The second in the series with Ffion and Leo investigating a murder with seven contestants in a game show called Exposure. They all have a secret but one person will kill to protect their secret. A thrilling read from start to finish. Couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Clare Mackintosh is the master of the unsuspecting twist and now she’s definitely on top of her game when it comes to police procedurals. A Game of Lies had me hooked from the first page and I never guessed who the killer was which was a huge bonus for me. My fingers are crossed for another one in the series!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of A Game of Lies, the second novel to feature DC Ffion Morgan of North Wales Police and DS Leo Brady of Cheshire Constabulary.

A reality show, Exposure, is being filmed in the mountains above Ffion’s home village. Seven contestants signed up for an outdoor survival contest, but once locked in the camp they discover that they are actually competing to keep their secrets from being exposed live on air. When one of the contestants disappears Ffion and Leo lead the hunt, but the stakes are raised when a murder occurs.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Game of Lies, which has a bit of everything with a clever plot, a hint of romance and some very funny dialogue. It’s not a short novel so there is plenty of room to offer depth in the plotting and characterisation.

The novel is fairly straightforward in the first half, concentrating on setting the scene by hinting that there are hidden depths to the production agenda followed by the search for the missing cast member. The second half, aka after the murder, takes a dive into the cast members thoughts and actions over their time in the camp, giving the reader a good idea of why they are all suspects. It finishes with a dramatic denouement that had my heart in my mouth.

The plot is excellent, full of twists and turns and a cunning solution and I was glued to the pages, but it has other strengths as well. Its depiction of the production company staff as callous psychopaths, who couldn’t care less about missing or murdered persons if they get in the way of filming, is brutal. Add in their manipulation of the footage and their willingness to use people’s weaknesses as entertainment makes calling them psychopaths an understatement. Of course, I’m old and don’t watch reality television so what do I know?

The novel revolves around Ffion and she’s difficult according to her bosses and colleagues. I don’t see it myself, but she’s an odd fit for a hierarchical organisation like the police, being independent and not one for strict adherence to the rule book. She’s smart and dedicated, but that’s not enough. I couldn’t mention her without mentioning the novel’s running joke, her rescue dog, Dave, with attachment issues. He’s fun.

A Game of Lies is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I had only recently read Clare MacKintosh’s the last party and really enjoyed it so when I seen this had to read both are fantastic.

Ffion is called out to the remote mountainous area of Carreg Plas. Seven contestants have signed up for a reality show called Exposure. One of them have disappeared. The missing person is from England so Fifon is reunited with recently promoted Leo Brady there is tension between those two as Fifon never did reply to Leo text. While investigating the missing person case there is a murder what has happened on this game show.

This was a great crime thriller which can also be read as a stand-alone. I love all the characters which have great chemistry. Highly recommend this book.

Thanks goes to net-galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely brilliant book. Great to be back with Ffion & Leo. The story kept me guessing! I loved Dave too! Great series.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

#AGameofLies is the second book in the series about DC Ffion Lloyd and the fictional village of Cwm Coed in North Wales. Exposure is a new reality game show that is being filmed just outside Cwm Coed. The contestants think it is a survival show, until the first night when it is revealed that it is really about revealing their deepest, darker secrets. As with #TheLastParty, in this book @claremackint0sh has written a cleverly crafted murder mystery, with first one character implicated, then another. I didn’t see the many twists and turns coming. I loved the setting and the smattering of Welsh, which really added to the atmosphere of the novel. The characters are flawlessly drawn; and the other characters exasperation with and affection for Ffion is consequently totally understandable. The addition of Dave, Ffion’s unruly dog with separation anxieties, was a well judged element of light relief. In summary, I loved it and already can’t wait for the next title in the series!

We're back in Wales with DC Ffion Morgan, and this time, she seems a little subdued. Not surprising really after the events and trauma of The Last Party. There's a shift in her relationship with Seren, she's having to go into the office to work, and she didn't reply to DS Leo Brady's last text message. So she jumps at the chance to go and investigate when a bone is found at a campsite on a Welsh mountain. But this isn't any old campsite, this is Exposure - a new live reality TV programme. However, Ffion and the contestants soon discover that 'exposure' has nothing to do with camping out in the elements but all to do with exposing the contestants' secrets

I think it's fair to say that the first chapter of A Game Of Lies, is probably the best first chapter I've ever read. I'm not going to explain further - you'll have to read it yourself! Once more, Clare Mackintosh cleverly weaves the different strands together as we hear from the contestants, the production team and the police. DS Leo Brady is back but appears to be getting on better with Ffion's colleague, Georgina, than her. There is constant tension throughout with everyone on edge. I couldn't work out who was responsible until the reveal. The book ends nicely set up for the next one in the series and I'm already intrigued as to what Clare Mackintosh has planned.

