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

Really loved this book a tight exciting storyline and a good ending what is not to like will definitely be looking to read the rest of the books from this author

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!!

Really enjoyed this book. Detective Porter is a really likeable character, I have really enjoyed all her books in the series and hope that there will soon be another. Rachel lynch really knows how to engage the reader, her descriptions make you feel that you are actually there rather than just reading about it brilliant book.

Another fantastic addition to this crime series featuring Kelly Porter. This time Kelly is tied up with several cases and trying to come to terms with her mother's revelation in the last book. It becomes clear that the seemingly disparate cases are actually closely linked and a face from the past rears his ugly head. It's another fast paced, thrill of a read and was over far too quickly for my liking.
What I particularly like about this series is the very human element. Kelly has a real life outside of her job and this is as nuanced as the crimes she investigates. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with Johnny, Ted and Nikki develop in light of what happens in this book and I eagerly await the next instalment.

My thanks go to Net Galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Bitter Edge’, fourth in the Detective Kelly Porter series written by Rachel Lynch, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When teenager Jenna Fraser, Junior Champion Fell racer, leaps to her death from the edge of a rocky path DI Kelly Porter can’t believe she’d willingly throw away a promising sports career and starts looking at old cases of teenagers attending Derwent Academy who took their own lives. She discovers that the taking of drugs is rife in the Lakes and makes it her duty to put those responsible behind bars. As Christmas approaches, Kelly’s searching for fifteen-year-old Faith Shaw who goes missing from the funfair and needs to learn the truth following the arrest of a teacher at the Academy, Tony Blackman, who’s been found to have images of children on his computer. Added to this, Kelly’s mother is very ill and she’s only recently discovered who her real father is.

‘Bitter Edge’ is an exciting police thriller based in the beautiful Lake District. The plot is fast-paced and intense with a number of separate threads running through it and I was enthralled from the very beginning. There’s a lot of action, twists and turns, and an increasing number of suspects that kept me guessing. I like the way the characters are growing in depth, especially Kelly’s relationship with Johnny and her interaction with his daughter Josie. Her mother’s illness and the realisation of who her real father is adds another dimension to Kelly. I’ve found this an enjoyable novel, very easy to read, and I can recommend it.

another brilliant instalment in the DI Kelly Porter series. i would highly recommend reading these books to anyone.

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

Absolutely loved this book and did not stop till I had finished reading it, the series is getting better and better and we are starting to learn more about her back ground. Trying to solve the mystery of a young girls death amongst the backdrop of winter as well as coming to terms with the news her dad was not who she thought she was makes for a riveting read

Absolutely brilliant, Rachel Lynch is a master of suspense, this book kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. The book starts with a missing teenager, a missing hill walker, a teacher suspected of being a Paedophile, drugs and the suicides of young teenagers who all went to the same school. The investigation is gruelling and even more so because of the weather and snow on the ground and Christmas is just round the corner. Whilst they are looking for the missing teenager a young foster child is also kidnapped, all the evidence is leading to a refugee from Sarajevo who hasn't been seen for two years.

Another great read in the Kelly Porter series. Although it is number 4 in the series it can just as easily be read as a stand-alone. Plenty of twists and turns that we have come to expect from Rachel’s writing. You can see how social media and drugs and the consequences of peer pressure are all too commonplace in today’s society. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in two sittings. I would highly recommend this book and that you read the series from the start as you won’t be disappointed.

This is the fourth in the series and like the previous books did not disappoint. It was atmospheric and the descriptions really set the scenes in your mind. There were various threads and many layers to the book and the author did a great job of bringing them all together. The characters are realistic and the whole package was just really good!

This is my first book by Rachel Lynch & I am so looking forward to reading the others in the series.

This had me enthralled from the outset. The descriptive setting of the Lakes was an eye opener, reminding the reader that modern day evil has penetrated this beautiful countryside.

The characters, the twists & turns meant that I finished this in just two days.

Highly recommended 4.5 stars