Rachel Lynch never fails. It took me almost two weeks to read this but not for lack of trying. I’ve had a baby so time to read is limited! But every spare second I have had I’ve picked this up. Love seeing Johnny and Kelly’s relationship progressing and it feels so organic and natural and love seeing her get to know Ted on a different level. These human relationship aspects of the series are what make it so relatable and engaging in my opinion. Loved it. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Canelo for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although this isn’t the first book, I’m new to this author and this one be the last one I read - I’ll be ordering the previous ones asap!

Set in the Lake District, the environment both compliments the main story and adds a great deal, I could really imagine the story unfolding.

Loved it

This was my first book by this author and I found it really absorbing. I particularly liked the Lake District setting and in an area I have visited myself, so I was able to appreciate the scenery and the communities described. The female detective, DI Porter, is an interesting character who has her own backstory and unconventional family life to throw into the mix. The crimes seem rather heavy for the rural constabulary although they start off in a fairly innocuous way through the suicide of a young girl. The serious circumstances which led up to the death have to be ferreted out by DI Porter and her team, who soon discover a web of interlinked crimes and coercion which prove to be intriguing and troubling. A well plotted detective novel with developing and enfolding twists which keep the reader gripped throughout.

A good thriller, though one that probably benefits from reading the previous in the series.

The story is very atmospheric and I can picture myself in the lakes. Characters are very well drawn, though I struggled to fully empathise with Kelly, though she was very realistic.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

DI Kelly Porter is investigating the death of a teenage girl who flung herself off a cliff, and then a teenage girl goes missing after attending a local fair, and in freezing conditions.

This is the 4th book in the series, but it is the first that I have read and it does read ok as a standalone. It is a tense and gripping police procedural which kept me reading way past my bedtime. There are lots of different strands to the story which are all brought together to give a satisfying conclusion. The location of the story, the Lake District, is fantastic. The descriptions of the locations, beautiful but also dangerous in the middle of winter, really bring them to life. The book deals with some difficult themes – drug use, sexual assault and suicide – but they are handled well. I loved the character of Kelly, a dedicated police officer who is also dealing with several personal problems.

I really enjoyed this book and I will now read the first three books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in return for an unbiased review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2725483454?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I broke the habit of a lifetime in reading this book by beginning partway through a detective series. My only regret is that I didn’t read Lynch’s earlier novels first because there are plenty of references to the first three books in the series which are now partially spoilt because I will definitely go back and read them.

This was the perfect half-term read because it meant I could completely immerse myself in the story for three days and I would have struggled to have gone back to anything else in between because I was totally gripped. There is a large cast of characters which makes it complex but that’s fine; I managed to keep them all straight in my head.

I’m delighted to have discovered this new thriller writer and will definitely work my way through the rest of the series.

Top quality detective story set in the beautifully described Lake District. DI Kelly Porter is a brilliantly written character chasing drug dealing murders in this page Turner.

Bitter Edge is the fourth novel in the DCI Kelly Porter series, set in beautifully scenic Cumbrian surroundings, and although it's a little difficult to follow the ever-changing points-of-view at the beginning and it has you wondering how they can all possibly be relevant you soon get into the swing of things. It's cleverly written with some excellent twisty surprises and reveals, but this is much more of a slow-burn than a fast and frenetic action-fest, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. Ms Lynch certainly keeps you guessing with endless possibilities and suspects and when she brings each of the various threads of the plot together for the denouement it's both a shocking and wholly satisfying experience.

This is one of the few series' where the subplot concerning Kelly's personal life is just as compelling as the ongoing investigation, and although it isn't essential to have read the previous books in the series it certainly helps to get a feel for the characters and their motivations. The author adds depth to the story by exploring a variety of themes that heavily impact teenagers: the need to belong, drugs, alcohol, bullying, celebrity obsessions. It makes for depressing reading but I admired the book addressing such important issues. Kelly is a dogged investigator who puts everything she has in her mission to get justice for victims, and her evolving private life is happier than ever.

Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

Enjoying the Kelly Porter series. This book hits the mark. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Fast paced and good characters are all you need for an enthralling story. Look forward to her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

I have read the previous books in this series and this one is as good as the others before. Based in the lake disctrict.

This is a really good series. This book was full of action with a great plot. It was an enjoyable read that had me gripped the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed this brilliant series featuring DCI Kelly Porter of the Cumbrian Police Force and set in the beautiful Lake District .The story begins with a teenager throwing herself off a cliff .Kelly starts to investigate shocked a young girl would do this ,she digs deeper and finds more teenage suicides and they all seem to have the local school in common .The book races along ,it is so well written and all the characters are believable .The story is twists and turns incorporating another Police Force until the enjoyable and satisfying ends .A very enjoyable book .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

It's almost Christmas in Cumbria in the frigid Lake District. But there's nothing colder than murder.

A 16-year-old girl throws herself off a cliff. The death is classified as a suicide. But what demons could drive someone that young to such a horrible end? Another young teen goes missing after attending the local fair. Her friends claim she went off to the loo and never came back. A shifty gypsy working with the traveling fair really likes young girls -- has he taken this one? A popular teacher is accused of pedophilia when incriminating photos are found on his home computer. Has he been set up? And the teenagers in town keep on using and taking the seemingly endless supply of drugs that are being pumped into the area. Meanwhile, the two-year-old son of a wanted criminal from Sarajevo is taken from his foster mother. DI Kelly Porter and her team at the Cumbria Police HQ are frantically trying to unravel all the pieces of this complicated web. NO SPOILERS.

