"Bold Lies" is the fifth novel in the D.I. Kelly Porter police procedural mystery series. The first in the series, "Dark Game" was a solid 5-star read for me and the following novels in the series maintain a high quality. Over the course of the series I have come to be well acquainted with DI Kelly Porter, who is a strong protagonist.

The thing I like most about this series is that Rachel Lynch has found that perfect balance between the protagonist's personal life and the crime investigations. Just the right amount of attention to each makes for compelling reading. I enjoyed the relationships between Kelly and her police colleagues, as well as Kelly personal relationships with her birth father Ted (the local pathologist), and her boyfriend Johnny.

This time out DI Kelly Porter is faced with an important case in this, the fifth novel in the series. A gruesome murder has been committed on her patch. Once the identity of the murder victim is established, it is evident that this murder is connected to two other murders that have just occurred in London. She travels to the capital with D.C. Emma Hide to investigate. Unfortunately, the senior officer in charge of the London murder investigation is none other than her ex, Matt Carter, who betrayed her and was the reason she left London for Cumbria.

This novel has some very serious themes running throughout. The corruption and greed inherent in big pharmaceutical companies, the arrogance and entitlement of the very rich and powerful, and the absence of morals that occurs when avarice is present.

Be aware that the body count in this novel was very high. Higher than any of the previous books.

Rest assured that I will be reading every installment in the DI Kelly Porter series. A must-read for those who enjoy well-written, character-rich, cleverly plotted crime novels. Recommended!

When I read - A brutal murder in the Lake District. A double assassination in a secret lab in London’s west end - that was all I needed to decide I wanted to read Bold Lies.

Boy, am I glad I read this novel. Well written this book takes you on a rollercoaster with an unexpected ending.

Highly recommend!

Rachel Lynch never fails to amaze me this is another book in her series and it was amazing it did not disappoint. I always enjoy her books and I love reading her book, the plot and characters are amazing as always.

I have bought this entire collection! Rachel Lynch has a pleasant writing style , that draws you in to the storyline, by the time you check the time hours have passed and you are almost half a book through!
Kelly Porter is fearless and a brilliant character!

I've really enjoyed the Kelly Porter series so far and this is no exception.

In this story, Kelly has to investigate a murder in the Lake District which turns out to have connections to a double assassination in London. This forces her to return to London and deal with her former partner, DCI Matt Carter, who'd treated her badly before.

It's worth reading the other books in the series before getting to this one, which takes the character development further and reveals more about the background to the characters which might not make sense without knowing the history. However, that just means that you have a heap of great books to discover!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Kelly Porter is starting to grow on me. In this book there’s a lot standing in her way to solve this case. Too many rich people who block her investigation but that won’t stop Kelly. She’s tenacious and won’t stop till she has answers.

This was already the fifth book in the DI Kelly Porter series, and as usual I couldn't wait to lay my hands on it! It was well written, the investigation done in an interesting way and gripping and thrilling from beginning to end. Highly recommended!
TB

I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series and was excited to be given the opportunity to review this latest book.
This book was enjoyable however didn’t quite hold my attention unlike the previous ones. It was good to discover more about the ongoing storyline of the main characters.
I’m looking forward to the next instalment in the Kelly Porter series.

Having read all of Ms Lynch’s previous DI Porter books I was looking forward to this latest offering in the series. For the first time, however, the book failed to live up fully to the high expectations I had for ‘Bold Lies’. In fairness, many of the attractive features of previous books in the series were there - a pacy novel with some convincing characters; references to a part of the country that is a particular favourite of mine; and a number of villains satisfyingly caught. However, some of the weaker areas of Ms Lynch’s writing were also present, and in the case of these relative weaknesses they were, perhaps, more glaring than usual. Two areas stood out in particular: some poor research into background details; and the temptation to resort to cliche, always a risk in such a well-trodden genre, was more obvious in this book. Quoting examples of cliches would probably spoil the plot, but I think many readers would feel a slight disappointment in this regard, whilst the reference to the development of jet engines following the First World War was a strangely anachronistic reference to a technology that only first emerged in the thirties and did not really become commercially significant until the mid forties. In drawing attention to these less attractive features It should be stressed that these are set against very high expectations; I couldn’t easily put the book down and finished it in very short order. It is a satisfying and enjoyable read. Note to Ms Lynch - perhaps keep all the action closer to the Lakes in future, where it really belongs?