A Game of Lies is the second book in Clare Mackintosh’s DC Ffion Morgan series but works as a stand-alone story for those who haven’t read the first book (which I do recommend also!).

A year on from Rhys Lloyd’s murder, Ffion is called out to the remote mountainous area of Carreg Plas, where a production team is filming the hot new reality tv show everyone is talking about, Exposure. Following a dramatic reveal about the true nature of the programme they are taking part in, one of the contestants has gone missing.

As Ryan, the missing contestant, is from across the border into England, Ffion becomes reunited with recently promoted Leo Brady, from the Cheshire police department. There is instant tension between the two, as Ffion failed to respond to his text asking her out on a date after their last case; she struggles with her strong feelings for him and he continues to feel confused and rejected by her.

As the deception from the kingpin of the Exposure production team, Miles, begins to push the contestants into growing anger and despair, there is a murder in the camp and Ffion and Leo now have two mysteries to solve.

This was a wonderful book from start the finish – I couldn’t even muster a guess as to what was going on, and the truth of the story was a fabulous shock and worked brilliantly. Alongside the mystery, there is the growing romance between Ffion and Leo which continues to be great, and a lovely bit of humour provided by Dave the dog! A fab read – bring on book three!

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh


Love , love , love books by this author . Second outing for the characters Ffion and Leo ( The Last Party ), this one could be read as a standalone but you would be missing out by the laying down of the characters traits ( and a great read ) by not reading The Last Party.
The plot for this one is set around a reality tv show, although as the story unfolds , no amount of prize money is worth the outcome for some of those taking part !
I hope Clare Mackintosh has plenty more titles up her sleeve in this series.

I read the first book in this series and although it was good it wasn’t the best book I had read by this author. However, when I started reading this one, I was hooked!

I loved the idea of it being set in the mountains for a reality tv show and I really enjoyed finding out why they were really there, and then of course there was a murder thrown in and finally the relationship between Ffion and Leo. Would they get together or not? It all made excellent reading. This book was so much better for me than the first and now I’m awaiting the third!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest opinions.

Clare Mackintosh does it again with an amazing murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie’s books! This is a sure winner for all mystery lovers out there!

Okay ... Hand on heart, who can say that they have never watched any kind of reality TV programme, particularly the kind where people compete against each other in the most obscure of circumstances for prizes which hardly seem worthy of the erosion of dignity involved. You know the type. I'm a Celebrity. Survivor. SAS: Who Dares Wins. Love Island ... It has been all the rage for years and, in A Game of Lies, Clare Mackintosh's characters have taken this reality survival show format and kicked it up several notches. Not only are the camp mates trying to survive some very cold nights in a camp in the wilds of Snowdonia (...?), but they also have to compete challenges to ensure that they stay in camp. The challenges? To try and ascertain and reveal the darkest secrets being held by their fellow contestants.

Now the twist in this tale, aside from the obvious having to air their dirty laundry in public (literally and figuratively) is that none of them knew this was a condition going into camp. They thought it was just a bog standard wilderness challenge. But they were not chosen for the photogenic qualities and it's fair to say that more than one of them has a reason to want their secrets from being revealed. But which one is reason enough to commit murder?

I love how Clare Mackintosh has played with the survival show concept and used it against the characters in this book. It's the real reason, if we are honest, that most people tune into these programmes. To hear some long held secret or come random confession from some random person you probably only recognise because their name is in the Radio Times write up for the show, Well, that and hoping someone chokes on a Witchetty grub ... It adds a kind of tension to the camp of otherwise randomly bland camp mates. Well, bland until we learn more about what they are hiding that is.

Not all of the secrets are that shocking in fairness, or that dark, but they are, for the most part, partially entertaining. But then it's always just a bit of fun until someone ends up dying ... Which is exactly the fate of one of the production crew. Not going to lie - kind of happy about that as the author has created a suitably loathesome and irritating persona, only interested in ratings and money making, not the people they are exposing in their TV show. Add in a missing contestant, easily the most obvious suspect given that everyone else has the perfect alibi, and it´s a perplexing, fast paced and totally entertaining case.

Ffion Morgan is, as always a brilliant character to spend time with. Her relationship with Leo Brady has cooled somewhat since the first book, largely of Ffion´s making, but it adds conflict to an already complicated investigation. I like Ffion. Like her fierce independence and her can understand her reluctance to trust Leo or take the leap of faith that would be required for a relationship to succeed. She adopted an unruly, somewhat smelly, dog since we last met which also adds some comedy to the story. Leo, by contrast, is all business, taking Ffions rejection understandably personally. I like the contrast between the two of them. How they are in sync, and yet complete and utter opposites. They are a really engaging duo and it makes it so easy to spend time with them.

