Very gory. Gratuitous violence. Good strong female lead. Nicely descriptive of its Cumbrian setting.

Wow - this one's certainly a winner! This book has it all: great plot, superb characterisation, genuine suspense and gritty realism. "Dark Game" revolves around 36-year old DI Kelly Porter, recently transferred to Cumbria from the Met in London, with a chequered career history which has gone unexpectedly awry through no fault of her own. She is landed with three cases - two current and one a 5-year old cold case. The investigations soon reveal some common threads as the same names keep cropping up, revealing Cumbria's seedy underbelly of illegal immigrants, cash-in-hand employment, gambling and prostitution.

Here's what I loved about this book:
Characterisation - a wide cast of interesting and well-developed characters, ranging from nice and well-meaning to downright evil and sinister. Some of the minor characters - Kelly's mum and sister for example - provide welcome light relief.

Plot - it's a great plot, hard-hitting with 'true to life' crimes. There are no punches pulled when it comes to the violence, or the bleak situation of the trafficked victims and I admit I did squirm on a few occasions. There is just the right blend of police procedure and action, and back-story for the characters.

The writing: the writing is engaging, intense and interesting with just the right amount of dialogue. The characters talk like real people, have doubts and make mistakes, just like in real life. The point-of-view does change to follow several characters and sometimes the reader knows more than Kelly Porter, which makes it a very suspenseful read.

So would I recommend this book? You bet! And I'll be watching out for the next in the series.

What a brilliant story, well worth 5 stars and will keep you up all night reading this. So many things going on but D.I. Kelly Porter will keep digging to find the answers even though she will be put off many times. Moving back home to the Lake District she has something to prove and when she is assigned a couple of cases she dives straight in while also looking at a cold case. can they all be linked? Will she come out of this alive? This is a must read book.

This is a terrific first in a series of at least four books, see information below, and Rachel Lynch’s second book to be published.

It is a gritty police procedure, well written, structured and very believable. Rachel Lynch brings together three threads from the seedy underbelly of a Cumbria she describes with a certainty which comes from knowing the area so well and builds up the tension to deliver a book which is a gripping read right to the end.

With thanks to Canelo via NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5* Recommended

Not only is DI Kelly Porter dealing with a new job, she has to deal with rumors about what happened to her in 'the big city', as her new turf is the one she grew up in, with all that entails. Add to that some family dysfunction, and you've got a British police procedural with a female lead character that is so relatable, you feel like you already know her! It's hard to believe this is the first book of this new series! It feels like there have been multiple books already- that's how 'cozy' it is! Add to that a very decent murder mystery that unlocks a cold case mystery, and you have a 2-for-1 read that is a true page turner! Can't wait to read the next 2 books in the series (both to be out later this year), and you won't want to miss them wither, once you read this book!

From the get go I was enthralled in this taught, gripping crime thriller that had some amazing and deep characters and a solid, bloodthirsty plot, from the old case involving poor Lottie Davies to the new cases that are suddenly closer to home than she thought.
The writing and the language kept me interested and informed throughout and Kelly was a dark but determined heroine, whose antics had me on the edge of my seat.
This fast paced and exciting rollercoaster of a novel is definitely worth a read and I’m looking forward to more from this author.

Not a book for the faint hearted but if you are after a gritty, hard hitting action packed up tempo book don't look.any further. Thoroughly enjoyed.

DI Kelly Porter has returned to her childhood home in the Lake District after a scandal forced her out of the Met in London. She begins to work on 3 seemingly different cases but as she investigates further oils they be linked in someway? These people are dangerous and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This is the start of a new series featuring a tough female cop. She is somebody who won't let things go, and is not afraid to push the boundaries. A great character and makes for a fast read. This story is dark and intriguing.

Thanks to Canelo via NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions.

The first book in a new police procedural series and very enjoyable it is too! DI Kelly Porter has left the Met after a bad experience and has returned to her native Cumbria. Her first case involves people trafficking, the sex trade, money laundering and quite an array of unsavoury characters. Well-written and involving, I look forward to more from this promising series.

I was intrigued by the cover and blurb for this book, although the author was not a name that I recognised.

I was completely drawn into this book from the first chapter. The main character, Kelly, has a convincing back story and it feels as if there have been previous books featuring her, which I shall go hunting for.

In this novel, Ms Lynch portrays a world that one has heard about sufficiently that the story has a ring of truth about it and is set in a countryside environment where it feels all the more shocking.

The criminals were identified due to good police work and a dollop of luck and no artistic license was used to help out, so at no stage did the story line not compromised. The story developed at a reasonable pace and made putting it down at night a hard job to do.

The good guys did not get it all their own way and it feels like there are enough loose ends that at least one more book will follow.

With this novel, Ms Rachel Lynch has earned herself another reader. Treat yourself and join us.

This is a real don't want to put down, fast paced page-turner. The plot is very complex with a combined current case and a cold case involving an abducted and murdered young girl in a red dress (see cover). This is set in the Lake District where a 30+ female DI has returned to her roots after a few years working for the Met. The author has obviously done extensive research into police procedures, autopsy and money laundering activities. Not for the squeamish though.

