I really enjoyed reading Dark Game .It is a gritty dark police procedural story with DI Kelly Porter returning to her childhood home where she grew up to find everything has changed .She is the new kid on the block after working for the Met in London she is determined to prove herself worthy of the job .The story is fast paced reaching into the criminal world of prostitution and murder and much much more ,I thought the story was brilliantly told and can't wait to read more about DI Kelly Porter.

Kelly Porter has left the Met and transfers home to the Lake District, living with her mum and arguing with her sister. She is allocated a cold case - a youg girl who disappeared on a family outing and was found murdered. Then a local hotelier is found dead. A brothel industry is then discovered. Does anything link them all? This is a very cleverly written book with the story unravelling at a good pace. Some of the descriptions are quite graphic and very topical in todays world. It all comes together with an explosive ending. Look forward to reading more of this author.

After a scandal forces DI Kelly Porter out of the Met, she returns to her home in the Lake District. Crimes in the Cumbrian constabulary tend to be of the minor sort, but Kelly begins work on a cold case that shocked the local community – the abduction and brutal murder of ten-year-old Lottie Davies.
Meanwhile, Kelly is also investigating two seemingly straightforward crimes: a case involving an illegal immigrant, and a robbery following the death of local businessman Colin Day. But evidence comes to light that reveals a web of criminal activity beyond anything Kelly imagined involving people trafficking, the sex trade, money laundering and quite an array of unsavoury characters.
This is the first of a new series & a very good series opener. I look forward to reading more. I love a good thriller & this ticked all the boxes for me, a gritty storyline & plenty of suspense plus an engaging main character.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

An excellent well written story set in the Lake District.
The storyline revolves around Kelly Porter a new DI recently returned to her hometown after working for the MET in London.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it very hard to put down.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy

DI Kelly Porter has returned to the Lake District from the Met. She is back living in her childhood home with her mother and back to constant arguments with her older sister.

Kelly is investigating a cold case of a ten year old girl who was brutally murdered.
Meanwhile a baby is found abandoned and her mother an illegal immigrant in a pitiful medical condition.
Then a local businessman is found dead in his hotel.

Kelly becomes embroiled in prostitution, people trafficking and violent gangs. The first 80% of this novel was a solid 4* for me and I was enjoying a strong female lead character. Unfortunately the final 20% was a 2* due to implausibility in the plot and some really stupid decisions. I still liked the book and will definitely read the next in the series.

I am so pleased that I chose to read Dark Game by Rachel Lynch following Last Cry. After reading the first couple of chapters, I knew it wasn’t another serial killer thriller, but it seemed pretty similar in the beginning. However, a few more chapters in and it became apparent that this was much more than just a detective hunting a murderer. The plot is complex and brilliant, a full 4* for the storyline. I only felt that it occasionally fell short when it came to bits of the characterisation, which I did not feel could be fully explored in some of the characters due to there being so many. Dark Game will be published by Canelo publishing on 29 January 2018.

The Plot

DI Kelly Porter has moved home and is working with her local police force. She has reopened a cold case when she is called in because a man has had a heart attack. She also agrees to investigate a downtrodden foreign woman who has given birth in hospital and cannot speak English. The story begins with the man dying in a hotel room during sex with a prostitute. From this, an entire operation begins to unravel; Kelly soon realises that all of her cases are connected by one person of interest. She proceeds with the investigations to tear down the lives of the dangerous criminals involved.
I really enjoyed the plot; there were turns at every moment, and you could never be certain who was involved and who you could not trust. I enjoyed the exploration of Kelly’s home life and the scenes with Gabriella, who could have been an even stronger character had she been allowed to develop. The use of the third person narrator gave the reader the bird’s eye view, and built the tension, as there was nothing I could do to help. This book is an exciting, fast paced crime thriller.

One part where I felt that Lynch lacked was in the fluidity between chapters. Many of the chapters are very short in this book, which towards the end became easier to read, as they were interconnected, hastening the pace. However, early on, I felt disjointed by the changes between Kelly, Gabriella, Darren and occasionally other detectives. It felt like a sloppy way to deliver the information realistically; Kelly could not be at every location to interview every source, but it could have been relayed to her in a meeting. I do understand that this was done to show the reactions of the characters, which helped me get to know them.