There is a load of mystery wrapped up in this case, for obvious reasons, the author eking out the suspense to the perfect moment. There is also quite a lot of tension and not just because of the fear of exposure for the contestants. Add in the complication that one of them is someone Ffion and the whole village knows well, and that her sister´s boyfriend is also working on the production as an unpaid gopher, there is a whole lot at stake and it keeps the pacing of the story just perfect. And, lets face it. Snowdonia is a pretty perfect location too with Clare Mackintosh using the setting, the weather, and the changeable landscape to brilliant effect to drive the story.

If you found yourself drawn to Ffion in book one, this one will just endear you completely. With humour, mystery and the perfect balance of emotion and tension, light and shade. it was a really quick read for me. Loved it.

I have never met a Clare Mackintosh book I didn't love, and this one adds to that pile. She just has this way of writing that is so effortless. Whether it be a romantic scene or comedy, scary, thrilling, whatever it is, it just works, every single time.

Yes, it's the sequel to The Last Party, and a continuation of Ffion's story, but it's a complete standalone. It does make reference to the occasional thing from book number one which is nice to see, but you won't be at a disadvantage if you haven't read the first. This is just as fun, funny, thrilling, fast paced, multi-layered, exhilarating and fabulous as its own entity.

Ffion and Leo are two of my favourite fictional characters. They could have been easy to write, cardboard cut-outs of police officers. But they've got so much depth that they just leap from the page and they work exceptionally well with, and against, each other. Whilst she hasn't literally described them in simple terms, such as "Ffion has brown hair, is 5 foot tall, and is missing a tooth, and Leo is 6 foot with no hair" (not the case, but you get my meaning), their characteristics and mannerisms means you get a clear picture of them in your mind, and I think that must be really hard to do without going down the cardboard cut-out route.

There are a number of other characters here, primary and secondary. From junior and senior police officers, to television contestants, to directors, cameramen and producers, security guards, hosts, journalists, friends, family, lovers - you name it. Which should spell disaster, but it doesn't She hasn't over complicated things by bombarding you with information, but she's equally given us enough to give us a range of suspects and red herrings without many surplus characters - some naturally have bigger parts than others but that's fine, you can't give everyone equal billing.

Clare is an expert at showing the reader what is happening rather than telling. She respects us and gives us credit that we can fill in any gaps. And that means, for me anyway, it's even better to read. Yes we're getting an entertainment piece, and enjoyable story to read, but we almost become part of it.

I've read many thrillers over the years and some, not naming names, can often feel a bit samey, some too overkill, too unbelievable, and some not believable enough. Clare has always managed to find that balance. It's clearly a fictional piece, but things are identifiable, are tangible, are recognisable, so much so that you end up feeling for the characters and getting involved with the case as if you really know them. There's enough thrill to whet your appetite, to get hold of you, and then you're at 100mph to get to the end, desperate to find out what happens.

This story takes place with the backdrop of a reality TV show - a chocking one at that (no spoilers) - so this is definitely a book of its time. I'm not sure it would have had quite the same effect 10-15 years ago, when reality shows were still in their infancy. But now? We are inundated with them, and they all have to find their niche, something to stand out amongst the rest. And so while you may find the show in this book appalling, I felt the same, I feel it's not completely unbelievable - and that's very worrying. I can see it being picked up in reality and shown on telly, because people get bored, shows get stale. And they're always after the shock value, and this definitely brings it. And I think she's been very clever here. Readers will recognise it and identify with it, even if they're not a reality TV fan, and I think that was a marvellous idea.

Whenever I finished a Clare Mackintosh book, I instantly want another. I feel she's at the pinnacle of her genre and she's only getting better, which means I'm excited for whatever she brings out next.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is a very entertaining and humorous look at reality shows, secrets and lies.
This the second book in the DC Morgan series and I look forward to reading many more books in the series in the future. Whilst it is still a police crime thriller, it is also very funny at times, the characters especially the two main characters are fairly typical inept people at relationships. Then there is Dave, out of all the characters Clare has ever created and conceived of, Dave has to be my favourite character ever.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the storyline of the reality show was so very in the moment and all of the people who took part were typical characters that you would see in a reality show with an edge.
Highly recommended.

This is the second book in the Ffion Morgan series.
Seven contestants have signed up for a reality show called Exposure. What they didn't know was that each has a secret that they don't want exposed.
One contestant disappears, and Ffion with her partner Georgina is sent in to investigate. While they try to locate the missing contestant, there is a murder.
Leo is sent to Wales from Cheshire to lead the investigation much to Ffion's chagrin.
Set in a remote part of Wales, the scenery sounds stunning.Ffion is a hot head that gets her into trouble a lot. Just how many warnings can one person get and still stay in the job?
Miles is the brains behind the show, and what a vile character he is.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this and look forward to the next instalment.
Love Dave.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for granting my wish.

