When a young woman is found unclothed, unspeaking at an ancient stone circle it's not clear if any crime has been committed. DI Kelly Porter and her team start looking into the circumstances, but the mystery girl disappears. Soon after, a brutal murder is committed and sinister markings at the scene indicate that the killer had a message. The investigation reveals that in the beautiful Lake District there are those who believe in ancient ways, and within those circles old resentments are spilling over into terrible violence.
This is the sixth book in this brilliant series & it goes from strength to strength, this book could be read on it's own but honestly this series is too good to miss. The descriptions of the locations & scenery is detailed & you can easily visualise the area. The characters have depth. I love Kelly & how she’s grown throughout the series, there are ups and downs in her private life which make all the more relatable. A engrossing, engrossing read many thanks to Canelo for the review copy

Another engrossing Kelly Porter read... witchcraft, murder and suspects keep Kelly and her team racing through the lake district

Highly recommended

Blood Rites - Rachel Lynch (DI Kelly Lynch #6)

When I received the email requesting that I read this I was chuffed to bits. Its one of my favourite Police Procedurals. As it says above this is #6 in the DI Kelly Porter series set in and around the gorgeous Lake District and its equally as good as the others. It can be read as a standalone as theirs more than enough information to allow the reader to keep up with the teams relationships, but if I Were you I'd start at the beginning with Dark Game. I finished this earlier on today and felt the need to write the review while the books fresh in my mind.

The author is never afraid to write about the sick, twisted or just plain weird and this time she's done it again. In this novel she writes about one of the very worst atrocities that could be done to animals, telling us just enough detail so we know what happened but leaving it to the readers imagination. Its clear that the author has done her research into her chosen subject matter as we read about altars, rituals and signs and tattoos.

As this series has progressed Kelly has grown in confidence and in doing that she has grown to trust her team and they in turn have begun to flourish making a more cohesive team than ever. Its a good job really as this case is demanding that the team think differently and look outside the box. Kelly is a woman of action so is out there in the thick of the investigation.

I don't want to do too much of a synopsis of the plot as that'll spoil it for the reader, so I'll try to keep it brief;
Following the death of her mother Wendy and issues with a not so lovely psychopath in the last book, life has finally turned a corner things are pretty good for Kelly right now. Relationships are all working well, work is quieter than normal, bonus. The only downside for Kelly right now is the not so anonymous letters that she receives from someone in her past. Obviously it can't stay that way, a young girl is found naked at Castlerigg, an ancient stone circle then disappears again, a woman is found murdered and her animals were killed and then burnt. The team are working hard to follow the almost none existent clues. Needless to say this is a case with a difference and as always Kelly has to sacrifice a little more of herself by up close and personal with someone from her past.

Meeting back up with Kelly is like catching up with an old friend, one that you haven't seen for a while its always a pleasure. I guarantee that if you enjoy authors such as Carole Wyer, Patricia Gibney D.K.Hood you'll enjoy Rachel Lynch.

Read for an honest review. Thank you Rachel Lynch, Netgalley and Canelo Publishers

Reading a Rachel Lynch novel is like watching a classy Sunday night drama (or bingeing on catch up). There's all the fine detail of a solid police investigation, with no scrimping on the grit and grime. At times it can be uncomfortable to read, and to comprehend that such events happen in sleepy old England, but the writing is so good that you can't help but keep reading. I have found all of the DI Kelly Porter novels completely compelling. They're the best type of books, you think about them during the day and can't wait to get your next fix.

Blood Rites was no exception. I found the subject matter and eventual conclusion the grittiest so far. As the reader you're desperate for a happy ending for Kelly and her extended family, and it's to Rachel Lynch's credit that she acknowledges that life isn't always a fairytale, even for the most deserving of heroines.

Number 6 in the series and still as good a read as all the rest. I do love this series. Kelly and team take on strange happenings in the beautiful setting of the Lake District. Interesting main plot as things get near to home and threaten her closest relationships. Brilliantly written it’s like meeting up with old friends as the characters and sub plot develop. Another cracking addition to this cracking series

When a young girl is found naked at Castlerigg a mystery starts for DI Kelly Porter and her team but the girl disappears. Someone is targeting members of a Pagan group and as the bodies mount up Kelly and her team are coming to conclusions that they are finding hard to believe.
Again Rachel Lynch has written a book in the Kelly Porter series which is superb the characters draw you in and their crimes keep you guessing right up to the end. This book is written well and keeps you looking forward to the next one in the series.

We are back in the beautiful Lake District with Rachel Lynch’s sixth D I Kelly Porter book. You can breathe in the air, the scenery and settle right back in with Kelly and her team along with Ted, Johnny and Josie.

We are getting to know Dan, Kate and the team more and more. We are seeing Kelly’s increasing trust in them allowing her to give them the responsibilities they should have. Not that Kelly is a sit-behind-the-desk type she gets right in there with the investigation which also means getting out and about because that’s how she thinks.

In this story there is an investigative strand that means she has to get very up close with someone from the past. I like the way Rachel Lynch allows Kelly to be quite human, you are shown feelings and trains of thought which, along with the interaction with other characters, allows a lot of procedural information to come through in a natural way.

We also have the personal side to Kelly her relationship with Johnny and his daughter Josie and with Ted. All effortlessly woven into the overall story of the investigation.

Ah, The investigation! It begins with the discovery of a young woman on Castlerigg Stone Circle she is naked and seemingly abandoned. There is no identity and she won’t or can’t speak. There is something wrong but no obvious signs of an attack. Taken to hospital Kelly goes to talk to her but she has disappeared. Concerned for her safety a missing persons case is opened. It’s difficult with so little to go on. Then Kelly is called to a murder and this takes precedence.