This is a cut above most police procedurals. Three interlinked cases, including the topical people trafficking. A strong and likeable main character in Kelly, and a decent annoying hate figure in her sister! Nearly, but not quite, spoiled by the common 'wait for back up' moment. I will definitely look out for further books by this author.

It’s been over four decades since rowing as part of a team from Wray Castle across Windermere to Ambleside. Seemingly a lot has changed. Gone is the Kendal mint cake, sturdy boots and woollen socks, replaced by enslavement, drugs, prostitution and murder. Well that’s the intrigue behind Dark Game. This novel doesn’t have pace, it has acceleration like a Saturn 5 rocket! It seriously damaged my sleep, I couldn’t put it down. David Baldacci, Lee Child et al need to up their game. Rachel Lynch is a great writer and I am glad I finished the book as I now need to sleep.

An exciting and very clever police procedural story. A likeable detective with a lot to investigate! Kept me turning the pages.

A debut novel that is highly gritty and suspenseful.

D. I. Kelly Porter has returned to her home town after a long stint working in the Met in London. She's come back thinking the pace would slow down only to find herself involved in a high profile case that seems to be deepening by the minute.

This is a great example of the crime genre. A story that is both gripping and believable, with characters that really draw you in to the tale. I read it from beginning to end in less than two days asking the question not who but how.

This one comes highly recommended from me!

I absolutely loved this read which I raced through and plucky DI Kelly Porter. Roll on Book 2.

DI Kelly Porter had to leave the Met and decided to return to Cumbria. She's living temporarily with her mum until she finds a place of her own. Her sister Nikki is the thorn in her side, they've never got on and some things never change. She fits in to the new team easily - everyone is so friendly and accommodating. She's thrown in when the current DI leaves and finds herself with several cases which seem to be connected. She starts work on a cold case of the brutal murder and abduction of ten year old Lottie Davies. The cases alongside regard an illegal immigrant and her baby and a robbery. It's a fast paced read and I absolutely loved the character of DI Kelly Porter.

I’m ready for book 2
As this is labelled DI Kelly Porter book 1 we are presumably getting at least one more which is good news as there is definitely more mileage in the character. I really liked her to the point that I’m even willing to overlook a fairly reckless decision she made. Oh and don’t get me started on her relationship with her sister!! This book has triggered a desire to visit the Lake District and I just hope I don’t encounter such seedy characters as described in it.
A strong opener to this series and I will be keen to read more.

I would like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dark Game’ by Rachel Lynch in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
After working for the Met, DI Kelly Porter returns to her home town to work for the Cumbria Constabulary. Whilst in charge of a cold case, that of the rape and murder of ten-year-old Lottie Davis five years before, Kelly is also investigating the death in a hotel bedroom of local businessman Colin Day, and as she finds evidence of illegal workers and prostitution she puts her own life in danger.
I’ve enjoyed reading this crime thriller which has been well-written with a bloodthirsty and often gruesome plot. There’s lots of action and an exciting ending that kept me glued to my seat. This novel is well worth reading and I can recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of Dark Game, the first novel in a projected series to feature DI Kelly Porter of the Cumbrian Police.

After a public relations disaster at the Met requires a scapegoat Kelly takes the brunt of it and decides to move home to Cumbria. She is settling into her new job, looking at the cold case murder of 10 year old Lottie Davies from five years ago when she is asked to investigate the case of a foreign woman found close to death who had apparently abandoned her newborn son. With all this on her plate she wonders if it wise to take on more work and look into the death of Colin Day, a well known local figure, but she's new and has to show willing. What she uncovers in these investigations is the meat of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Game which is a twisty thriller with developments in every chapter. It held my interest throughout and is one of those books I wanted to get back to as soon as possible. I admire the way Ms Lynch manages to draw the various threads and investigations together into a cohesive whole. It is crammed with plot developments so there is never a dull moment. It does mean, however, that some elements are dealt with more summarily than others. Obviously there is an element of coincidence in the one detective investigating so many linked crimes but it's not striking and did not detract in the slightest from my enjoyment of the novel. I think in this respect the setting helps as it's fairly rural and doesn't have too many detectives. It makes a change as a reader to get away from the bright lights of the big cities.

I like Kelly as a protagonist. She is a fairly standard fictional detective. Scapegoated and betrayed by her former boss/lover she returns home to lick her wounds and is soon making her mark. She is smart, feisty and dedicated with strong urge to lock up the bad guys and protect the innocent. Great stuff. Her relationship with her sister is standout. They can't meet without arguing as her sister is so negative and martyred. There is a reality to it that makes me wonder. I assume that jealousy is at the root of it but look forward to seeing more of this fractured relationship and where Ms Lynch will take it.

Dark Game is a good start to a new series and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

I haven’t read any of this author before so was keen to give it a try. I have to say I really enjoyed it, a great storyline with plenty of twists and turns and characters you can really relate to. It had a good ending and I look forward to the next instalment.