A Game of Lies: A Novel

by Clare Mackintosh

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From the mind of thriller mainstay Clare Mackintosh comes a propulsive read built around the ultimate game of secrets and survival. With a compelling cast of characters and a game show hook that's perfectly plotted, this is both fresh and familiar in all the best ways.

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

"It's everything you want from a thriller—and then some. Hugely enjoyable." —Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728296517
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	3,036
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

With over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. Both Clare's second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Her first three thrillers were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and together have been translated into forty languages. After the End was published in 2019 and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and in 2021 Hostage flew straight into the top ten. Her new crime series, featuring Welsh detective DC Ffion Morgan, has been critically acclaimed, with both The Last Party and A Game of Lies hitting the Sunday Times top ten. Together, her books have spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists. Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

Editorial Reviews

02/26/2024

Dangerous rivalries and unchecked ambitions on a reality TV show fuel Mackintosh’s superb second case for Welsh Det. Const. Ffiona Morgan (after The Last Party). At the outset, Morgan is called to the set of Exposure, a reality competition taking place on a Welsh mountain, after crew members uncover a set of bones. She arrives, quickly determines they’re animal bones, and prepares to leave—but then one of the show’s seven contestants goes missing from the supposedly locked-tight set. Though advertised in casting notices as a survival show, Exposure turned out to be a bait-and-switch: once contestants arrived, they learned producers had gotten hold of their “darkest secrets,” which would be revealed on television unless they could expose another contestant’s secret first. If a contestant makes an incorrect guess, they’re forced into a “confession pod” to face snakes, spiders, or roaches; if they win, they walk away with £100,000. As Morgan searches for answers about the missing contestant, she learns that every member of the Exposure cast has secrets they’d kill to keep. Mackintosh has heaps of nasty fun with the conniving world of reality TV, and she generates palpable stakes for her well-drawn characters. By the time things wind down, it’s clear this series has enough gas to merit a long run. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A reality show akin to Survivor turns into a nightmare...Well-structured (and featuring a very good dog!), this is a sure hit for Mackintosh devotees." — Elle magazine, The Best Mysteries & Thriller of 2024

"Tightly plotted and meticulously paced, packed with suspects, twists, and turns, A Game of Lies is Clare Mackintosh at her best. It’s everything you want from a thriller—and then some. Hugely enjoyable." — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Fury

"Twisty and clever. Another deeply enjoyable mystery from a talented storyteller." — Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of the Will Trent series

"Great fun—clever plot, engaging characters, and smart, sharp writing." — Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author

"A brilliantly plotted whodunnit." — Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick The Sanatorium

"A clever plot, a glorious setting, engaging characters, and buckets of tension." — B.A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors

"Mackintosh has heaps of nasty fun with the conniving world of reality TV, and she generates palpable stakes for her well-drawn characters. By the time things wind down, it’s clear this series has enough gas to merit a long run." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Narrator Chloe Davies delivers the second audiobook in the DC Morgan series. Seven contestants find themselves in the mountains of Wales for what they've been told is a "Survivor"-like TV show. They quickly discover that the premise of the show, called "Exposed," is to uncover the deepest, darkest secret of each person involved. When a contestant goes missing, Detective Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady must find the missing man and uncover the truth about the crimes that follow. Davies matches the pace and tension of the story while also developing distinct voices for a wide range of characters. She particularly shines as Morgan, emphasizing her determination and passion. Although this is the second in the DC Morgan series, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

JULY 2024 - AudioFile