DI Kelly Porter – nigeladamsbookworm

Sudden Death. Rachel Lynch

A sleazy MP and his “fixer” are on a helicopter flight over the Lake District piloted by two former RAF pilots.

It should be a safe journey. The helicopter is top of the range, luxurious, and relatively new.

So why did the tail rota come off.

The ensuing crash kills all on board and people on the ground who are taking part in a Fell Run

DI Kelly Porter is just finishing off in a high profile court case which has seen her pitched against her “ex” boyfriend.

When the call comes in about the crash they are thrown together by circumstance. She’s SIO for the Police investigation, and he’s part of the mountain rescue team.

Porter conducts her investigation and attempts to keep other agencies in line, whilst dealing with the inevitable political pressures which are brought to bear on the investigators.

The conundrum of which of the four dead people on the helicopter was the intended target is the major factor. They all have secrets in their past.

I really enjoy this series. Rachel Lynch gets the mix just right for me. The investigation takes centre stage, but the lives of the characters, and the ongoing story of Porters private life leads to great read.

The setting of the Lake District is perfect. Close enough to big towns and cities, but remote enough to cause the difficulties found in tackling rural crimes, and disasters in almost inaccessible places

Pages: 355. Publisher: Canelo Crime. Release date: 10th November 2022

Dead End Rachel Lynch

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

Kelly is one of the most realistic of fictional cops, and as such I find it really easy to empathise with her.

Coupled with the fact that I think Rachel Lynch is writing some of best crime fiction out there at the moment, means I was really looking forward to this book.

I wasn’t disappointed.

When the “Lord of the Manner” Xavier Paulus the second is found hanging by his grandson it appears to be nothing but a tragic suicide.

When the Police first look at the scene they tend to agree but somethings not right. As Kelly and her team start to look into the family, its history, and the strange relationships that seem to have been forged in the mansion, they become aware of its hedonistic past.

Meanwhile 2 girls go missing from a camp site in the Lakes. Kelly and her team also become involved in the hunt for them and start to find a history of girls, who look similar, also going missing.

As they investigate both cases a body is discovered, but who is it. With so many girls having gone missing it could be any one of them. It’s a surprise when they find out which one it is, and how long she’s been dead for.

Then there is always the red herrings that Rachel Lynch always writes into her stories so wonderfully. Find me a Police Officer who hasn’t gone barking up the wrong tree, I don’t suspect there are many around.

This book had me reading into the early hours. At times it’s a bit of a cosy read. Then just when you least expect it, it grabs you by the throat.

Can this be read as a stand-alone? Yes, but why would you want to miss out on the first 2.

Pages: 299

Publisher: Canelo

Available now

Deep Fear Rachel Lynch

Earlier this year I reviewed Dark Game by Rachel Lynch. The book in which she introduced us to DI Kelly Porter. It was one of the best debut crime thrillers I had read for a while so when I saw the second one was about to be published I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Deep fear see’s the unassuming DI Kelly Porter still living at home with her mom and suffering harassment from her sister, who has her perfect life of Husband and family. But things are about to change Kelly’s Mom is ill, and spending a lot of time in hospital.

Meanwhile somebody is killing people in the Lake District and the pressure is on Kelly and her team to find the murderer.

People are being targeted then killed. The killer is posing their bodies to suggest the failings that lead them to be killed. Along with the murder, mutilation, and posing of the bodies, the killer is leaving cryptic clues in the form of quotes from the Lakes poets.

As the body count rises, in a very short period of time, the team struggle to find the connection between the victims which would help them identify the killer.

All the time Kelly is working hard on investigating the murders the pressure is on at home as her sister and her argue constantly bout their mothers care.

Will the duel pressure of work and home life be too much for Kelly? Can she devote enough time to both?

The story rattles along and has a terrific ending that left me open mouthed for a good few minutes after I’d finished it.

I have often heard the expression “the difficult second” usually attached to music artist and records, or actors and TV series. I always wonder if the second book in a series will live up to the promise of the first.

Well this one has, and more. This is a cracking book and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one after the trauma of the end of this one.

Pages: Kindle size 1184KB

Publisher: Canelo

Publishing Date UK: 14^th May 2018 available to pre-order on Amazon

The link below is to my review of Dark Game, the first in the Kelly Porter Series

https://nigeladamsbookworm.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/dark-game-rachel-lynch/