There are a LOT of characters in this book. I feel as though some of them were used as plot devices, such as Lottie’s mother to lead Kelly to her brother, who was conveniently forgotten about later on. In this way, I feel that it would have been good to have had an ending chapter which showed the police explaining what had happened to the interested parties, as I would have liked for Lottie’s mother to get her closure. Altogether, though, I felt that Lynch did a great job getting the information to the reader, not beating around the bush or repeating scenes and conversations. This provided an enjoyable frame to read the book; you cannot read this slowly. The short chapters mean that the reader is given plenty of information and then a moment to take it all in before moving on to another element of the plot.

I would recommend this book to thrill-seekers, and those who love non-gory crime thrillers. I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Game is a well executed crime thriller about the sex trafficking industry. I’m normally wary of books that claim to tackle this issue, as it can be gratuitous and sensationalizing, however, Lynch nails the tone well quite well here through the voice of her feisty, compassionate protagonist DI Kelly Porter. It’s quite refreshing to see what a female author does with this subject!

While Porter is the main character, the story is also told from other perspectives throughout, which serves to round out the story – which I think is important given the different ways in which people can become victims of this industry. (Although now that I’m thinking about it why wasn’t an actual person that has been sold into sex slavery given a perspective?) It also serves the narrative well as it’s very tense watching all the components come together gradually. It can be really boring watching a detective try and crack a case from only their P.O.V. and nothing’s really happening but Lynch gives us just enough of everything to maintain the mystery and pace really well, and each perspective is an engaging story in itself!

This was a 5* read for me until about the last third, and unfortunately the ending was kind of anti-climactic for me personally. Without giving anything away, basically Kelly makes a really stupid decision which was extremely unprofessional and that didn’t really make sense in terms of her character. For that reason felt really unrealistic and it was difficult to have any sympathy for her as it was an arrogant choice to make.

That being said, this is a great start to a new police procedural series, with bags of potential and I’m looking forward to future installments.

3/5*

~Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not associated with the author or publisher in any way. My opinion is completely unbiased and entirely my own~

I really enjoy crime novels and I’m pleased to say that this one did not disappoint. It was such an easy read and I immediately warmed to the main character in the book. I think being based in the Lake District was a huge attraction for me as it is one of my favourite places to visit.

The story unfolded a good pace, and although I felt it didn’t leave me desperate to read more, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the story and I read it in less than a week - which is good for me as I have very little spare time!

I wouldn’t recommend the book to any of my students, as they are only primary school age, but would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes crime novels. I would be interested to read more books featuring DI Porter should the author decide to release anymore.

Overall a fab crime book that was a pleasure to read - well done!

An interesting thriller set in the Lake District but not the quiet Lake District of my experience but a much more gritty and less appealing one. Necessary to make the story more exciting I’m sure. The lead female DI Kelly Porter seems as troubled as the area she has moved back to with lots of baggage. This is the first in what I am sure will be a popular series of books with this clever lead character.

I had heard good things about this book and was so excited when it became available to read on netgalley. This book certainly does not disappoint. It has everything you would want in a thriller. Extremely well written with lots of twists and turns. Very complex characters who develop very well through the course of the storyline. Definitely recommend this book to others and cant wait for the next instalment.

This book follows detective Kelly Porter who returns to her native Cumbria. For a sleepy town Ambleside has a lot of dark goings on. Kelly uses her intelligence and acumen to uncover a Human trafficking ring and forced prostitution. Tense, sometimes gory but very well written!

A fast paced, at times grim and brutal, crime novel with a credible and feisty female detective lead character. The usually serene and beautiful Lake District contrasts with the blood and criminality portrayed in the book. I enjoyed this, but it was hard hitting and therefore sensitive readers should perhaps approach with caution. I’ll be looking out for DI Kelly Porter’s next case!

