on some primary people who helped build the plot, and there were so many underlying storylines that were explored but never really tied up. It just made for a very incoherent read for me.

If you like reality tv shows, detective procedural thrillers, and whodunit mysteries, then this may be a thriller you enjoy.

A solid second entry in the DC Morgan series.

In this book, we catch up with Ffion who is called to the set of a reality TV series when they discover a pile of bones. This isn't a spoiler since we find out soon after that the bones are those of an animal, and not a person. And so, the show is allowed to resume.

That is, until one of the contestants goes missing. From here, it is a series of juicy twists and turns, both from the show itself and from the crime that Ffion is tasked to solve.

Mackintosh is also capable of balancing both the main thrust of the crime and Ffion's personal growth, which I find to be an important part of a successful mystery series.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ARC. In exchange, I have provided an unbiased review.

3.5 🌟. This was a good book, but just didn't give me those crazy twists or thrills that I was looking for.
This book is about a group of people who go on a reality TV show and find out that this show is going to expose their darkest secrets. Well one member of the cast goes missing and Detective Ffion and her crew of other cops/detectives are there to find him when other crazy things happen. Sectets are exposed, there's murder, mental health rep, and some light romance elements.
Overall, this book is a good time, but I don't think it will be one I remember for a long time. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this ARC!

A GAME OF LIES was a deeply complex and fascinating mystery, and a great follow up to THE LAST PARTY. We get a chance to revisit some familiar characters and storylines while also bringing forward an intriguing new story. The pacing was well done and the developments believable. Really enjoyed the new addition to the series and looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review A GAME OF LIES.

DC Morgan is back in this second novel in a series. This novel, set in the Welsh mountains, is about a reality show gone wrong. When the seven contestants signed up to appear on this show, they didn’t guess what they were in for… Each person has a secret and the goal of the show is for the others to try and guess the secret and then divulge it to the TV audience…at the contestant’s expense. Tensions are high, and when one of the seven goes missing, Morgan comes in to try and find him. The seriousness of the situation escalates and when a murder is committed, everyone has a motive and a secret they want to stay buried. Another great book in this series.. looking forward to more of DC Morgan.

I have read all of this author's work and this one is another all consuming "I have to read this because I need to know" feeling.

The premise is on point and certainly pertinent to our current situation of "reality tv, podcast and influencers".

It is a little slow at the beginning, but I am glad I persisted because it turned out to be a bit of a shocking ending.

Her writing is always so great.

I read the last party by this author and loved it! I really liked this book, even though I was able to predict a lot of what was happening and going to happen the authors way of writing was still able to keep me drawn in and reading more. I can’t wait to read more of their books

Another win from Claire Macintosh. A reality show gone bad with enough twists and turns to make this an entertaining mystery. The romantic tension carried over from the previous title is not as convincing this time around and seems like an afterthought at the end. With that, a fun, entertaining mystery. Looking forward to more in the series.

I have read others by this author and liked them and really wanted to like this one. It had a lot of elements that were intriguing, a reality show that was based on deceiving people of the intent and then exposing their secrets . I liked the main characters but it started dragging for me and didn't really pick up enough. Would read her again though

This is the second book featuring DC Ffion Morgan, and I look forward to more. I really enjoyed the Welsh setting and the tidbits of the Welsh language and lifestyle scattered throughout the book. I have never been to Wales, but it sounds like a beautiful place rich in a unique culture. I liked that we heard a bit more about different characters we encountered in the first novel, but even if you hadn't read the first novel I think you could jump right in here with this one. The premise of the Exposure gameshow was absolutely diabolical and made for a great novel. The characters were all desperate, and it gave me lots of different suspects. I was kept guessing the whole time. I really liked the ending as the romance was the one part of the story that I felt was unfulfilled throughout. Highly recommend this one!
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.