Drug use, teenage suicide, bullying, social media and the insurgence of the criminal element into the Lake District contribute to a volatile conflagration as the noose tightens around those responsible. It takes everything Kelly has to handle the case and manage her hard-working team. It doesn't help that she is also dealing with some personal issues but at least her new romance seems rock solid. Porter has a gut feeling about the suicide cases but trying to get any information out of the self-absorbed and drug-addled teenagers is tough.

I really like this series, and suggest that the books be read from the beginning, in order, for a reader to really appreciate the story line and to see the changes and developments in Kelly's personal and professional life. The setting is very well described so that the reader can see the beauty and the menace of the Lake District and it seems a very fitting background for the chilling tale. I like the character of Kelly Porter and can't wait to see what happens next after the way this one ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review.

To get the most out of this book, then I'd recommend starting at the beginning as this is book four in the D.I. Kelly Porter series. I really enjoy the setting of the Lakes, as it's an area I love and I can really imagine the action and characters within that environment.
As always from Lynch, great plotting, although it felt a little disjointed at the start, but this soon settled.
Kelly's work takes her to a school in this book, called the Derwent Academy and it's here that she has to deal with the 'inmates', a bunch of teenagers that she has to quickly adjust to, and the environment is rife with crime (bullying and centrally drug problems) and narcissist personalities.

I also enjoy crime novels that have a focus on the personal lives of the officers, so it's great seeing how this is all developing.

Well written, strong character led narrative drive and great plotting make this a book I'd recommend, but I'd certainly advise you to start at the beginning with 'Dark Game' (the first in the series) for a richer read, but it would work as a stand-alone too. Great stuff!

This is an excellent police procedural, head and shoulders above the rest. The book addresses many modern problems in society, whist having solid, likeable police officers solving the crimes. I look forward to reading the earlier books in this series.

A story set in the Lake District. Why is it that a school should have more than usual numbers of suicides among the students? Why was a teacher being set up for having paedophile stuff on his computer? Something was seriously wrong in the area and it's the job of DI Kelly Porter to sort it all out. She has to do this while her mum is suffering from terminal cancer and she (Kelly) is coming to terms with her father not actually being her biological father and having to work with the man who is.

A good look at the problems of young people - from bullying, false friends and the toughness they have to show even when they don't feel tough.

Have been waiting for this, it's the fourth book in the DI Kelly porter series, plenty of action, Kelly is dealing with normal family issues as well as dealing with current issues in her job, she's very believable, there's sadness, grief, everything you want in a police procedural book, brilliant, as usual,

And she has done it again, another cracking instalment from Rachel Lynch. The 4th book in the DI Kelly porter series is just as good as the rest, an excellent well structured police procedural story, with descriptions of the beautiful Lake District scenery, great characters, interesting and exciting storyline with unexpected twists and turns.
The book also deals with more serious and important subjects, bullying, drugs and teenage fixations, overall handled well.

5 very well earned stars.

DI Kelly Porter is back for the fourth time. When a teenage girl flings herself off a cliff it looks like suicide but Kelly 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. Mired in her pursuit of justice for the growing list of victims, Kelly finds security in Johnny, her family and the father she has only just discovered.
Another gripping read which is quite dark as deals with bullying & drugs. The story flows well & there are plenty of twists and turns. I liked that the dark aspect of the book is lightened by Kelly’s personal life which is also interesting. The characters are well portrayed & have depth. I’m thoroughly enjoying this gripping series & hope there are many more instalments to come
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The girl had once been a promising athlete, but injury and then addiction to prescription painkillers changed her completely. Eventually she was driven to commit suicide in the most gruesome way - by throwing herself off a cliff in the Lake District. It worried DI Kelly Porter, but she had no reason to investigate, although several of her cases keep bringing her back to the girl's school and a darker story emerged. One of the pupils goes missing at the local fair: her best friend is the girl who has accused a teacher of luring her to his flat and then sexually assaulting her. It seems that the teacher also has paedophilia on his computer, but the downloading eerily coincides with the girl's visit to his flat. What is going on, but - most importantly - where is Faith?

I first met Kelly Porter when I read Dead End just a few months ago. I'd turned to it because I had nothing else to read but this time I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book. Rachel Lynch has the knack of writing crime fiction which pulls you in, keeps you reading and doesn't let you go until you've turned the last page. For the second time I finished one of her books in less than twenty-four hours. This isn't just tricksy writing, but a combination of factors.

I liked Porter the first time I met her. She has family values without necessarily wanting to have one herself. Her boyfriend, Johnny - who's in Mountain Rescue - is her rock, but she has no need to be married to him. She's developing a good relationship with his teenage daughter. Her mother has terminal cancer and she does her best to be there for her, but at least one of her sisters believes that she puts the job before the family - but that's Nikki all over. Then there's the matter of her father, well, both of them... All the characters come off the page well and live in your mind.

The Lake District comes to life too. It's winter, but not winter wonderland - it brought home to me that whilst the snow might make the scenery look quite benign it's really anything but: you'll come away with a great deal of respect for the people in Mountain Rescue. But it's the plot you want to know about, isn't it? I liked the way that it almost began in the middle and worked outwards in all directions as one fact impacted upon another and finally built into something compelling. It's not a whodunnit as such as you know about that from quite early on: it's about why and how the villains are tracked down and justice is achieved.

It was a good read and I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.