After reviewing Clare Mackintosh’s The Last Party just under a year ago, I relished the prospect of again hearing from Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady, the two Detective Constables from either side of the Wales-England border. Happily, A Game Of Lies is an absolute corker of a read, scintillating from beginning to end.
Set in the Welsh mountains, yet with an artificial construct – seven guests are there as part of a reality TV show, Exposure; one has vanished mid-filming – Mackintosh’s storyline is pragmatic, logical and stays on the side of brutal honesty. She uses the bare minimum of exposition which left no room for speculation: you truly feel like the cameras are encroaching on this little Welsh idyll.
The drama of finding the missing contestant descends into a moral scramble of sorts, asking us to consider why we enjoy this format. (The appearance of a confessional booth recalls the Big Brother setup of old.) It begins to feel like you’re viewing the action through a camera obscura, the claustrophobia and cloying camaraderie both equally apparent, while the twists in the plotting bring home just how quickly a dark secret can be revealed.
Though I would have liked a greater emphasis on Ffion’s use of non-procedural means in catching her suspect, Ffion and Leo’s burgeoning relationship certain retained my interest. I can’t wait for the next volume in the DC Morgan series.
A Game Of Lies, Clare Mackintosh (Sphere)
Price: £16.99/£29.99 audiobook. Info: here
words BILLIE INGRAM SOFOKLEOUS