It really makes me so happy when I discover a new Crime Thriller Writer to love. let's be honest though there are too many out there who try only few succeeds in producing a great book. Thankfully, Rachel Lynch is one of those few authors who succeeded, I'm even wondering why this has so few ratings.

A scandal made D.I. Kelly Porter comes home where she though she'd only be working on minor crimes. She was wrong. Upon reviewing old cases, one caught her attention and decided to work on it. A five-year old unsolved case of a ten-year-old Lottie Davies who went missing, and then eventually found brutally murdered. Still working on it, Kelly has to work with other new cases too, a case involving an illegal immigrant, and a robbery following the death of local businessman Colin Day.
And to her surprise, connection between the cases begun to resurface.

Though it took me days to read this one, that doesn't mean i got bored with this. No, I was just busy. Truth is, this book is anything but boring. I found the plot complex but it was well-written and well-organized. Connecting one case with another can be crucial but the author handled it so well. She certainly knew what to reveal Now and what's later so the thrill and mystery of it isn't lost to the reader. The pace, needless to say, is perfect for this genre.
It was a good experience.
I also liked that there was a plot points involving Kelly and her sisters rivalry. I have to mention this little part of the plot because Sisters rivalry is actually one of my hatest troupe in any genre of in novels. But in this book, I find it okay and acceptable. :)
The character. I like Kelly. She's badass but certainly a human being. She's not annoying. I really can't help but compare her to Harry Bosch (the MC in Michael Connely's famous Crime Thriller Series). Sorry, I can't think of anyone to compare with.
Overall, I a keen to read the next in the series. Also I recommend this book to everyone who loves this genre. Or anyone who wants to try this genre. It's so apparent that the author knows her game so reading this book is worth your time.

Rachel Lynch is an exciting new author for me and has produced an exciting police procedural book to kickstart our interest.
DI Kelly Porter after a spell at the Met in London returns home to take up a post in the Lake District expecting to be dealing with less stressful crimes.
She gets her feet wet reexamining a cold case of a child abduction at the same time dealing with an illegal immigrant and the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a local businessman.
What transpires will keep you on the edge of your seat great read.

I really enjoyed this book. This is an action packed edge of the seat thriller. I read this book in one sitting. I got totally caught up in the plot and had to know what happened. This is a well thought out and very well written book. I hope this book is th first of many about Kelly.

Another name to look out for in the gritty police procedural genre. Very well written and plotted, couldn’t put it down. Plucky, likeable and ballsy DI that leaps off the page. Great read

This is a solid, murder mystery thriller, with difficult subject matter and details within that I found particularly hard to stomach at times.
The lead character policewoman Kelly is strong, likeable and well written and I enjoyed the chapters that described her private life and her challenging family relationships.
There are other, unsavoury characters throughout the book and although I found it a well told murder mystery, it's very gruesome in parts. Not for the fainthearted.
Solid 3.5* for me.
Many thanks to netgalley and Canelo digital publishing for the opportunity to preview.

After leaving The Met under a dark cloud when a high profile investigation goes wrong, Kelly Porter returns to the Lake District where she grew up. 

She is given two cases to look at.  One is an old one.  A ten year old girl, Lottie Davies was murdered five years ago and a more recent one which involves an illegal immigrant with a newborn child. 

When a local and well respected businessman is found dead in a hotel room it is thought that it's just a straight forward heart attack.   Then the police find a recording which shows Colin having sex with a prostitute.   The video shows that the prostitute makes a phone call and then disappears.   Kelly tries to find the prostitute and this is where Kelly and her team begin to uncover how all three of these cases are linked with human trafficking, drugs, money laundering, prostitution and murder. 

Kelly's mother and sister still live in the Lake District and Kelly has thought that her sister, Nikki, was the preferred "perfect" daughter.   She stayed close to her parents and settled down while Kelly ran away to London when her father, an ex-policeman, passed away.   The relationship between the sisters is fantastically written and I'm sure will strike a chord with many readers.   

