I love a detective novel and Rachel Lynch has created a terrific one with DI Kate Porter. The characters are believable and the story was (sadly) and all to accurate. In today's world. The story had me hooked and every twist and turn racked up the tension, right to the end. Now I need to read the other 3 previous books in the series.

If, like me, this is the first book you've read by this author I would suggest starting with the first book in the series. Although some books in a series can be read out of sequence this isn't one of them. There was various references to events I assume was major storylines in the previous books.

On the whole I enjoyed this book although the ending with one particular character seemed a bit rushed.

I will add the first book to my TBR pile as I think this has the makings of a good series if read in order.

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for my ARC.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring DI Kelly Porter. Although I have read one of the previous books, I think this could be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

It's winter in the Lake District and a girl goes missing from a fairground. With the snow closing in, her survival is looking unlikely. A girl commits suicide on one of the peaks, her body full of illegal drugs. A boy is taken from a supermarket car park. A teacher is accused of assaulting a pupil. Could there be a link between these things? Kelly Porter and her team are called in to investigate and start to uncover the grim truth.

This is an engaging and fast-paced read. I found Kelly Porter a likeable heroine and the investigations interesting. The crimes themselves are quite gritty - this isn't 'cosy crime' - but it's well written and tense. The setting of the Lake District in the inhospitable winter really does add to the menace of the situations. Recommended for anyone who enjoys police procedurals.

Police thriller which moved along at a fast pace. Good characters who interact well,with lots going on in their lives. Twists and turns along the way,sadness and happiness, a good read.

I recieved this arc from NetGalley. At the time when I made the request I didn't realize Bitter Edge was part of a series. I'm so glad I made the decision to go ahead and read it anyways and will definitely go back and read the previous three DI Kelly Porter books. This book was great, solid storyline that 100% not only tugs on your heartstrings but also creates moments of anger and frustration for the reader in regards to so many of the characters. Very well written! Looking forward to the next one. Thank you NetGalley!

This is the fourth book that I have read by Rachel Lynch and I certainly hope that there are more to come. As I live in the
Lake District it opened my eyes to what goes on behind the reports of drug dealers from other areas of the country whose trails are reported by the Westmoreland Gazette. Like many other series there are two aspects to the story . Firstly the continuing life story of the main characters and the details of the crimes which are featured in this book. As an ex teacher I wondered how realistic the school storyline was and as an ex Inspector wondered why the headteacher had been allowed to run a school whilst seemingly having no knowledge of the drugs agenda in her school?

Thank you net galley for an ARC of this book

I couldn't put it down and read it long into the night.

If you are new to this series do start with the earlier books and work through the series to get the most out of the charcters and story line. Waiting now for No 5.

I loved the descriptions of the Lake District in winter so much different from the side that tourist see in the summer months. The characters were well defined. I didn't find the subject matter of child abduction and drugs easy to read about. The side story about Kelly's relationships was intertwined and gave more interest.

Thank you to Netgalley, Canelo and author Rachel Lynch for sending me the digital ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Here comes the blurb as they say it better than I ever could!

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, her family and the father she has only just discovered. But just as she draws close to unearthing the dark truth at the heart of her investigation, a single moment on a cold winter’s night shatters the notion that anything in Kelly’s world can ever truly be safe.


I did enjoy this book just wish I had realised that it was book 4 of the series at times I felt like I would know the characters so much better reading in order, though the book worked well as a stand alone, even though I haven’t read the others in the series I plan too! I just really liked the character of DI Kelly Porter she was just very real and believable.

The setting and description of the lakes was really lovely. Very much enjoyed!

This is my first book by Rachel Lynch - but I have since downloaded number 3 and will be reading more in the future. I loved the setting - the Lake District is one of my favourite places. I liked the characters in her team and enjoyed Kelly Porter as a character.

The story was fast paced and dealt with some very current issues - drug abuse and teenage suicide.

The characters around Kelly - her family and Johnny added depth to the story and drew you in.

Definitely an author I will be watching out for in future.

Another great episode for DI Kelly Porter. As well as a well-structured and well-paced read, it covers the heart rending reality that drugs "aren't just for losers". So many young victims - even the child dealers evoke sympathy for how they've made bad choices along the way and ended up where they are in a life where they should never be.

I loved this book! I haven’t read the others in the series, yet, but I didn’t need to. It worked well as a stand alone book and I can’t wait to see how it fits into the series. The characters were believable, so much so it made me worry if this actually happens in places like the Lakes. Having spent a lot of time in the Lake District I could picture where things were happening, it was as if this was a true crime. I will be recommending this to my friends, family and colleagues, with a view to it relating to child subcultures. An excellent read!

