Cover Image: Blood Rites

Blood Rites

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Member Reviews

This was a real edge of your seat thriller, with so many twists and turns, you wont know which way is up! Fantastic and gripping read!

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Finally purchased this myself as it wouldn't download from Netgalley unfortunately.

Rachel is true to form with this novel.

Just as good as her other stories.

It's fast paced and twisty in its delivery. I was kept guessing and unable to put down.

Rachel is one of those authors that I just know I'll love the story even without reading the blurb.

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The Detective Kelly Porter series is quickly becoming one of my favourite series of books. I look forward to meeting all the central characters again in particular Kelly. I really enjoyed the newest book in the series that focused on the occult. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

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DI Kelly Porter is back in the sixth instalment of her thriller series. This time a young girl is found at Castlerigg, a stone circle site, by National Park Ranger Joe Spencer who takes his family up to the circle first thing in the morning to watch the sunrise. The girl is naked and seems to be mute.

DI Porter is called in to investigate the circumstances that led to the girl being left in the freezing cold, however, early into the investigation, the girl disappears and Porter is at a loss as to not only why she was at Castlerigg but who the girl is too.

Not long after the girl mysteriously vanished a woman is found murdered at the same spot and the evidence points to the murder being ritual, DI Porter has a tough case on her hands which is only made harder as she tries to work out how vile letters she believes are from a woman she put behind bars are reaching her, and could her past, and could her past becoming back to haunt her?

Blood Rites is the fourth book in the DI Kelly Porter series that I have read, as I missed books three and four, even I’m not sure how!. What I adore about the series is how realistic DI Porter is and how her mind works to solve her cases. She is also dealing with grieving for her late mother in this book as well as the potential loss of her sister who she hasn’t spoken to in months.

The main plot has numerous subplots that all weave their way into one another and with plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings the cases are all exciting and give you a real thrill.

I also love the setting of the series as the Lake District is one of the UK’s most beautiful, normally peaceful areas. There does seem to be a lot of thrillers set in Cumbria these days for an area not associate with lots of crime in real life, but with vast acres of open or forest land and plenty of lakes you can certainly see why lots of thriller writers are using the setting.

As well as the usual criminal activity, I enjoyed the Pagan/Witchcraft aspect that was brought into the book as well as seeing DI Porter’s tough exterior drop for a while.

Blood Rites was another gripping book in the series. If you are a fan of crime detective novels or thrillers I suggest you give this series a read as it really is worth your time.

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It took me i little longer getting through this book. It wasn't what I expected of DI Kelly Porter. I liked the police work portrait there and the comeback of an old enemy. Bu I had some trouble with all the otherworldly stuff, so I tried to concentrate more of the other aspects of the case. I think the story would have worked well without trying to be spooky. I still highly recommend this series 'cause Kelly Porter is one of my favorite detectives.

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This book has taken me far too long to read, I usually devour Rachel Lynch's books but the content of it just put me off and I left it for a few weeks.
As it was a review book I knew I had to persevere and put aside the nature of it and completed it with the usual excitement.
I do like the background of Kelly's life and it seems that we are in for more treats with the titbits in this one.

I do highly recommend it, if you don't mind stories about pentagrams, rituals etc.

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DI Kelly Porter is on the case yet again. When a young woman was found in an ancient stone circle, circumstances are rather odd. Unfortunately for Kelly and her team, there are very few clues to be found as to why the girl was there, and as to her identity. To make matters even worse, the young woman soon disappears.

By no coincidence, soon after a murder occurs at the exact same site, but this time the killer left a message. Kelly does what she can to solve the current murder, all while trying to find the missing girl. The clues point to a group of people that are connected to the ancient stone circle. These people believe in certain ways. It might be rather confusing to Kelly, but it does at least give her the clues that she needs.

Little did Kelly realize that her current case would tie back to someone from her past, and that she would be facing a critical danger. With lots of twists and turns, excellent writing and a compelling conclusion, this proved to be an excellent addition to the series.

It has been several months since I read a book from this series, and I have have read all of the previous books. I fell right back in with Kelly and her method of solving crimes, no matter how difficult they proved to be. It was also a pleasure to see her getting along well with Johnny despite the difficulties they ran across in the past.

I have come to love Rachel Lynch and I definitely look forward to more on this series and to anything else she has to offer.

