Wow! This was a great first book of a series, which can be notoriously hard to get right. The way the writer described Cumbria, also made you feel like you could imagine being there. Definitely recommended and I look forward to reading book 2.

I apologise for the fact that I didn't download, read and review this book. It was a particularly bad time for me and I'll confess that I completely forgot about it. It's a pity as I have enjoyed and reviewed a later book in the series.

I was so engrossed in these books that I read all 3 one after the other. DI Porter was wonderful and she deserved to be respected for what she was doing. The way the books carried on from each other was very well written and the story lines were very easy to become totally absorbed in. I will continue to look for these and carry on reading more of her stories. Can’t wait to see what happens with Johnny.

A new detective series from Rachel Lynch and it should do well if the follow on books are as good. DI Kelly Porter returns to her home after a career in the big smoke and reopens an old cold case. Thinking she could use her experience and solve the case, however she did not expect to be involved in one of the largest cases in the country. The author paints a very clear picture of the criminal underworld that in pursuit of greed, pander to the perverse needs of seedy and wealthy people, who appear to be normal upstanding citizens. The book moves very quickly building the case, piecing together all the clues and adding in some thrilling action which will keep you hooked till the end. The writing style is straight forward and uncomplicated making it a pleasure to read. Strongly recommended.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo, and the author Rachel Lynch.
A good, gripping detective story, which was incredibly dark and gritty at times, but enjoyable nonetheless.
A book with a solid premise, but nothing to get overly excited about. 3 stars, right down the middle. Would recommend for some easy holiday reading.

The first 80% of this novel was a solid 4* for me and I was enjoying a strong female lead character. Unfortunately the final 20% was a 2* due to implausibility in the plot and some really stupid decisions.

Loved this book and would definitely like to read more in the series. I enjoyed the Lake District setting, I dont think I have read a book set in the Lake District before and you can imagine how quiet and isolated some areas are for these criminals to run their activities. I liked the character of Kelly and the eastern European receptions/night manager. Although it was fiction i do think that these things could be happening!! It was written so well that it was believable!

Detective Inspector Kelly Porter has returned from London to her home territory of the Lake District, after her time in the Metropolitan Police ends badly. Coming home is difficult: she has fractured family relationships, lost touch with many of the people she grew up with and is worried that she might be seen as a failure. Throwing herself into work seems the easiest way to cope, and she is set to work on the cold case of the murder of 10-year-old Lottie Davies. Alongside this, she quickly gets involved in two other cases: the abandonment of a newborn baby and the search for the mother, and the death of a prominent local businessman, who was in the company of a sex worker when he passed away.

As Kelly gets to grips with her cases, she finds there is a seedy, dangerous underworld to the beautiful location she calls home. The tangled web of crime becomes more complex, and soon Kelly's life is on the line...

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it was so much better than I had imagined it was going to be! The whole plot was so intricately weaved together to form a novel I couldn't put down. This isn't so much of a 'whodunnit' as I usually read with crime and thriller books, but more of a jigsaw puzzle where you have all the pieces but aren't sure what the final outcome will be. I was stunned at how intriguing a story could be even when it was clear who was involved.

The pace of this book was just right. It swung between scenes of non-stop adrenaline to realistic and methodical police work. I really loved this balance; it gave you just enough to keep your mind racing before holding back a little to ramp up the tension. I was never bored reading this, the pages flew by and I was disappointed to finish it.

This book is fairly graphic, which I should warn you about. There are intense scenes of physical and sexual violence and some pretty vivid detail! While it was a bit striking to read such descriptive scenes, they weren't gratuitous and gave the book real tension and a sense of urgency.

My only minor niggles are that there are maybe a few too many characters in this book. It could be hard to keep track of who was who, and there were some people who the novel could've done without. Perhaps they will come up again later in the series though, who knows! Apart from that, there were a few times when the level of detail about the locations was a bit much. Rachel Lynch is clearly very familiar with where she has based the series, but I'm not sure road numbers were necessary!

Dark Game is the first in a new series of police procedurals. I am overjoyed to hear that because I really enjoyed getting to know the character of Kelly. She is strong, feisty, and determined, which I liked a lot. I would love to know more about her personal relationships. There were a few plotlines relating to this that weren't completely tied up in Dark Game which makes me excited to read more.

Overall, I was really impressed with this book. It was cleverly written and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. In fact, I finished this within 12 hours - I couldn't get enough. If you're a fan of gritty, dark crime books, this will be right up your alley!

I really enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of American crime fiction, so I wouldn’t usually read a book set in the UK Lakes, but I’ve got to say it was a breath of fresh air and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
It’s well written, with several twists and keeps you guessing all the way through and ties up nicely at the end.