I had seen this series mentioned and was intrigued by the setting - the glorious Lakes - and the premise of a Met inspector returning home, so when this book showed up on Netgalley I bit. What I hadn't realised was this was book 4 and I Cannot Read A Series Out Of Order. Now, if I had read the first one before seeing this on Netgalley the I might not be writing this review. The editing was sloppy, the writing overwrought and full of head hopping, the main character Too Good to be True and the book was full of really gratuitous torture and sexual violence plus the most inept villains who ever built an empire. But I had three more books to read, so a little wearily I embarked on book 2. The copy editing was still a little off (looking at the pub dates there seems to be a quick turnaround which might account for that), loose ends remained flapping and DI Kelly Porter still remains frustratingly gorgeous and brilliant with added fell running skills and a house overlooking a lake and a hot boyfriend, but despite the macabre murders the gratuity was dialled down and secondary characters and sub plots all added a layer of depth which meant I enjoyed it much more. book 3 was better still.

So here we are, Book 4. DI Kelly Porter, still gorgeous, brilliant, fit, respected by her team, working out her family issues, driving a cool car etc etc is hosting Christmas for her family so she isn't altogether displeased when work comes calling. Only a teenage girl is missing, a toddler has been kidnapped, and a fairground worker has been pursuing young girls. At the same time she's investigating allegations against a once-popular teacher and looking into another teenager's suicide. Most of the leads lead back to the local secondary school where bullying and drug taking are rife.

This was a fast paced and enjoyable read, with the development of Porter's wider family and their issues, and increasing focus on her team providing continuity and depth. The plots all weaved together nicely with a good layer of suspense and some really well executed twists. It was almost a 4 star read, but the depressing view of teen life, their seemingly ubiquitous access to and consumption of drugs, state education and cliched characterisation left me a little cold, hence the 3 stars.

So will I continue with the series? Despite some reservations there are things I really like about these books. The sense of place is absolutely superb, and despite the many murderers etc prowling the lakes in these books it makes me want to head over there right now. I like her wider team, her family and the plotting improves book by book. So yes, I will read on. And I will recommend the series. Only I would say start with book 2.

Bitter Edge is the fourth in the series featuring DI Kelly Porter. Set in the beautiful landscape of the Lake District this book can be read as a stand alone.

I love finding new crime writers to read and I've certainly found one here. Kelly Porter is a sympathetic and likeable protagonist, dedicated to her job and refreshingly without the idiosyncratic tendencies that so many fictional detectives have. She's got issues, of course she has, she's human after all but she doesn't stroppily continue to investigate cases after being suspended as so many of them do.

This novel shows an underside of Cumbria which you'd never guess at as a visitor to the Lake District. A teenager is found dead having jumped off a mountain. Kelly is reluctant to see it as suicide, it just seems such a waste. The girl had been a promising athlete and now her battered body has been found half way up a tree. Reluctantly she accepts it is suicide but continues to interview teenagers uncovering two suicides within the past two years. Are they linked? And how does the teacher accused of molesting another teenage come into it? When another young girl goes missing, Kelly pulls out all the stops to try to find her.

The plot is complicated with many twists and turns and makes for a very satisfying read. I enjoyed it very much though I did feel that the view of teenage life it presented was perhaps unduly pessimistic. I've bought the first in the series - no better recommendation. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I've read all three previous books in this series, and of them all I would say this has been my favourite. Although saying that I do think that about each one. I great thriller that kept me wanting to keep on reading to find out what happens next. I love Johnny and am so pleased that he's featured so much more in the past two books.

Loved this book so much I went back and bought the rest of the series.... Which is about the best compliment I can give.
Set in the Lake District, Kelly Porter is faced with apparent suicides of young people who had previously had everything to live for. She unravels a net of drugs, social media and tables the issues of being young head on.
Clearly familiar with the environment of the Lakes, Rachel Lynch has written a gripping series and third latest instalment is no exception.
The characters are developing well from one book to the next but their side stories do not take over.
Highly recommended

With thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Sixteen year old Jenna Fraser was a champion fell walker until she broke her leg a year earlier. Jenna became addicted to prescription painkillers, when they stopped she turned to illegal drugs. One morning she went to the fells and ran off a cliff, killing herself instantly.

DI Kelly Porter was upset that a young girl would choose to end her own life. She hoped someone else was involved but it was deemed a suicide. Weeks later teenager Faith Shaw went to the local fair with her best friend Sadie Rawlinson and her friends. Faith went missing after going to the toilet at the fair.

Coincidentally Jenna and Faith went to Derwent Valley Academy. English teacher Tony Blackman was also.suspended from the school after Sadie Rawlinson accused him of molesting her. Suspicious Kelly decided to find out what was happening at the school.

BItter Edge is the fourth book in the DI Kelly Porter series. The story was quite dark focussing on bullying and drugs. It was my least favourite in the series , but the story flowed nicely and there were twists and turns a plenty.