Many thanks to Canelo and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

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DI Kelly Porter is always a fantastic read, offering a great crime thriller with lots of twists and unpredictability yet a personal story running there too.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
Ok, I'll admit I'm a fan of Ms Lynch having now read all six of the D.I Porter series.
Initially I was attracted to the books for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I enjoy this genre and secondly I've been known to regularily holiday in The Lakes so recognise a lot of the places she writes about.
I've thoroughly enjoyed how the characters have been developed over the course of the six books, although I do still think you could read this as a standalone. Imagine if you did, you'd go back to the start and read them all !

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This author writes some brilliant books, the characters are great and all work well which is what makes this series of books as you get to know them. Once you start reading these books you can't put them down as they are all really good.

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A young woman is found naked and mute at an ancient stone circle by a man and his family. While DI Kelly Porter and the Team look into it the girl disappears and the case is put on the backburner although it bothers Kelly.

We also watch Kelly’s personal life develop with the loveable Johnny and her new relationship with her real dad. She’s still missing her mum, developing a relationship with Johnny’s daughter and still estranged from her sister. She’s also receiving disturbing letters from someone she put away in a previous case – how can they know so much with regards to the case she’s investigating now…

Kelly and the Team are investigating the murder of a local woman and as they delve further it seems that the death is linked to Pagan rituals and witchcraft. The murderer seems to have left his mark on her too. There is another death (totally grisly – I was having nightmares about it!) and an accident involving someone close to Johnny which seems to be connected to the current case.

An absolutely edge-of-my-seat read which I totally devoured. Totally brilliant and roll on the next one! So recommend.

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If you visit my blog on a semi regular basis you might have notice me raving about the D.I. Kelly Porter series, I’ve enjoyed all five previous books and you can find reviews linked below. I’m always a little concerned when I pick up a book in this series in case I don’t enjoy it as much. I’m pleased to report that Blood Rites is every bit as capturing and thrilling as the books that have come before!

One morning at the ancient stone circle at Castlerigg and young girl is found naked and half frozen. She’s taken to hospital for treatment but doesn’t utter a word before disappearing. Kelly’s determined to discover the identity of their mystery girl, but when a murder is called in Kelly has to decide how to prioritize her limited resources.

Blood Rites felt a little slower to get going than some of the earlier books in the series but before long I was hooked. I very much enjoyed following Kelly across the county as she visited crime scenes and conducted interviews. Trying to pick out clues and figure out what was happening ahead of Kelly, and for once I just about managed it! That’s not to say there weren’t a few surprises along the way though!

Over the past five books I’ve become very fond of Kelly, I think she’s a great character and I’ve loved to see how her relationships have developed over the course of the series. Blood Rites brings further developments in her relationships. ‘The Teacher’ returns from an earlier book, and I found it so interesting to seeing how this affected her, and the way she handled the case. I loved seeing her developing relationship with Ted, and I have great hope for her relationships with Johnny and Josie going forwards!

All of Kelly’s usual team were around and it’s wonderful seeing them develop, whether it’s coming to the fore as someone capable of leading the team in Kelly’s absence or shining as the tech superstar. I really enjoyed the involvement of Demi, a psychologist who previously worked with Kelly in London. She was a breath of fresh air during some of the more tense parts of the story and I’d love to see her reappear in a future story!


Final Thoughts
Rachel has produced another thrilling read! I’ve never been disappointed following a trip to The Lakes with Kelly Porter! Why it is perfectly possible to read Blood Rites as a standalone novel I would highly recommend reading Deep Fear (book 2) first due to a returning character who will mean much more following that book. Naturally I think you should read all five previous books first, they were all excellent! I’m already looking forward to another adventure in The Lakes with Kelly!

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I have read all the books in this series and have enjoyed them all and the interactions and development with the characters. The only downside for me in this one was the involvement with the occult which is usually a turnoff and I wouldn’t read about hence the 4 star review. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

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This is the sixth book in the series featuring DI Kelly Porter and is another winner. I love that these books are set in the Lake District and can picture the scene. A young girl is found naked at Castle Rigg Stone Circle. She is obviously traumatised and cannot speak but after being taken to the hospital the girl disappears. Kelly is called out to the case and whilst trying to find the identity of the girl, Kelly and her team have a murder on their hands. A local woman and her animals are brutally killed and mutilated. She discovers that the woman was a member of a pagan group so Kelly and her team then has to identify the killer before he targets more members of the group. We also learn more about Kelly’s personal life, her relationship with Johnny and his daughter Josie and also with her sister and her father Ted. I love this series of books and can’t wait for book number seven.
Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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The biggest clue to this is in the title. DI Kelly Porter is at her best in that her life and job are going well and she is in a happy relationship.