I’ve loved this series so far however, this particular instalment became abit too complicated for me. However, still a good read.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Die Geschichte ist sehr komplex und durchdacht aufgebaut, die Charaktere sind glaubwürdig und plastisch. Dennoch fehlt irgendwie der letzte Kick.

I was involved in the blog tour for this which was great as I love love love this series. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Bold Lies is the fifth installment in the Kelly Porter series. I've read all and they all got the highest rating. This book is just as brilliant as the other four. The story is complex and has strong characters. The figure av Kelly feels real and this might be why I'm so fascinated with her and the cases she has to solve. There are twists and turns and hopefully there will be a lot more books to come featuring Kelly Porter and her team.

Rachel Lynch has such a knack for excellent description, readers will be immersed into not only a terrific themed mystery, engaging characters. and some good believable twists. The novel provides thoughtful, engaging reading that keeps you eagerly following !!

Bold Lies is the fifth mystery Rachel Lynch has written about Kelly Porter, a police detective working in the Lake District in the UK. As per the title, this book is about lies and more lies: lies told by Big Pharma executives, politicians, members of the military and more. A murder is committed in the Lake District where Kelly works. Two murders are committed in London and all the victims were scientists researching secretly in a private lab while also working for a large drug company. A fourth member of the group escapes to Greece. Kelly investigates in both locales to connect the dots between the cases and is lied to every step of the way. The mystery is well-written and will maintain the reader's attention throughout. This is my first Rachel Lynch novel but I hope to read many more. Highly recommended. Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book in the series about detective Kelly and her working life, now based in the Lake District. This was a complex plot set back in London as well as around Keswick. I have enjoyed previous books and this one is equally as good. I look forward to them being used as plots for a TV series?!

I have been lucky enough to take part in the blog tours for the first four DI Kelly Porter books so when I got an email asking if I’d like to take part in the blog tour for Bold Lies there was only ever one answer – yes of course!

When a dead body is discovered on the bridge of The Lady Of The Lake the last thing DI Kelly Porter expects is for it to lead her back to the life, and the ex, she left behind in London but that’s exactly what it does. Kelly finds herself caught up in a case much bigger than anyone could possibly have expected, and having to work closely with DCI Matt Carter to discover the truth behind the series of deaths.

In Bold Lies Rachel once again works wonders with the plot, the pacing is fantastic, drawing the reader in as crimes are revealed and new leads are followed sending Kelly back to London. Personally I found it hard to put down, I was desperate to find out who was behind the murders, the reasons for it, and most importantly would they get away with it.

I must confess to being slightly nervous of the action moving out of The Lake District, Rachel does such a wonderful job of describing the area I really feel like the setting is almost a character in its own right and I adore picturing the scenery as Kelly travels throughout the local towns and villages. In the end I really enjoyed the scenes set in London, and the comparisons between life as a detective in the Met and a detective in the Lakes.

Anyone who has read any of my previous reviews will know I’m a huge fan of the character of Kelly Porter, and really enjoy seeing her character develop as well as enjoying reading about the crimes she’s investigating. Bold Lies is no different, I once again got to enjoy seeing Kelly’s relationships develop as she continues to deal with the revelations that have come before (I won’t spoil them for anyone who hasn’t read the earlier books) but I am enjoying watching her familial relationships change and develop – If you have read the past books you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!

Bold Lies also introduces us to the reason Kelly left the Met Police in the first place, the first novel in the series, Dark Game, made it clear that Kelly had left under a bit of a cloud, and I’ve been wanting to find out more ever since. Bold Lies gives a little more information, making it clear that DCI Matt Carter sold her out to their superiors to save his own career. I would have loved to get some more detail on what exactly happened in the case, but I fully understand why it wouldn’t have been right for the plot. It would have slowed the pace down without adding to the narrative, we got just enough to understand the relationship between Kelly and Matt. That said I wouldn’t mind some sort of prequel novella that dealt with the case that forced Kelly out of the Met!