A Game of Lies
Clare Mackintosh

Description

They 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.


"A Game of Lies" by Clare Mackintosh is a thrilling and engaging addition to the series, following the success of "The Last Party." This second instalment hooked me from start to finish, with its clever twists and intriguing storyline.

One of the aspects I loved about this book was how the author skilfully continued the development of the characters from the first book while introducing new ones seamlessly. It was a joy to see familiar faces evolve and witness the dynamics between the existing and new characters unfold.

The concept of a reality show where contestants' darkest secrets are exposed added an extra layer of suspense and intrigue. Clare Mackintosh's genius lies in making this seemingly far-fetched idea feel incredibly believable. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what shocking revelations awaited them.

The last few chapters of the book were particularly gripping. The pace intensified, and the plot took unexpected turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The author's ability to craft clever twists and surprises truly impressed me and made this book a standout in the genre.

I commend Clare Mackintosh on her writing style, which strikes the perfect balance between engaging and approachable. The narrative flows smoothly, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story and get caught up in the suspenseful atmosphere. It's a book that keeps you turning the pages, eager to uncover the truth.

Without giving too much away, I can confidently say that "A Game of Lies" is a worthy addition to Clare Mackintosh's series. It's a thrilling ride filled with intriguing characters, clever plot twists, and a premise that will leave you questioning just how far reality shows can go.

I eagerly await the release of Book 3 and can't wait to see what Clare Mackintosh has in store for us next.
#AGameofLies #NetGalley

A Game Of Lies by Clare Mackintosh
I give them book 4.5 stars

They say the camera never lies.
But on this show, you can't trust anything you see.
And when a murderer strikes, Detective Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.

This is book 2 in a series but can easily be read as a standalone.
Independent and feisty Ffion is back with her new trusty sidekick…..Dave the dog! A well executed plot and concept all about the dark side of a reality tv programme called Exposure.Taking place in a Welsh mountain site near her home village I loved the detailed setting.We have a cast of crew and contestants to suspect/like and dislike along with Ffions team including Leo.Short addictive chapters make this a brilliant addition to a compulsively readable series.
With thanks to Netgalley,Clare Mackintosh and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for my chance to read and review this book.

Seven reality show contestants are stranded in the Welsh mountains and expected to engage in a fierce competition to emerge as the winners.

But this is a reality show with a difference! Every single person participating has a secret, and if a person's secret is guessed, they will be eliminated from the challenge.

Not only that, of course, but the secret will also be exposed to everyone who is watching! So those competing have a very clear incentive to watch out for themselves.

What no-one has bargained for is that one of the competitors will suddenly go missing. And that soon thereafter, someone will show up dead.

Police officer Ffion Morgan has been aware of the show on television, but never expected to be in the thick of things herself. To make matters worse, she is also aware that she can trust no-one on this set to tell the truth. Because it's not only the murderer who has something to hide...

This was a gripping read, and I highly recommend it. There's no question that Clare Mackintosh knows how to write an absorbing mystery. I enjoyed the story very much, despite not having read Book One in the series - though I might have to go and do that now!

I absolutely loved The Last Party (and all of Clare’s books actually!) so was thrilled to receive a proof copy of the first few chapters of A Game Of Lies. That hooked me right back into Ffion’s world and so I was ecstatic to be approved on NetGalley to read and review the full book. AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Set a number of months after the end of the first book, the second starts in a similar vein to the first with Ffion struggling somewhat with adult life. Her big secret was revealed in book 1 and now Ffion is having to live within her new normal. A national spotlight is back on the vicinity of her home village with a new reality TV show being filmed on the mountainside. A reality TV show like no other…..and things are going to get worse before they get better.

This is a tricky book to review without giving anything away. Suffice to say that I cancelled my immediate plans as I could not put this book down.

Thank you Clare for another breathtaking read and to NetGalley and Little, Brown for kindly granting my wish.

This was a gripping read featuring Ffion Morgan, who is still as unconventional as ever. Centered around a reality show filmed on a nearby mountain which is forcing contestants to face greater fears than they could ever have anticipated things start unravelling when a contestant goes missing, but racking up viewing figures is also stirring up hate and when a murder strikes there are more suspects than you can imagine. There’s less of Ffion’s private life in this but I actually really enjoyed having familiar - and new - characters but with the focus on the crime and procedural elements. I loved how the game show was not what anyone expected and the impact it had on the contestants, the pace kept going really well and there were a few twists I loved. Overall I enjoyed this more than the first and can’t wait for the next one.