Exposure is the latest reality show. Seven contestants have signed up, ready to withstand the trials of living wild in the mountains of North Wales for a week. However the first twist facing the contestants is the format of the show. The first announcement is that they don’t face exposure to the elements, they face their own secrets being exposed to the world – unless they win by exposing their camp-mates secrets first.

When one of the contestants disappears, DC Ffion Lloyd and DS Leo Brady are called in to investigate, but – unless it wasn’t already blindingly obvious – the show is rotten to the core and soon things escalate when a murder takes place. With tensions high between everyone – not least Ffion and Leo – can a murder where everyone had a motive and no one had an opportunity be solved, at least before another death occurs?

I really enjoyed the opening book in this series, The Last Party, but I was wary about the book being extended into a series. I’ve read a few books recently that were “Book One” and they were all perfectly good, but then I struggled with the continuations. When a book tries to focus as much on the lives of the sleuths as much as the mystery, the balance can be hard to get right. The first book here dealt with a case that Ffion was personally involved with and could easily have been a standalone mystery. Could Clare Mackintosh pull off the trick of producing an effective continuation?

Well, yes, yes she could. The personal involvement in the case is dialled back somewhat, although it’s still set in Ffion’s backyard, and she knows some of the suspects, and the central story is a pretty straightforward whodunnit – with a clue or two! It’s the character work that elevates it, with most of the narrative focussing on Ffion and Leo, with occasional flashbacks to the contestants, giving some insight into their actual characters, rather than that portrayed by that lowest form of entertainment, the reality show.

What sells the book is Ffion and Leo, two characters that I could read about for ages – and I hope I will. The rebellious cop is a cliché, but here Ffion comes across as someone who can get away with her transgressions. The addition of her co-worker George works well too, and I look forward to reading more about her in the future too.

Armchair sleuths won’t be fooled by one aspect of the case and I think one aspect of the forensics have been somewhat overlooked which might have saved a bit of time, but all in all, this is a very satisfying page-turner, combining a whodunit with strong characters. More, please!

A Game Of Lies is out on 20th July in hardback and ebook from Sphere. Many thanks for the review e-copy via NetGalley.