I liked Kelly and found the dynamics in her family interesting.
Kelly was still seeing her boyfriend Jonny who is a mountain rescuer. In the last book Jonny`s teenage daughter Josie came to live with him. Josie is a typical teenager but gets along well with Kelly.

Meanwhile Kelly`s mum and Ted had rekindled their relationship. Kelly knew Ted was her biological dad and invited him over for Christmas dinner. The scenes with Ted and the family in hospital were particularly moving and sensitively done.

I recommend I look forward to seeing how Nicki reacts to Ted once she knows the truth. I recommend this book.

At last, a well written story with pleasant characters who have reasonably normal lives set in a beautiful part of the country. . The case for DI Kelly Porter and her team is not pleasant, dealing with drugs and teenagers as it does but it is dealt with sensitively and realistically. The personal relationships of the characters are complex but certainly do not takeover from the detecting. A thoroughly enjoyable read. This must be the 5th or so in the series but can be read as a standalone; it might be better to have read the previous books in order to understand some of the relationships but the detecting is a one-off story. I look forward to more in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a Detective Kelly Porter novel by Rachel Lynch but I was hooked after a few chapters.

Bitter Edge is a thrilling and addictive thriller, that deals with the difficult issues of drug abuse, bullying and social media. The story is well thought out and will leave you guessing until the very end.

I love crime novels and Lynch has created an endearing and strong character in Det. Porter. I look forward to reading previous novels in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This is the first book in the DI Kelly Porter series that I've read - in fact, it's the first book I've read by Rachel Lynch at all, but she's definitely now an author who I'd like to read much more from.

Bitter Edge is a well-written, multi-faceted police thriller/ crime novel that features a great lead character: Kelly Porter, a Detective Inspector with her own problems to contend with, as well as trying to solve various cases including a missing teenager, a very dodgy fairground worker and a spate of drug-related crime in the area. Kelly is likable, tough and fair, and I really enjoyed reading about her, as well as her partner Johnny. I don't know all the backstory with the two of them, or what else may have happened in Kelly's past (it talks about an 'old foe'), because I haven't read the first three books, but I don't feel that this hampered my enjoyment as I understood what was happening and who was who regardless. 

The descriptions of the Lake District, where Bitter Edge is set, creates a really atmospheric but at times eerie setting, and as you're reading it's easy to imagine getting the danger of getting lost in the bitter winter months whilst hiking or climbing. This adds a sense of danger to Kelly and her team's investigations, and to the work that Johnny does in his position as a mountain rescuer. This also echoes some of the more shocking and uncomfortable themes that Rachel Lynch tackles in Bitter Edge, which soon become apparent.

The pacing of this novel felt just right to me, with plenty of developments keeping me interested, along with the more personal touches where we find out some of what Kelly has going on in her personal life, and these make her seem like a much more real and interesting character.

Various storylines come together towards the end (I love stories that do this!) to make a gripping and enjoyable read, despite some aforementioned dark themes and occurrences. I will definitely be reading more from this series!

I have burnt the midnight oil to finish this book. It was impossible to put down. First of all, may I say what a fantastic series this is. It's informative on so many issues like policing, questioning, forensics, autopsies, drugs, personal relationships, teenage behaviour, bullying, schools, social media, the rise in suicide in teens, misplaced loyalty and cancer. It was a huge learning curve for me in the detail. At first, I believed it was a little disjointed, but it all melds together into a complex network of misdeeds. (understatement) My mind was screaming for answers all the way through and there a surprise at the end which turned my sympathy upside down. LOVED the snow. I thought the imagery was particularly good as ever. Having said that, I spent my childhood there so knew all the places, the sudden changes in weather patterns and the need to respect its unpredictability. A personally nostalgic journey. I did considerable mountaineering and was part of the Borrowdale Mountain Rescue team in the sixties. My only dislike in the story was the raw, ripe language employed in dialogue and narration (reported thoughts which weren't only from low-lives) As for the school's' lack of support & cooperation I was disgusted. Even the teachers use bad language. I really think the way things are going especially in inner city schools that random drug tests should be performed, bullying policies strengthened that work and not a glossy rhetoric to impress Ofsted, phones forbidden in schools and playground duties performed by specialists on spotting the signs of bullying instead of untrained dinner ladies as in many schools. More information to parents and pupils should be issued on the drug abuse. Security should be tighter on guns and knives too and visitors to the schools. I often wonder if there should be higher age restrictions on social media. This book brought out that none of the parents knew what their youths were doing. The saddest and most emotive quote from an addict of 15/16 "She needed the high more than she wanted to break the cycle." That sounds SO hopeless. Well done again to DCI Kelly Porter and her ingenious team. Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo