This is another brilliant page turner featuring the kick-ass Kelly Porter! What's great about these books is that no two stories are the same, and they often taken the least expected path. Bitter Edge is no exception. At times it's a gritty, uncomfortable read, featuring missing children and the scourge of drug use amongst teenagers. Aside from that it's an excellent story with a host of characters that you will either love or hate!

This is the fourth book in the DI Kelly Porter series.

Rachel Lynch has continued to develop this interesting group of detective characters, based around Kelly Porter. Within this novel, a criminal from an earlier book makes a reappearance.

I particularly liked the use of very up to date themes involving the negative aspects of social media on young people.

I like the use of real geographical locations in the Lake District. I also like the sensitive way the back-stories of the police characters, is interwoven into a fast moving crime thriller. The tension builds to a dramatic ending. I won't say any more for fear of spoiling the story.

If you can, try to read the books in order. However this book also stands out well on its own merits.

I pass on my thanks to Netgalley and Canelo books for a copy in exchange for this review.

This was exactly what I needed to get me out of a bit of a reading slump. I have read this series from the start and the familiar characters and setting made it an easy read. I feel I have to counter that comment by saying that the storyline is a bit dark and in that respect not so easy to read. Kelly Porter is a likeable character and there’s a good mix between her home and working life here. This now feels like a series that could go on for many years and I hope it does.

Once again Rachel Lynch has written a first class thriller mixed into the landscape of the Lake District, this time as snow and freezing temperatures make the area even more picturesque and dangerous than usual.

The death of a young, talented, athlete is determined to be suicide but as the victim is linked to first one new case and then another Detective Inspector Kelly Porter finds herself shocked at almost everything she and her team unearths in a case which covers an area larger than just her beloved Lakes. The description of the sordid side of life should be at odds with the location but the desolation, the loneliness and desperation of teenagers to fit in can occur anywhere. Ms Lynch adds that to the perceived invincibility of those who care only for themselves and the money they can earn from their young victims to make an excellent read.

Main characters from previous books are also present and the insight into Kelly's private life is a welcome relief from the tensions of her working day and were also vividly drawn. I was delighted there were no well used cliches in this story; things I felt sure would happen didn't and things which did surprised me in a good way.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone following this series, enjoys a mystery set in an area they know or is just looking for a good read. This book is all of these things.

I have read the other DI Kelly Porter and was looking forward to this one and it certainly didn't disappoint! The plot was brutal delving into drug abuse in the teenage community in the beautiful countryside of the Lake District, where everything looks so wonderful. This was fast moving, gritty and certainly keeps you in there. Very distressing at times as this is a real problem.
Would definitely recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy.

This is the first book I’ve read from the DI Kelly Porter series and I’m seriously impressed by Rachel Lynch’s plotting skills. There’s a LOT going on here - teen drug use, missing children, a parent out for revenge and potentially unfounded accusations. To throw out so many different strands at the start of a book is ambitious but she totally pulls it off. I also loved the fact that she sets the book in the Lake District yet doesn’t purely portray it as chocolate box scenery, but also as an area with significant social issues. Many thanks to netgalley and Canelo for this advance copy.

Bitter Edge Rachel Lynch

This book has the best opening chapter I have ever read. In that one chapter the story of a young fell runner with everything to live for, until she gets injured and becomes hooked on prescription drugs, which leads to her taking illegal drugs until she can’t take it anymore and kills herself, is laid out and sets the tempo for the whole book.

The book looks at the pressures put onto children at secondary schools and sixth form colleges. The on-line bullying, we all hear about, but more surprisingly the often ignored on-line peer pressure. The pressure that is not just put on impressionable youngsters by their immediate peers, but also by the new breed of celebrity, the “Influencers” on sites such as Instagram.

It looks at the boredom of the youths in smaller countryside towns and the way the drug dealers are moving into the countryside to target these kids.

Rachel Lynch has written some great books in this series. DCI Kelly Porter is a great charter and easy to engage with, but for me it’s the crimes and the locations which make these books so stunning.

Everybody would have an idyllic view of the towns around the Lake District, but I suspect that Rachel Lynch’s version is much closer to the truth.

In this book Porter investigates the sudden deaths of students from the same school. She is convinced that somehow the suicides are linked, and her and her team start to uncover a tale of bullying and drug taking. One teacher is suspended following a complaint by a student which leads to the discovery of some illicit images on his computer, but is he being set up.

The head teacher lives in ignorant bliss, whilst teachers are losing control of the school. Rumours are rife and the investigation is sent off in all directions, but is there any truth behind the rumours, they can’t all be lies.

As the investigation continues a girl goes missing and the team fear she is going to be the latest in the long line of suicides, or if Kelly is right, the latest murder victim.

As well as carrying out the investigation Kelly’s personal life is in turmoil following revelations about her mother and father. Her Mom is battling a terminal disease and trying to find peace in her life before it’s too late.

All of this takes place over Christmas which seems to give an added poignancy to the story.

I started this review by saying the opening chapter was the best I’d ever read. It had me hooked into the book straight away.

The rest of the book?

It certainly didn’t disappoint. There were times when I couldn’t put it down, and there were times when I had to put it down, and just take a breath.

This book could be read as a stand-alone.

It’s the 4th in the series and I would recommend reading the others first, just to get the full impact of this one.

Pages: 296
Publishers: Canelo
Publishing date: 25th February 2019

I have the others in this series and this doesn’t disappoint on any level l particularly like the sub plot following Kelly’s personal life this storyline in particular was very current and quite shocking with its detailed description of the volume of drugs in our schools and their dire consequences l also enjoyed the picture of the fells that was built up but again also the harshness and unpredictability of the weather - all round very good book

This jumped straight to the top of my "to read" list! I've read two of the three preceding DI Kelly Porter novels, and thoroughly enjoyed them. This was no exception.

