The fourth instalment of the DI Kelly Porter crime series, based in the Lake District, is another winner. Kelly is tasked with investigating the apparent suicide of a local teenager, and soon suspects that some other teenage deaths from the same school in recent years could be linked. As is usual, several cases become intriguingly intertwined and the scope widens to involve other crimes (murder, kidnapping) and other police forces.

Drugs and the effects of long-term drug use feature prominently, along with the control of addicts by their nasty dealers. Teenage pressure to conform is intense as Kelly soon discovers, but she has the reluctant help of her boyfriend's daughter Josie to help understand the behaviour and language of those addicted to celebrity status and expensive brands.

Four stars because there were a few loose ends (e.g. what was going on with Luke's father? What happened to the fairground woman?) but I guess life has loose ends. A series definitely worth pursuing.

"Bitter Edge" is the fourth novel in the D.I. Kelly Porter police procedural mystery series. The first in the series, "Dark Game" was a solid 5-star read for me and the following novels in the series maintain the quality. There is nothing quite so satisfying to me as reading a British police procedural crime thriller.  When it has an engaging protagonist, a Lake District setting, and a compelling and well rendered plot, then it is for me, reading bliss.

The thing I like most about this series is that Rachel Lynch has found that perfect balance between the protagonist's personal life and the crime investigations. Just the right amount of attention to each makes for compelling reading.  I enjoyed the relationships between Kelly and her team, as well as the joys and strife of Kelly's personal life.

The subject matter of this installment in the series is serious indeed. Teenage suicide, drug use and drug dealing, and the detrimental effect of social media on today's youth. All current and important issues in modern society. Throw in the tensions of a missing girl the week before Christmas, and the team has more than they can handle.

The cases were all brought to a close in a satisfactory and realistic way.

Rest assured that I will be reading every installment in the DI Kelly Porter series. A must-read for those who enjoy well-written, character-rich, realistically plotted crime novels. Highly recommended!

Set in one of my favourite parts of the country, this story is the 4th in the series and although there are regular explanations of the back story, I'd recommend you read them in order. The lead characters feel real, with both private and professional lives to the fore, and the twists and turns never let up. A satisfying read

Thankyou to NetGalley, Canelo and the author, Rachel Lynch, for the opportunity to read Bitter Edge in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I am a fan of this series, and this book is a great edition .
The storyline was well written and entertaining. Thoroughly enjoyable book.
Worth a read.

I have bought this entire collection! Rachel Lynch has a pleasant writing style , that draws you in to the storyline, by the time you check the time hours have passed and you are almost half a book through!
Kelly Porter is fearless and a brilliant character!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great character in Detective Kelly Porter. . An intriguing and quite alarming plot that had me on the edge if my seat. Looking forward to the next book in this series

Excellent, a well written book which is geographically correct! I live in the Lakes and so love reading about this area, but so many authors don't do sufficient research and so I love one which I cannot fault. In addition, the story was great, with several threads to it, which we knew were all connected but the question for Kelly was - how?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will continue the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to have a free copy of this book to read and review. I don't like to review a book if I don't love it. I tried to like this book but the subject matter was really uncomfortable. I just did not get into this one. I did not connect with the story or the author's storytelling style. I'll give it 2 stars because the description of scenery and surroundings was good.

I had forgotten that I had this on my Netgalley shelf until I read the more recent novel in the series, Little Doubt.

So I've gone back to read some of the back catalogue (in no particular order!).

Once again, Rachel Lynch has plotted a sophisticated book with plenty of twists and unforeseen events to keep the reader on our toes.

The Lake District setting is perfect and I can picture so much of the novel vividly.

I love the fact that she balances real deep character development with plot. I feel like I am really getting to know Kelly Porter and her family. I am invested in their lives and really like Kelly as a woman and a detective.

Again, thoroughly recommend this book and this series from what I have read so far.

I've read and loved the other Kelly Porter books and unfortunately, this just isn't as good. The reasons for investigating the suicides seems really spurious and the characterisation isn't as rich as in the other books.

I'll read more Kelly Porter though. Hopefully this was just a blip and they go back to being awesome.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation to review.

It was great to see Kelly Porter again in the latest crime thriller by Rachel Lynch - a brilliant read, fast-paced and twisted.