I really like Kelly.  She's a strong woman who knows her own mind and won't take any crap.  She's nice though.  She doesn't throw her weight around and she values her colleagues and their strengths.  

The author has done her research too.  She knows the correct procedures that the police have to use which is a massive bonus in my eye.  I'm sick of reading a great story that is let down by lack of research.  

I really enjoyed reading this book, even though parts were difficult to read due to the subject matter.

I can't wait to read the next in the series.

Having spent a lot of time in the Lake District I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the towns and places. I also liked the characters (the goodies) who were realistically flawed and very human. I hope this is the start of a series. The only reason why I knocked a star off my review is that I just couldn’t believe that so much villainy would go on in sleepy Ambleside - Kendall or Keswick maybe. That aside, the plot was tight and the writing appeared effortless - always a sign of a great writer (and editor). I look forward to reading more.

I really enjoyed this book which is the first in a new series. It was very well written with a great plot. I would recommend this book and look forward to the next in the series

A bit too gritty for me....being of an overly sensitive disposition I only watch films if they are PG or 12 if I’m feeling brave, so I did have to skip a fair bit. However, I can appreciate the clever writing and the logical and systematic approach of the author, this may have also have made the realism all too real. The story line was well constructed and believable. Worryingly so!

5☆ A Gripping New Detective Thriller, You won't want to miss!

Dark Game is the first book in a new detective series and I must say it was very good for a first book.

It had everything you could want from a new detective thriller.
Fresh intriguing Characters, a kick ass main female detective.
A big Cold Case that needs to be solved!!
A criminal underworld that lays hidden from the tranquillity and beauty of the Lake District.
Prositiution, Money Laundering, Trafficking, a Child Abandoned, more cases to be solved along the way.
It was so gripping and exciting!

Detective Inspector Kelly Porter is back home and has just started her new job.
Coming from the mean streets of London Kelly thought her job was going to be nice and easy. Ha!! How wrong was she.

When Little 10 year old Lottie is found after being abducted, she has been  murdered and abused.
Kelly sets out to solve the case.

Alongside this horrific case a child had been abandoned and the mother found not too far away.
Why would she abandon her child?
Kelly sets out to uncover the truth.
The Cases she has been assigned alongside Lottie's Muder, uncovers illegal immigration and the death of a local businessman which appears to be the cause of a robbery and prostitution.

Can Kelly delve deep into the underworld of the tranquil Lake District and find her answers, or does Danger await!!

Kelly is a brilliant detective, she is kick ass,   and not affraid to get stuck in!
She has moved in with her Mum. But she really doesn't get on with her sister Nikki. Nikki has always been favourite and Kelly believes Nikki is minipulating her mother for her own gains. The dynamics are brilliant. Sibling rilvary at its best!

I have high hopes for this brand new series and I think the best is yet to come as Kelly Porter's character develops and goes from strength to strength.
I'm excited to see where Rachel takes the next book in the series!

If your looking for a New Detective Thriller, that has a Kick Ass Lead Detective, Gripping Storylines that draw you in, excellently researched Police Procedures that strengthen the back bone of the story making you feel a part of the team, exposing many raw subjects such as human trafficking and prostitution.
Then this is definitely the book for you!

Bring on Book 2.... I can't wait!

The first book in a gritty new series and it delivered a mighty punch! Well written, fresh characters, lovely location and a great plot. Detective Inspector has murder, prostitution, a cold case and money laundering, to name a few, to contend with. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to lovers of thrillers. One warning.....it is gritty. I look forward to book two in this exciting new series. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

DI Kelly Porter just moved back home from the big city. As a new detective in the force, she does everything she can to fit in and takes as many cases as possible.

