During a new reality TV show a contestant goes missing and police are called in to investigate. It turns out that the contestants have been misled about the nature of the show. When a body turns up the police investigation switches to murder.

About a year ago I read The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh. I loved the twists in the plot, the style, the location and the characters. I was extremely eager to get my hands on book 2 in the DC Ffion Morgan series. Book 2, A Game Of Lies, takes place in the same location as the first book and features many of the same characters.

The story takes place eighteen months after the events of the first book. The relationship between Ffion and DS Leo Brady has broken down mainly because Ffion is too frightened to let her guard down. As a result of this the working relationship between Ffion and Brady is strained, they are definitely off-hand with each other. Neither is willing to make the first move.

Reality TV is put firmly under the microscope. The contestants in the book thought they were taking part in a survival competition in the Welsh mountains. The manipulative producer turns the tables on them the first day when they discover that the programme is really about their deepest, darkest secrets. The book really shows how TV moulds the narrative to suit their own agenda. We see how unrelated recordings can be easily manipulated to give a slant to a particular storyline. The role that society plays in these events is also questioned. As secrets are revealed there is a clamour to know more, social media becomes frenzied and we have a vicious cycle demanding ever more graphic gossip.

There are twists galore as almost everyone has a motive for the murder, not just the contestants desperate to keep their secrets. Each of the small TV crew and even some of the local residents are suspects too.

We are introduced to a range of new characters, mostly the contestants. There is also a new DC working with Ffion, Georgina Kent. George, as she prefers to be known, is amiable enough but Ffion doesn't make a good first impression, mainly because Ffion isn't a team player. Another new character is Dave the rescue dog. Dave adds some lightness and hilarity to the story line.

One of the things that I particularly enjoyed about The Last Party was that the murder victim was one of the most loathsome characters I've ever come across in fiction. The author does another excellent job developing the producer who is morally repugnant, only interested in getting the story he wants.

The conclusion is a frantic race against time to capture the murderer and stop anyone else being killed. There is also an emotive revelation at the end which works well considering that the book is about the fear of having secrets revealed.

This was excellent! It was great to be back with characters we already got to know. It pulls the reader in immediately and it will definitely keep you gripped. It's a really interesting idea for a plot. Everyone has secrets and there's no point in guessing or trying to figure it out! The characters are the strongest point, all really well drawn and believable, but I was engrossed in the story too. A fantastic read.

As always, a spectacularly well crafted police procedural with fully fleshed out characters who add layers to the tale.
The set up from 'The Last Party' made it easy to fall straight back in with the main characters; we know where we left them and are eager to find out where they are now. New characters open up more questions and I am certainly looking forward to the third novel. Now that the main characters are established, this gets straight into the flow of the story and it's a great premise - a reality show gone awry. Having read both this and 'The Last Passenger' recently, I can say that this is the one I will read again with everything feeling so grounded, I can see it all happening.
Clare is the most versatile storyteller and clearly has a gift for bringing excitement and drama into the most normal of situations.
Great writer, wonderfully engaging and enthralling book, can't believe I have to wait a whole year for the next one!

A Game of Lies’ is Clare Mackintosh’s much anticipated second novel in her DC Ffion Morgan crime series, set in North Wales. This one sees Ffion investigating, firstly, the disappearance of a reality tv show participant, Ryan Francis, followed by the murder of its director, Miles Young. ‘Exposure’ is yet another riff on the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ format; however, its USP is the cruel way in which the contestants are pitted against each other – they must expose each other’s darkest secrets in a bid to survive and claim £100,000 in prize money. Another extremely well plotted thriller from an author who also has some understandably excoriating views on our current passion for reality television!
Whilst the absconding Ryan certainly has reason to hate the director, he is not the only person who has a motive for killing Miles. All the contestants stand to lose jobs, partners, friends and reputations over the course of the game. Mackintosh skilfully takes us down a number of paths before building up to the big reveal, and they are all plausible possibilities. However, just as tantalising is the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Ffion and Leo Brady, a DI from a neighbouring force whom Ffion met in ‘The Last Party’, the first novel in this series.
Clare Mackintosh has created an incredibly engaging character in Ffion Morgan. She is funny, irreverent, credible, vulnerable, and passionate about her policing. Mackintosh has also given her a loving family who are not afraid to tell it as it is, and Leo Brady may well be about to play a more permanent role in Ffion’s life. All successful series leave the reader looking forward to the next in line as soon as they have read the last page of the current offering. ‘A Game of Lies’ is no exception.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

What another great book, it’s hard to believe that is only the second in series. I hope no two different protagonists in different stories end up sounding the same like carbon copies.
I was skeptical at first what with it being set on a set - reality television isn’t my thing.
But it was actually a really enthralling read.
I didn’t like Miles, but I liked George quite a lot she was a good character.
The story was gripping., I adored Seren and Ffion’s mum. It had heart, pathos, #Netgalley #AGameOfLies

I really enjoyed the Last Party which was the first book featuring FFion and Leo so I was looking forward to the follow up.

Interesting concept, behind the scenes of a reality TV and great to see the new character of George being introduced, but I just felt the relationships between the original characters could have developed more.

Games of Lies is the second book in the DC Ffion Morgan series. Author Claire Mackintosh really left me wanting more after reading "The Last Party" the first in the series. I was happy to see the continuing development of the relationship between Ffion and Leo, a bit more of Ffion's ex-husband Huw, and the inclusion of Caleb. The setting was once again on the border of Wales and England, which made perfect sense since it was being used for the filming of a new reality show, "Exposure". I no longer watch any reality shows and, when I did, I only watched those where the competition involved singing or dancing. The author's portrayal of "Exposure" contestants definitely convinced me that I have made the right choice. I'm afraid my prejudice made me not really care about the contestants themselves but only about their relationships to the locals, despite the author's best efforts. Because of my biases, the reveal of the murderer did not leave me with the "Wow, what a twist!" feelings I had with "I Let You Go" or "The Last Party". A new major character in this novel was Ffion's dog Dave. I felt that the skills Dave suddenly had towards the end of the book were absolutely, completely unbelievable. Ms. Mackintosh plans to continue this series and left several possibilities for the direction it may take. She also resolved enough plot points, that if she changed her mind, I would be satisfied with how it ended.

What sets this book apart is its unique premise. While reality shows have become a popular subject in contemporary fiction, "A Game of Lies" takes the concept to a new level. The idea of contestants having to reveal their secrets adds an extra layer of tension to the story, and the fact that the secrets are guessed by their fellow contestants makes it even more interesting.

The characters in the book are well-developed and each has their own story to tell. The reader gets to know each of them intimately, and as the story progresses, their secrets are slowly revealed. The author does an excellent job of building tension and suspense as the characters' secrets are uncovered one by one. The reader is left guessing until the very end as to who the murderer is and what their motive might be.

The pacing of the book is excellent The writing is clear and concise, and the dialogue is realistic and engaging. The author's descriptions of the Welsh mountains are vivid and add to the atmosphere of the story.

Overall, "A Game of Lies" is an excellent mystery novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Its unique premise, well-developed characters, and excellent pacing make it a standout in the genre. Fans of mystery and suspense novels will not be disappointed.