Yes this is a good book......well constructed and well written. Great plot and gripping.Keep one gripped TIL the end

DI Kelly Porter is a great character and I love her. I've read other books in this series and every one is a winner. Her relationships, whether they be with her mother, her sister, colleagues or partner are all totally credible. Each story is well thought out with marvellous attention to detail. My only negative is they aren't available on audio as such great writing merits, what I call, "double dipping"; reading and listening. A fulsome 5 stars and a 'highly recommended' from me.

firstly what a great cover. This is the first time I have read Lynch's work and it won't be the last. She creates a great story, credible characters and convincing procedural detail. A fabulous read I will definitely be reading more of her work

When a local girl jumps to her death from a cliff, everyone is convinced that it is a tragic and horrific suicide. But when the investigation leads back to the girl’s school, it becomes clear that all is not well in the picturesque, rural community. Accusations have been made about a popular teacher, there is a pattern of troubled teens, and within days a schoolgirl has gone missing. With unsavoury characters lurking in the background, it is clear that there is a dark reality behind the quiet cosiness of life in the Lakes…
I was delighted to get to grips with another DI Kelly Porter novel, having previously reviewed the first – Dark Game – and third – Dead End (I somehow managed to miss the second novel, Deep Fear). Kelly Porter is my kind of lead character; she is headstrong, determined and relentless in her pursuit of the truth and of justice. She is hard-working and effective, and at this stage, she feels more like a friend than a character! I highly enjoy the way Rachel Lynch writes these books, as the detail of the procedural part of police work is something that fascinates me. Seeing the steps a detective would take to solve numerous cases at once is very engaging and kept me willing Kelly on.
Rachel Lynch’s talent has never been in doubt, but for me, this is the best book of hers that I have read. It deals with some very difficult topics, including suicide, drug abuse and child abduction, but never strays into being gratuitous or goes too far. I’ve mentioned it before while reviewing her novels, but her ability to weave together seemingly separate plotlines into a satisfying, believable narrative is incredible. As the majority of central characters are exposed fairly early on in her books, I’m always trying to fit events together to get ‘the answer’, but her writing keeps me on the edge of my seat continuously (also I’m always wrong). This book also felt like it had a few more twists than the previous two I’d read, which I really enjoyed. While this is a standalone novel, I would recommend starting with at least the first book, Dark Game, in order to fully understand some of the characters and their motives in Bitter Edge.
It felt almost reassuring to settle back into the Cumbrian surroundings. Rachel Lynch is clearly very familiar with the place, and the way she describes the location is inviting and appealing. This choice of charming, pleasant scenery makes the perfect juxtaposition to the brutality and harshness of the crimes that take place there. It is much more shocking to read about such events in such a beautiful location, which is a fantastic USP for this series.
This book is oftentimes bleak and full of despair, but it balances out the heaviness of some of the topics with the inclusion of plotlines around Kelly’s personal relationships. Kelly’s relationship with her parents is a central point in this book, alongside her relationship with her partner Johnny and his daughter Josie. I really loved this – it brought levity to the novel and allowed me to catch my breath a bit, as well as explaining a huge amount of what has shaped Kelly’s character. The only thing I missed was that her sister, Nikki, who had been such a central inclusion in previous novels, was barely mentioned in this one. I’m hoping there is more to come between these siblings, particularly in light of the shape of their family by the end of the book.
Overall, I loved Bitter Edge. It is sometimes bleak in topics covered, but it is highly engaging, completely gripping, very well written and exciting to read. This is a tangle of plotlines you’ll be delighted to get lost in!

The first time I have come across this detective series - I will definitely be looking out for the earlier ones. I really enjoyed this, despite its bleak look at the downside of being a teenager. It's very believable and up to date as far as that element is concerned, while the mystery element was full of enough hooks and twist and turns to keep me reading!

Another cracking read from Rachel Lynch. I enjoyed the personal aspects to Kelly alongside the case. The case itself was gripping, per usual, and I couldn't stop reading. I actually devoured this one in an evening as I was so drawn in. Can't wait for the next one!

Bitter Edge is the 4th installment in the Kelly Porter series, set in Lake District, UK. The main plot is quite dark, with themes of adolescent drug use, bullying and sexual assault taking the centre stage. Running parallel to this is also Kelly’s personal narrative, which brings some very needed cheer.

A clever mystery with several twists and turns. I found the novel initially difficult to grab hold of as it is all over the place. Slow start but clever intertwining of threads in the end.

Another terrific Lynch novel. DI Kelly Porter is certainly a crime fic fan favourite!

DI Kelly Porter is back, but so is an old foe and this time he won’t back down...
When a teenage girl flings herself off a cliff in pursuit of a gruesome death, DI Kelly Porter is left asking why. Ruled a suicide, there’s no official reason for Kelly to chase answers, but as several of her team’s cases converge on the girl’s school, a new, darker story emerges. One which will bring Kelly face-to-face with an old foe determined to take back what is rightfully his – no matter the cost.

Mired in her pursuit of justice for the growing list of victims, Kelly finds security in Johnny, h

I found this book very slow going and hard to pick up. In fact I’m afraid to say I didn’t finish it. This is the first book this year that I haven’t finished but I just couldn’t struggle through it anymore. It was overly descriptive and just too slow.