I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this book. I have read all of Clare Mackintosh’s previous novels and enjoyed them all tremendously so had great expectations but alas, they were not lived up to. I have read the first book in this series and that was good but not in the same calibre as her first books. I found the story slow to get into and rather long winded. It was told from sev points of view which was very well done and there was no confusion as this can sometimes arise, and I did find some of it amusing eg with Fiona and her dog,Dave, However I found the Welsh phrase and words annoying and found the campsite hard to visualise. It was a good ok read but not good enough.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is the second book in the brilliant DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady series. It's a real page turner with lots of twists and turns throughout and full of mystery and suspense.

This is a book that is great for you holiday and I do recommend you read the first book The Last Party but you will be ok if you haven't read this.

Giving the ultimate twist on reality shows. Everyone has a secret in this game show set in the Welsh mountains but who would kill to keep their secret. This mystery’s pace takes a while to ramp up, but DC Ffion Morgan is ready with the Exposure that could cost her everything.
I found the main character a little bit difficult to engage with, but this is the second book in a series. I recommend trying the first story to get a better grip on the main characters.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Little Brown Book Group) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Whenever Clare releases a book you know it's going to be good and this one does not fail!
This is the 2nd Ffion Morgan book in the series set in Wales.
It's quite hard to discuss the book without spoiling it for others but the premise 2nd bookis based once again in the Welsh mountains. It is a reality show and there are seven contestants involved and they have no clue what they have let themselves in for. Until one contestant goes missing, everyone has secrets. Detective Ffion is called in to find the misper. It's safe to say that all
of Clare's books never fail to entertain, very well written and thought out.
Thank you to Netgalley and LittleBrownBook Group and Clare Mackintosh for allowing me the opportunity to review this book in August in return for an honest review.

I love Clare Mackintosh books and this did not disappoint.

The second book in the series with Ffion investigating

Enjoyable, well written and fast paced that kept me guessing

Ffion us back in this second book of a fabulous series, and has an incredibly memorable canine companion with her this time around.

Set about 18 months or so after the first book, and a new big crime hits this quiet Welsh Town.

With a backdrop of a new reality TV programme, a YouTuber who is desperate for the limelight, a cross border investigation initially into a missing contestant, this story has a bit of everything.

And with 7 contestants who didn't know in advance that the show they signed up for would be revealing their biggest secrets, it is high stakes car crash TV, that is very compelling to read about.

This is fast paced and I loved seeing the how the investigations gather pace.

I also enjoyed occasional chapters from other character viewpoints which really helps to show just how fake these sorts of programmes are.

Utterly addictive I last every word of this book.

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

‘They’re playing to win. They have everything to lose.’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK Sphere for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Game of Lies’ by Clare Mackintosh.

This is Book 2 in her series of police procedurals featuring D.C. Ffion Morgan of the North Wales Police. Seventeen months have passed since the events of ‘The Last Party’. Despite how close they had become during that investigation Ffion and D.C. Leo Brady had broken off contact.

Since then Leo has been promoted to Detective Sergeant and moved from Major Crime to Cheshire’s Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.). Now there is a new case that will involve a collaboration between the English and Welsh police.

A reality show titled ‘Exposure’ is filming in the Welsh mountains. The seven contestants had believed that they were taking part in a survival show that would last fourteen days. Yet they have no idea what they've actually signed up for. 

Each of the contestants has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't only be eliminated but they will be exposed live on air. After the first episode is broadcast and the nature of the show disclosed to the participants, one contestant goes missing. The police begin a search of the local area.

Detective Constable Ffion Morgan had seen the first episode though she has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people, both in front of and behind the camera, really are. Given the location Ffion reaches out to Leo to advise him that a high-risk MisPer was coming his way. Then there is a murder. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Again, this proved a character-led, slow burn of a crime thriller. It also feels authentic, which makes sense as Clare Mackintosh had been a member of the U.K. police force for twelve years.

Having the reality show as the backdrop for the case allowed for commentary on how this kind of television is produced as well as the fallout on social media. There was also a pushy YouTuber, Zee Hart, looking to expose the show and earn lots of subscribers.

Overall, ‘A Game of Lies’ proved an engaging police procedural. It was good to have Ffion and Leo back working together. Still my heart belonged to Dave, Ffion’s recently adopted rescue, from the moment he was introduced as “a large, hairy heap beneath Ffion’s desk”. Despite some challenging behavioural issues, he was the essence of a good dog.

I look forward to reading more of Clare Mackintosh’s work.

A Game of Lies by Claire Mackintosh is based around a reality TV show where a murder takes place in the camp and Ffion is tasked with solving the crime.

This was another great book by Claire Mackintosh; a real page turner full of mystery and suspense.

This is the second of Clare Makintosh's books about DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady. The story begins roughly 18 months on from the first book and we soon learn that Ffion has not really changed! When a production company arrives to shoot a controversial reality show, Exposure, there is excitement in the small village. However, when the truth about the series is learned and the director is killed in a seemingly impossible fashion, its up to DC Morgan and DS Brady to solve the mystery.
It's a twisting and turning ride through the Welsh countryside, with many red herrings and secrets revealed as we go. The story is well paced and cleverly intertwined. I very much enjoyed it and will look for future books containing this characters.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of Clare’s books, and when I heard that After Party would be followed on, I was looking forward to this.

Game of Lies certainly didn’t disappoint. Picking up Ffion’s story, and the filming of a reality show set in the fictional village of Pen Y Ddraig, I was hooked from the start.