Final Thoughts
I’m yet to read a Kelly Porter book I wouldn’t recommend! Once again the setting, the case and the character development fit together in perfect harmony to create a wonderful story I absolutely flew through. I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next for Kelly both personally and professionally.

You could certainly read Bold Lies as a standalone but I would definitely recommend following Kelly from the beginning and picking up Dark Game to start. It’s currently 99p on Amazon (in the UK at least) so you’ve no excuse for not delving into the world of DI Kelly Porter!

It was the smell which announced the presence of the body in the wheelhouse of a boat and identification wasn't going to be easy as the man was stark naked. There were all the signs of a brutal, cold-blooded execution but gradually the man was traced back to Allendale House, the estate of the former Lord Allendale, and then to London, where two more bodies, naked, in a staged setting in a garage, were discovered. Senior Investigating Officer DI Kelly Porter had to go to London and was shocked to discover that the SIO for that case was DCI Matt Carter, her manipulative and untrustworthy ex-lover. It was going to be anything but easy to work alongside Matt the Tw... Ah, well let's not go there.

I'm decidedly taken by Rachel Lynch's DI Kelly Porter series. I've gone from picking up Dead End because I'd run out of books to read, to waiting hungrily until I could start the latest one in my possession. Why? Well, Lynch creates good characters. They're not perfect and they don't always make the choices you would make, but you can relate to them. Kelly's got a bit of a complicated private life, but she's nearly forty and she's risen through the ranks of the Met and the local force in Cumbria to become a DI. You don't do that without being interesting. She's over Matt Carter and appreciating the joys of being in a settled relationship with Johnny. They're learning to sail and planning a special holiday: everyday people trying to live a decent life.

Lynch catches the Lake District perfectly too. It's not the tourist destination but the one inhabited by the locals who sometimes make a living from the tourists and the others who just do the jobs which are everywhere, but they happen to do it in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. She captures the greenness of it all (well, there's a reason why it's called the Lake District, you know) and the peace which you can find, be it out on a lake or up a mountain. Even the air is different. IT's special.

You'd really like to know about the plot, though, wouldn't you? It's good and not overly complex. You're pretty certain from early on who the baddies are (although don't be too certain - there are one or two twists) and the story is really about bringing them to justice. It's a good, well-written story and I got through it all too quickly. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think I liked it, or maybe not?
This book left me quite undecided about it. There are many flaws but at the same time many good things about this book that I don't really know what to think.
May I need time to let the story stick with me since I've read this book in one sitting (that could tell a lot about it, maybe?)

I have loved each and every Kelly Porter novel I've read and this means I had high expectations for book number five, Bold Lies. I wasn't the slightest bit let down! The action takes place both in the usual wonderful Lakes setting and we also head down south, to London, where Kelly's ex-partner is still working for the Met.

Three people have been murdered and another is missing, and when it's discovered that all four were colleagues working for the same pharmaceutical company in London it's time for Kelly to put aside of dislike of Matt (the ex) and try to work with him as part of a joint task force. This case though has dangerous implications for anyone connected, and that includes the police. There are government officials involved and an exclusive member's club, and you're never quite sure who to trust.

As with the previous novels and their wonderful descriptions of the Lakes where Kelly now lives and works, we also get to hear about London and her old life there, including DCI Matt Carter, who was the one that finally and unintentionally pushed her back to the Lakes to spend time with her mother, and to get to know her real father who's now semi-retired and living quite close by.

The things that make the Kelly Porter books for me are the perfect blend of professional and personal details included in every single story. It's fascinating getting to know more about the police officers investigating the crimes personally, making them more three-dimensional characters and making it easier to get hooked on what's happening. I would love to see Kelly and her team on the small screen as I think this series is crying out to be made into excellent television. Yet again I was completely pulled in by Rachel Lynch's wonderful writing and characters, it's exceptionally compulsive reading! The biggest plus point for me, having read all five books now, is getting to see how much Kelly has grown over them and how much more secure she now seems to be, both as a team leader and as a daughter/girlfriend. I only hope that this doesn't mean there are troubles ahead for her and boyfriend Johnny...