After a falling out with her partner and losing the energy to continue working for the London Metropolitan Police, Detective Inspector Kelly Porter moves home to the Lake District.
For a small community with hardly any crime, Kelly immediately takes on 3 cases in order to prove herself a useful part of the department.
The description of the book leads with an intriguing cold case of an abduction and murder of a 10 year old girl. Her story is the focus of the beginning of the book, but the plot splits off to the real time perspective of an illegal immigrant woman. Suddenly the book is about human trafficking and becomes rather graphic sexually.
Kelly becomes a secondary character in her own book and just happens to be investigating 3 "unrelated" crimes.
The plot is overwhelming and way too convenient. I won't be reading any other books.

In short: well written, well developed protagonist, raw and gritty story. This story is twisted, the twists and turns come frequently and full of surprises. The plot is also well done and worked out great!

If you like a good police thriller there’s no shame in picking up this book, you’ll love it.

I was drawn to this crime thriller because it is set in the Lake District, a location that I  know really well. DI Kelly Porter returns to Cumbria and begins to investigate a cold case. However, it soon becomes apparent that the case is linked to much more recent crimes and before long a much darker criminal world is exposed. This book kept me up all night, I was desperate to find out more. It is graphic and not for the faint-hearted but I found the storyline extremely enlightening.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this thrilling read. It features DI Kelly Porter, a modern day kickarse super hero lady! She has to investigate the murder of a ten year old girl, while dealing with an overbearing sister and an ever-suffering mother. Highly recommended!!!!

I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters in it. I'm looking out for the next book in the series as want to read more.

The style of writing appealed to me and would recommend.

A very appropriate title, it was a very dark story. Illegal immigrants brought to Britain under false beliefs, the women sold into prostitution, the children sold to paedophiles and the men sold to fight to the death. Very well written story with absorbing police procedures and execution of these. An open ended conclusion.

Dark Game is an absorbing crime thriller set in the Lake District. A female detective returns to her hometown and embarks on a cold case inquiry of the murder of a young girl. The investigation leads her team to the disturbing world of people trafficking. A fast paced novel with an interesting lead character and I look forward to reading more in this series.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

There have recently been a number of 'gripping crime thrillers' portraying a female inspector who is damaged in some way with a male counterpart who is a stabling influence. I am happy to say that DI Kelly Porter is a normal person with baggage that makes her human but is incidental to her being the amazing woman and police detective she is.

The plot subject however is not an easy one to read but reflects the times we live in. With limited control of migration and refugees fleeing atrocities or serious hardship, being pulled into the seedier side of life in a 'civilised' country. Always someone who 'would do anything and climb over anyone' for money as the author puts it.

This should be a wake up call to all of us to be more vigilant in a world when parents can imprison and abuse their own children what hope for those who are vulnerable?

This is well written and has an excellent pace which keeps you reading. The conflict of Kelly's home life keeps us grounded and reinforces that this is set in a town near you!

I would recommend this to all university students and travellers as an eye-opener of the realities of life and just how normal the people involved in crime can appear.

I could not put it down and it's a refreshing change to have a police female lead who is positive but normal! A new role model in the making.

I received a free copy from net galley.com for my fair and honest review.

Dark Game (DI Kelly Porter) by Rachel Lynch is the first novel in this series.
Rating 4.8/5
Slow starting but then a real page turner. The reader won’t be disappointed.
DI Kelly Porter has just returned to Cumbria from London after leaving there under a bit of a dark cloud. Returning to her family isn’t easy, with an overbearing, righteous big sister and her anxious mother. However, she is soon caught up in a cold case of a child abduction and murder. Alongside, an abandoned baby, illegal immigrants and the death of a rich man.
Rachel Lynch develops her characters and plots with skill. Weaving and adding depth of layers both to the individuals, lovely or sinister and evil as applicable and the cases DI Porter and her team are investigating.
The investigations come to a dangerous conclusion. Be prepared to be taken on a journey.
Thanks to Rachel Lynch, NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read this well rotten novel. In return I have written an honest and unbiased review.
Highly recommended.

This was a dark and gritty crime novel that intrigued me in places and kept me wanting to read until the end. It does get quite dark in places so be warned but if you can cope with some darker themes in books then I would recommend this one. Covering topics such as prostitution, human trafficking and money laundering there are several plot lines woven together into one final climactic moment. I'll be honest, I am in a bit of a reading slump, so the pacing of this one didn't feel as fast as I would of liked. However, I think if I was in my usual reading mood this would of moved along at a much faster pace. The chapters were fairly short which always keeps me wanting to read one more and this is something I really like in a thriller.


Kelly Porter was a great character. She was passionate about what she did and was determined to solve the case throughout the book. I also found it interesting to see her family relationships between her mum and her sister and I would like some more of this in subsequent books. There were lots of other characters in this book too but I didn't find them hard to keep track of. They all played their own part in the story and I thought everything fitted together well.


Overall I enjoyed this story, it was just a shame I was in a bit of a reading slump whilst reading it as I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I wasn't. That being said it was a dark and gritty fast paced thriller with a twisty turny, interwoven plot that had be excited to reach the climax.