Looking forward to the next instalment from Clare.

A Game of Lies is the second book featuring DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady. Exposure is a Reality TV show being filmed in North Wales on Pen-y-Draig mountain. It's similar to I'm A Celebrity but with ordinary people as, contestants. However the contestants haven't realised that their innermost secrets are going to be revealed to the watching public. When one of the contestants disappears Ffion and Leo are called in to investigate. Although I enjoyed the book I didn't love it and felt it was rather slow and long winded in parts. My sister in law used to live in a place in North Wales called Pen-y-Craig and that's where I pictured whilst reading the book!

The story takes place 18 months after the events of the first book. Defiant Ffion's life hasn't changed much with the exception of Dave. Dave is a rescue dog who has separation issues and cannot stay far away from Ffion.
This time in Cwm Coed a production company has arrived to shoot a reality TV show, Exposure. The reality show comes with a twist of its own. When Miles Young, the director/producer of the show is killed in the most impossible way, the story takes a turn towards a locked room or something similar to it.
I have read Clare Mackintosh's books before, and her stories enchant you.
This book is part of the series of DC Ffion Morgan. DC Morgan's character is flawed to the core, but she's a brilliant detective. DS Leo Brady, her partner from a Cheshire Police department, again joins her for the investigation.
The central theme of the book is entertainment out of someone's misery. The author highlighted a lot of societal issues, such as shaming people for their choices and the brutality of reality TV.

The story takes quite a few turns and makes some mind-blowing revelations at the end.

Overall, A Game of Lies is an engaging and intriguing crime thriller.

My rating for the book is 4.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the advanced copy of the book.

I adored this book. I was quite excited to see the author had written another book and dived straight in. It’s brilliant. Am so in awe of the authors writing style. More please!

DC Ffion Morgan returns in this second complex murder mystery. High in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have a secret they are desperate to keep but 'Exposure' is the name of the game. When a murder occurs, who's secret is worth killing for? This doesn't disappoint.

This is the second book featuring Detective Ffion Morgan as this picks up from book I would recommend reading book 1 first you won’t be disappointed. ‘A Game of Lies’ is again set in Wales and based around a reality tv show. A murder sees Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady brought together again to solve the case. The characters are really well written and really likeable, especially Ffions dog Dave. This is a really enjoyable read with a good plot that kept me hooked till the end. Can’t wait for the next instalment.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc will defiantly be recommending this series.

I am a big fan of Clare Mackintosh and I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have her others. This is the second book in her series about Detective Ffion Morgan who works in a small town in the mountains of Wales. She sets about investigating the disappearance of a contestant that occurs during the filming of a reality TV show. There are lots of twists and turns, one of which is that the contestants have been given false information about the premise of the show and one of the contestants chooses to leave because of this. There is also the not so smooth developing relationship between Ffion and Leo, another detective we met in the first book in this series.
I found this book engrossing however as I am not a fan of reality shows, I found the manipulative and devious behaviour of the show’s producer distasteful.
I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I am looking forward to the third book in this series.

I really enjoyed The Last Party and was so excited to see what was in store for Ffion this time!

I loved catching up with the old characters as well as meeting the new ones. I really liked the introduction of George, but Dave the dog was the standout for me!! What a guy/dog haha. However Miles and some of the others can definitely get in the bin!

I liked the idea of basing around a reality TV show (my guilty pleasure!), it helped set up the drama and questionable characters brilliantly!

I think I might have enjoyed this one more than the first! Really good crime thriller, that keeps you interested throughout!

Not to be greedy, but please can we have a book 3 because im a little bit obsessed with this cast now! I need more 😂

I was so looking forward to this book as I loved the first one in the series, but for some reason, this just felt different.
I loved the concept of a reality show theme called Exposure, but I found the story initially seemed to be waffling on and I was finding I was loosing interest and my focus on it, even though I really loved the main characters in the first book, I didn’t get that vibe this time.
I did eventually really get focused on it and enjoyed it but, and I don’t know whether it’s because I enjoyed the first one so much, but this one just didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

A Game of Lies by Clare MacKintosh proves to be a captivating sequel that effortlessly picks up where its predecessor left off. This engrossing narrative seamlessly continues the journey of its characters, delving deeper into their complexities and the intricate web of their lives.
MacKintosh's writing style remains as engaging as ever, skilfully painting a vivid tapestry of emotions and events that keep you hooked from start to finish. The author's ability to create a sense of anticipation and mystery is truly commendable, leaving you eager to unravel the secrets hidden within each chapter.
The characters, already well-established in the previous instalment, are given room to evolve and grow, adding new layers to their personalities. The emotional depth and authenticity with which MacKintosh portrays their struggles and triumphs make them relatable and endearing.
The plot of A Game of Lies is a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns, with unexpected revelations that keep you on the edge of your seat. MacKintosh expertly balances suspense and pacing, ensuring that the story never loses its momentum.
In summary, A Game of Lies is a splendid continuation of Clare MacKintosh's gripping tale, offering a rich blend of mystery, emotion, and intrigue. Fans of the first book will undoubtedly relish the opportunity to rejoin these characters on their journey.

Second in the new series from Clare Mackintosh and its a corker.
We are back in Wales where a reality TV ahow incites murder and mayhem, bringing Ffion and Leo back together to investigate.
This is hugely addictive and beautifully done. The central mystery keeps you guessing and the relationships between our major characters continues to be compelling. Setting us up nicely for further novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
As an aside Dave the Dog is one of my favourite characters ever.
Very good indeed. Recommended