She is called to an incident at Castlerigg stone circle, where a naked girl is found by a family there to view the sunrise. The girl is not talking as she is taken to the local hospital in Penrith. Once she is warmed up she disappears.

DI Kelly Porter's last case involved The Teacher. A cruel and manipulative woman, now in Broadmoor. She is writing to Kelly, although it is against all the rules. She obviously has someone on the inside who is posting her letters.

Another fatality is reported and now the police need to delve into what these people have in common. Mary belonged to a group, one of whom is farmer Fred. This appears to be a group of bird lovers, as they like to describe it, but a sect in other words. These members are peace lovers.

Rituals, a pentagram and years of loyalty feature a lot in this book. It is cleverly done and this book grabs you so you need to get to the end.

The well-loved characters are back, all except her fraught relationship with sister Nikki. After her ordeal at the hands of The Teacher, their difficult relationship, including ignoring each other, continues. Boyfriend Jonny and his daughter Josie are very much on the scene as is Ted, not just as a pathologist.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

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This is book 6 in the series featuring DI Kelly Porter, one of my favourite characters. Again this is set in the Lake District and the descriptions of the area are very graphic that you can imagine you're there. Anyhow, the story this time features white witch craft. After a naked girl was found at was found at some ancient stones by a park ranger and after being taken to hospital takes off after refusing to talk. Kelly and her team discover pagan connections and the bodies begin to mount up. Kelly also has to deal with a previous character from her past who always seem to be one step ahead of her and connected to the investigation. A gripping story, it is brilliant to see how Kelly has matured and is happy in her private life. A stand alone novel, but I thoroughly recommend reading the whole series.

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#BloodRites #NetGalley This is the 6th in the DI Kelly Porter series and they just keep getting better and better. non-stop action and drama from the beginning with everything moving at a great pace. The subject matter of this case is completely different to others in the series but with a dark twist to an old case. I love the character of Kelly and it is great to see more in regards to her relationships with Johnny, Ted and Josie. I cant wait for the next in the series. A fabulous 5 stars from me!

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I was given an advance copy of Blood Rites by Rachel Lynch from NetGalley to read and give an honest review. This is the sixth book in the DI Kelly Porter series and every book seems to be better than the last. The book begins with the discovery of a naked young female within an ancient stone circle in the Lake District by Joe Spencer and his family who went there to see the sunrise. The young female is taken to the local hospital and before the police can interview her she escapes through the window. Not long after that Mary Hales is murdered and her animals are also killed and mutilated, the police speak to her friends and eventually discover that she was a High Priestess in a local pagan group and that her death may be related to witchcraft. Kelly and her team have to work like never before to try and prevent more murders being committed and it will also test her relationship with Johnny.

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"There are demons out there, and they look like people."

A young girl is found, naked and half frozen, on Castlerigg Stone Circle. She's taken to the local hospital but is uncommunicative and unidentified. Then she disappears. DI Kelly Porter can't get the haunted child's face out of her mind, but soon a gruesome murder scene occupies the team at Cumbria Constabulary. As the investigation begins, Porter discovers that the dead woman had links to a local group that seem to be members of a Pagan coven. The detectives soon get a crash course in symbolism and ritual practices, but have no leads or clues as to the murderer when another killing takes place. Kelly is convinced that the person committing these crimes has a plan and that more deaths will occur unless she can stop them. Meanwhile, she's been contacted by her old nemesis, Amy Richmond, AKA "The Teacher, a serial killer who wants to see Kelly hinting that she has some information about the current case. NO SPOILERS.

Wow, was this good! The writing is superb and the characters come to life on the page as they are so well-drawn. As always, the Lake District, is almost like another character in the novel and the description of the area draws the reader in with an appreciative sigh. Kelly has grown stronger, her personal life is improved with Johnny, and she's dealing with her grief appropriately. She loves her life and is even making plans for a sailing trip vacation in Florida. The case is getting to her though and fortunately she has a lot of emotional and professional support. The best, and most interesting, part of this particular story, however, is the inclusion of the Pagan angle. I couldn't help but have Google on standby to give me more information and was fascinated by the detail of the beliefs, practices and rituals. Note -- this is not satanic in case that would be a trigger. I could say more about the killer and the motivations, but won't. Just read it for yourself and enjoy. I've read this series from the beginning and I do believe that the books should be read from the beginning in order to appreciate Kelly's history and to know her better. Crime fiction at its best!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this e-book ARC to read and review. I cannot wait for #7.

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Book 6 in the DI Kelly Porter series and it is every bit as good as the rest of the series. Once again the story is set in the Lake District and touches on the Occult.
Thoroughly recommended

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