As the story goes along, we follow not only our DI’s point of view but also some witnesses and suspects.
I can enjoy the several points of views thing from time to time but here, I just felt like it took something away from the mystery and I could actually put together what happened before the cops could.
In mysteries, I usually like following along with the police…
Still, the story was very well built and I had a good time reading it even though the many many points of views sometimes lost me…

This is the first book in a series following D.I. Kelly Porter who is returning home to the Lake District having been forced to leave her post in the Met in London after being caught up in a scandal. Kelly assumes her life will now consist of fairly low-level and minor crimes and criminals but it is not long before this is proven wrong. Kelly is soon investigating the case of the abduction and murder of 10 year old Lottie and the seemingly unrelated crimes of robbery and illegal immigrants but it is not long before Kelly is embroiled in a far-reaching web of criminal activity to rival anything she has dealt with in London.
I absolutely love the character of D.I. Porter and can see that the author has plenty of room to develop her further and I found the attention to detail in writing about police procedural work to be excellently done.
A great read, entertaining, thrilling and dark and the final few pages were very satisfying and excellently written. I can't wait for book number two in the series. 5 stars and many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance review copy.

Having worked her way up in the MET, detective Kelly Porter finds herself back home in the Lake District following the death of her policeman father and the illness of her mother. Faced with the difficulties of family life and a difficult relationship with her older sister, Kelly dives into work, working on several seemingly unrelated cases. When a town dignitary dies in less than desirable circumstances, she stumbles into a case of her life, which will not only unravel the local community, but have far reaching consequences.

This is a relately fast paced thriller and very well written. However, a few things really niggled at me and this is why I cannot really give it full five stars. While the main character is a strong and independent woman and thankfully without a disability of some sort, she is still typecast as someone who has so many daddy issues that she is almost immobilised by them at times.

My other issue is that EU citizens are consistently referred to as illegals and needing a work permit. The author attempts to draw attention to the hard working EU migrants abd Brexit, but it begs belief that someone could get their facts so wrong. This is a seemingly unimportant niggle, but it does impact on the story line and for me this ruined the novel. Almost as much as the fact that the key witness who produces key evidence is left without protection which leads to the dramatic finale. I understand that crime writers these days need to deliver drama to stand out, a simple whodunit does not cut it anymore, but the behaviour displayed by the detective shows her to be totally unhinged and unthinking, which is at odds wit the rest of the characterization.

Overall this was very readable, but I felt let down by the outlined bits. I assume that there will be more novels in this series and I hope that there will be fewer inconsistencies along the way.

A really great read, a clever story put together well, not over complicated, flowed all the way through the book and came to a satisfying conclusion

I enjoyed this book very much. The main character was interesting and someone who I could identify with. Her domestic situation humanized her and gave us insights into her character. The crimes was solved logically and there was a great deal of suspense. The conclusion very satisfying. I would be keen to read more of this author and this detective. My one problem was that there were so many characters involved that I sometimes lost track of who they all were, this however hardly detracted from my enjoyment

Dark Game by Rachel Lynch is the first of the DI Kelly Porter series and what a great first book. A brilliant read with a complex plot line. A cut above most police procedurals with three interlinked cases, including people trafficking. A strong and likeable main character in Kelly, and a decent annoying hate figure in her sister! I will definitely look out for further books by this author and especially any further in the DI Kelly Porter series.

Frightening, violent, sometimes disturbing, Dark Game is indeed dark, and completely riveting! Bringing an excitement to seemingly routine police work, Ms Lynch handles the unfolding story with a lightness of touch rarely seen in crime thrillers, showing us that even ordinary people can be extraordinary when called upon. Great!

Loved this book by Rachel Lynch. The first in a series. Looking forward to the next. Set in the Lake District where Kelly has relocated from the Met The plot covers illegal immigration, people smuggling, murder and more. There is lots of local description as well as the main story, I always enjoy reading about areas I know too . I found it a good read and would recommend it.

Gripping and extremely thrilling. I loved how well written it was