This is the first book in the DI Kelly Porter Series by author Rachel Lynch.
Detective Inspector Kelly Porter has recently transferred back to her home town in the Lake District. She is living with her widowed Mother and this increases the daily pressures and stress she is currently enduring. Kelly is working on a cold case, the abduction and brutal murder of ten-year-old Lottie Davies that shook the local community. At the same time Kelly is also investigating two seemingly straightforward crimes, a case involving an illegal immigrant, and a robbery following the death of local businessman Colin Day. But evidence comes to light that reveals a web of criminal activity beyond anything Kelly imagined. Behind the veneer of sleepy, touristy towns lies a dark and dangerous underworld.
This is a gritty detective novel, with a good lead character that has plenty of opportunities to develop further in future novels. A very good read and I would recommend it.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Canelo for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first in a dark, gritty and twisted police procedural from Rachel Lynch featuring DI Kelly Porter, who worked at the Met in the MIT where things went belly up and her personal life experienced betrayal. She's returned home only to discover the Lake District has changed and developed a murky criminal underbelly. She is living with her mother who is hiding her serious health issues, her relationship with her sister, Nikki, is fraught and she has to a lot to live up to with her dead father's reputation as a police officer. The last thing that Kelly can expect is a quiet life as she begins to delve into a cold case where a 10 year old Lottie Davies was abducted and murdered, a crime that shocked the local community.

A local businessman, Colin, is discovered dead in a hotel room, and a child is found abandoned. A search finds the mother, an illegal immigrant, in a horrific condition, close to death. In a harrowing investigation, the multiple threads begin to slowly coalesce and connect. This is story with many echoes in our contemporary world with its focus on human trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and criminal gangs engaged in depraved activities. I loved the main character, Kelly, a dedicated and determined police officer who finds herself facing terror and deadly danger. I know the beautiful location of the Lake District, it was quite a eyeopener to see that it harbours such deeply entrenched criminal networks. This is a great introduction to this series, I am so looking forward to the next in the series! Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

Dark Game by Rachel Lynch is her first crime novel that I have read and I really enjoyed it. The story was gripping and a fast paced read. A thriller full of twists and turns which held my interest throughout. A believable story with well developed, likeable characters. Roll on book two!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

Hard going, but got there in the end! DI Kelly Porter, new DI on the block, a good read intriguing story.

A debut from Rachel Lynch this early in the year bodes well for readers.
Kelly has returned to Cumbria from the Met as a Detective Inspector.
For the time being she is living with her mother and trying hard not to assault her older sister who stayed close with husband and children while Kelly fled.
Knowing the Lake District well I could follow the road journeys easily. Cursing the trips to Barrow in Furness which take forever. Crows may fly fourteen miles but roads add forty. I held my breath every time Kirkstone Pass was mentioned. It terrifies me.
The book covers the triad of people smuggling, prostitution and drugs adding some money laundering just because.
There were no Australian bar tenders...every cute holiday spot in the UK has an Australian bar tender. Maybe in the next book...I hope there is a next book.
Many thanks to netgalley for this advance copy.

DI Kelly Porter returns to her home town after being in the London Metropolitan Police. She starts with a cold case which leads to other crimes and turns this book into a page turner that cannot be put down. This is a refreshingly goods crime drama and a very enjoyable read.

A really dark and twisty read, this book gripped me from the start.

I wish I'd been able to read this book in a couple of sittings, instead I read in on my daily commute and at some points struggled to keep on top of who was who and how they linked to each case. That said, one of the book's best assets is that the author successfully sets up intricate and difficult cases which are all woven together into a satisfying conclusion.

DI Kelly Porter was an interesting and well developed character, I look forward to reading more in the series and would recommend to others.

Thanks to NetGalley, Canello and Rachel Lynch for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was soon drawn into this story. In particular I liked the use of so many real geographical locations. This helped to add a sense of reality to the story.

Rachel Lynch has managed to create an interesting group of detective characters, based around DI Kelly Porter.

What looks at firs to be a simple cold case police procedural novel, soon turns into something much more sinister.

I found the book to have a swift pace and the story opened up several possible perpetrators for both the cold case and the current murder case.

I notice that this is listed as book one. On the basis of this book I will certainly look out for other books in this series.

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