Title: Bitter Edge
Author: Rachel Lynch
Series: DI Kelly Porter
Publisher: Canelo

[Synopsis]

DI Kelly Porter is back, but so is an old foe and this time he won’t back down…

When a teenage girl flings herself off a cliff in pursuit of a gruesome death, DI Kelly Porter is left asking why. Ruled a suicide, there’s no official reason for Kelly to chase answers, but as several of her team’s cases converge on the girl’s school, a new, darker story emerges. One which will bring Kelly face-to-face with an old foe determined to take back what is rightfully his – no matter the cost.

Mired in her pursuit of justice for the growing list of victims, Kelly finds security in Johnny, her family and the father she has only just discovered. But just as she draws close to unearthing the dark truth at the heart of her investigation, a single moment on a cold winter’s night shatters the notion that anything in Kelly’s world can ever truly be safe.

[My Review]

This is the first book in the DI Kelly Porter series that I’ve read – in fact, it’s the first book I’ve read by Rachel Lynch at all, but she’s definitely now an author who I’d like to read much more from.

Bitter Edge is a well-written, multi-faceted police thriller/ crime novel that features a great lead character: Kelly Porter, a Detective Inspector with her own problems to contend with, as well as trying to solve various cases including a missing teenager, a very dodgy fairground worker and a spate of drug-related crime in the area. Kelly is likable, tough and fair, and I really enjoyed reading about her, as well as her partner Johnny. I don’t know all the backstory with the two of them, or what else may have happened in Kelly’s past (it talks about an ‘old foe’), because I haven’t read the first three books, but I don’t feel that this hampered my enjoyment as I understood what was happening and who was who regardless.

The descriptions of the Lake District, where Bitter Edge is set, creates a really atmospheric but at times eerie setting, and as you’re reading it’s easy to imagine getting the danger of getting lost in the bitter winter months whilst hiking or climbing. This adds a sense of danger to Kelly and her team’s investigations, and to the work that Johnny does in his position as a mountain rescuer. This also echoes some of the more shocking and uncomfortable themes that Rachel Lynch tackles in Bitter Edge, which soon become apparent.

The pacing of this novel felt just right to me, with plenty of developments keeping me interested, along with the more personal touches where we find out some of what Kelly has going on in her personal life, and these make her seem like a much more real and interesting character.

Various storylines come together towards the end (I love stories that do this!) to make a gripping and enjoyable read, despite some aforementioned dark themes and occurrences. I will definitely be reading more from this series!

[Rating: 4/5]

Many thanks to Canelo for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.

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