Anyone that stops round these parts on the regular may already be aware that I am a fan of Rachel Lynch's DI Kelly Porter series, in no small part because it's set in The Lake District which is sort of kind of on my doorstep, but also because I love me a good character driven police procedural is that, so I didn't hesitate for even a split second before jumping at the chance of being on the blog tour for book 5 in the series, Bold Lies.
Bold Lies, published last month by Canelo, is a smasher.
An investigation leads Kelly back to her former command… and the ex who betrayed herA brutal murder in the Lake District.
A double assassination in a secret lab in London’s west end.
Seemingly unconnected, unexpected links between the gruesome crimes emerge and it’s up to DI Kelly Porter to follow the trail – all the way to the capital.
Back amongst old colleagues and forced to work alongside her calculating ex, DCI Matt Carter, Kelly must untangle a web of deceit that stretches into the highest echelons of power. A place where secrets and lies are currency and no obstacle is insurmountable.
It leaves the Lakes (sob) and heads to London (woop woop) as Kelly tries to connect the dots between bodies found in both places. Here's the thing - I love Kelly Porter. She's one of the best detectives I've had the pleasure of reading for a while, a real do no harm but take no shit, get the job done kind of a girl - personally and professionally. By book 5 she's settled with her boyfriend Jonny, who works in mountain rescue and who I love, but, the thing I like about these books and about Bold Lies especially is that it's about the case. I mean, I like the background and I like to get a look at Kelly's personal life, and I enjoy those parts of the book immensely but I enjoy that they don't take precedence. Like here, Kelly has to work with her ex and I love that, the dynamic - she's not happy about having to work with him and she makes sure he knows - and the depth it adds to the story is great but what I loved more was that the book was still about solving the crime.
Am I making sense?
It's a great book to read if you're missing Line of Duty, too, just FYI because HOLY CORRUPTION, BATMAN - you honestly do not know who to trust in this book and it makes it so tense. I loved it. It's fast-paced and exciting and full of all the twists and turns you want in a good crime novel. I didn't see the ending coming either which everyone knows is the thing I always hope for in this kind of a book. It's hard to review thrillers and crime novels without giving too much away but this whole series just keeps getting better and better for me and it's definitely worth a read. Lynch is a real writer and the book is well-crafted unfolding at a pace that keeps you hooked without giving too much away too fast.
You can get hold of a copy now if you want one (I think it'd work as a standalone, but the rest of the series is worth a read too) here.