As usual in Rachel Lynch's Kelly Porter novels, the book has multiple strands, expertly woven together to form a gripping plot. This book has hard-hitting themes - as the mother of a teenager, the awareness and avoidance of teenage drug use is a subject close to my heart, and the idea of drug dealers profiting from the misery of others fills me with a constant rage.

Highly recommended for those who like police procedural novels with a cast of excellent core characters. Looking forward to the next one.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

#BitterEdge #NetGalley Another five star cracker of a DI Kelly Porter investigation!. Rachel Lynch is a brilliant crime writer. Kelly is a strong character who keeps getting better with each novel. Perfectly able to be read as a standalone, it does add to the enjoyment to know more about the characters. Gritty plot and sub plots that keep you guessing but I always know that Kelly will get to the bottom of it! Love the Lake District setting too. I am looking forward to seeing how Kelly's relationships with Johnny and Ted develop.

A teenage girl is found dead. All the evidence points to undoubted suicide, but is there a link to happenings at the Derwent Academy?

A tautly written and gritty thriller. It engaged me enough to read into the early hours to finish. A good strong female lead, the main characters are well drawn, and the handling of the setting in the Lakes is equally well done.

Recommended.

.#Bitter Edge#Netgalley
Fast paced,, spellbinding and another new feature detective on a case, DI Kelly is refreshing change from some we have got to know in the past, although i think we all have our favourite. I will definitely be reading more of Rachael Luch that’s for sure. It’s cold and calculating, from the view of the perpetrator. Kelly is on a mission to find them and put a stop to everything, twisted spelbindy brilliant read you will be missing out on such a good book if you don’t read this one. Audaciously Brilliant

A teenage girl flings herself off a cliff. Ruled a suicide, Kelly Porter digs deeper, and several cases lead them to the girl's school

A grittily written but descriptive account of the events surrounding teenage deaths in and around a Cumbrian town. The tourist trap of Keswick is peeled back to reveal unsavoury goings on which seem to revolve around several characters. It is down to DI Kelly Porter to investigate the drug dealing, social media bullying and deaths, whilst also trying to juggle major events in her own life.
The scenery may be familiar to visitors to the Lakes, but this book puts a different lens on it - those imposing fells hide dark secrets.

I enjoyed this book, although the ending seemed a little rushed, with a sub plot perhaps needing a bit more time. I may well catch up on the preceding books in the series, although reference to them is kept to a minimum and doesn’t interrupt the plot of this one or make you feel like you have to have read the others.

This series for me just keeps getting better and better. I feel as if Ive known DI Kelly for more than four books as she's fast becoming a friend! Hope there's more where this came from. I think it;s the best yet.

There's something extra creepy about a crime and criminal activity in general if it's in a place as nice as The Lake District. Somewhere tourists love, and where is well known with walkers and sportspeople etc. When a body is found there, it seems worse somehow. When a teenager is found having apparently committed suicide, there are some dark scenes indeed.

The contract of light and dark is what works so well in this book. DI Kelly is not having it. There's something more to this suicide she thinks. So, the case begins. things escalate and get a lot worse. All the time I'm standing behind her cheering her on. Not that she needs it, but I will her to get the guilty party. Wonder how she has the time as she has a few problems to deal with at home. Although not the typical cop 'issues' which is refreshing in itself.

Some parts of this novel might take you back to your school days or at least tales you heard of bullying and teenage angst. Thankfully I lived a sheltered life compared to these characters, but its always nice to meet messed up people in novels. And they are well written, well- developed messed up ones.

Rachel Lynch is a writer to watch. This is a great series and one I look forward to. Plot, story, characters and setting are all there and more. More please! Plus a TV series. Yup.
Lynch's series iworth reading. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

Bitter Edge is another book in this extremely readable police thriller series set in the Lake District.
D.I. Kelly Porter has her work cut out for her, the book starts with the suicide of a young girl and continues with a missing teenager, a paedophile , teenage drug use and an enemy from Kelly’s past. These multiple strands come together giving a descriptive hard hitting and suspenseful thriller.
Kelly’s personal life is well dealt with and it’s wonderful to see how well her relationship is progressing with Johnny, It’s also good to catch up with the other characters but even if you’ve not read previous books this is easy to read as a stand-alone, though you’ll certainly wish to read the others.
An extremely good read, absorbing and entertaining and also topical describing the problem now for teenagers navigating and living up to the expectations of Facebook, instagram and peer pressure.
My thanks to net galley and publisher Canelo for the opportunity to review this book honestly

I really enjoyed this one introducing me to a new character. I loved the setting in the Lake District.
I also loved the interplay between the leading characters personal and private lives and the plot twists

I love this series of detective stories. DI Kelly Porter is a complex character and the story is interwoven between her personal and professional life. Each case is a stand alone but it helps to have read the series in order to understand some of the references along the way.
In this story she is caught up in a complicated web of drugs and teenagers. The story is set against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District.
Along with her complicated personal problems she strives to find a missing teenage girl who has links with local teenager drug users.
The story twists and turns and has one or two surprises along the way. Well worth a read!

Not read any in the series before this one but you will catch up with the remainders in the story so you can read as a stand alone story.
Easy to read but nothing surprising happened. Felt the story was more about Kelly than the case as a background story.

Loved this! Certainly worthy of the comparisons with Val Mcdermid. Who knew the Lake District had so much happening. Strong characters who you feel invested it. Recommended!!