We are lead into the world of Panganism the murdered woman, Mary Hales, was part of such a group. They are a small group who feel their beliefs are not widely known and, perhaps, are misunderstood, stereotyped or generalised by those who do not know much about it. They disavow any association with a darker side. Nevertheless there is both a lot of personal anger and symbolism at the scene.

There is little graphic detail in the story which has murder, child abuse and animal cruelty within it. All well handled by Rachel Lynch. She includes sufficient information to get across what she needs to demonstrate the evil within the world today without giving it any kudos.

As always we get an excellent police procedural with these books but, for me, they are also a cracking good read, well paced and a fascinating story. They are set amongst some of the most beautiful scenery we are lucky enough to have in the UK and you get a great sense of place. Highlighting some of the social and political situations of the day whilst keeping focused on the main investigative story line.

There are new characters in this story including Callum and Demi Cramer who may well become a part of further books in this series? I hope so.

The D I Kelly Porter series continues to be a really good read. It really is a terrific book and series, I always look out for when the next will be published. Without any hesitation at all I highly recommend this book, indeed the whole series. I hope you will read them and agree.

Thanks

With thanks to Sophie at Canelo for the exclusive access to an early copy of Blood Rites, the sixth book in the DI Kelly Porter series, via NetGalley. I had this on order but couldn’t resist this early read! Of course, I will still purchase – and receive – Blood Rites by Rachel Lynch on 30 September.

Another great book by Rachel Lynch. While this is the sixth book in the DI Kelly Porter series, it can be read as a standalone. The main character, Kelly Porter, is on another intriguing investigation and finds herself face to face with a demon from her past. As her character continues to develop in this installment, veteran fans will appreciate the reflection to the past while new readers are granted a peek into a bit of previous history. The story is captivating and Lynch does an excellent job at setting pace with her descript narrative shifts and plot developments. Great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #BloodRites, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Blood Rites from Rachel Lynch it’s the 6th instalment in the series. Set in the idyllic scenery of the Lake District.
DI Kelly Porter is happy with her life with Johnny and can’t wait to get a way with him on holiday to Florida in November. But she still misses her mum and it’s been months since she has spoken to her sister. She is also getting anonymous letters that are freaking her out.
Very early one morning, Joe Spencer a National Park Ranger decides to bring his family to Castlerigg. He has been there before but, never at sunrise. Every morning he has gone there checking for litter he would see the beautiful sunrise and vowed that he would take his family their to see it. Castlerigg is a stone circle which is five thousand years old shrouded in mystery.
When the family get there, they find a girl crouched naked and terrified. She is not speaking. They call for ambulance and she is sent to the nearest hospital. But, when Kelly goes to visit her, to see if she can identify who she is, she disappears. Kelly goes out of the way to find her.
In the meantime, the team are called in to the murder of Mary Hale who has been stabbed. She was a lover or birds and animals. They have also been killed and then burnt to death in a fire. The death seemed to be linked to Pagan rituals and witchcraft.
This is another gripping read from Rachel Lynch. I really enjoyed it. This is a cleverly written story with so much detail and no doubt thoroughly researched. I loved how the author didn’t leave any aspects of Kelly’s life out. And as I have never been to the Lakes, I loved the descriptions of the beautiful scenery. After I read this book, I had to look on the internet about Castlerigg and see what Rachel is talking about. Yes, it’s beautiful maybe visit there one day.

Ohhh this has got to be the best yet in this superb series and although everyone of the books have been wonderful Rachel Lynch really has excelled herself here writing the next amazing instalment in the DI Kelly Porter series and I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from Canelo.
The thing I love the most in this series is not just the excellent plot lines but the growth of Kelly Porter, the character is written so real and this is what makes the series stand out so much. This book six is so well crafted with a lot of care and attention to detail, set in the beauty of the Lake District that is in sharp contrast with gruesome details of the murders and not only that poor Kelly is having to deal with some very disturbing letters sent from the perpetrator of a previous case whilst also dealing with a bereavement of her own.
So heaps and heaps of praise for this clever and totally compulsive read and although it can be read as a stand-alone I would recommend reading the series from book one as it really is one not to be missed. Many,many thanks Rachel Lynch I loved it.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rachel Lynch has another winner on her hand in her sixth book Blood Rites with DI Kelly Porter. This time the story centers on paganism in the Lake District.
I much admit that at times the background on the pagans and their rituals left me bored since I don’t have much interest in that subject. On the other hand the author always manages to wow me with her story telling.
All in all, a great book and I highly recommend it. Thanks to Bookouture/NetGalley for providing me with a free book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Another great story from Rachel Lynch with D I Kelly Porter. As usual she puts her all into solving this rather unusual case. With an insight into the lives and somewhat strange beliefs of the Cumbrian people. Kelly once again involved with her nemesis ‘the teacher ‘ and her young apprentice.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
This is No.6 in the DI Kelly Porter series but the narrative brings you up to speed so it's fine as a standalone - but DO read the others, they really are rather good.
Set in the beautiful Lake District in Autumn Rachel Lynch, as always, paints the most atmospheric pictures of the locale. Kelly and boyfriend Johnny- a mountain rescuer - have been together for 3 years and looking forward to their 3-week sailing holiday off the Florida coast in November. There's a bit of a lull at work and the team are reviewing unsolved cases - Kelly is looking at missing children and animal cruelty cases from 2005. However, for the past year she has been receiving letters from Amy Richmond, a psychopathic serial killer incarcerated at Broadmoor; one of the worst cases Kelly had ever worked on - Amy wanted to see her.

Then....they get a call from Joe Spencer, a National Park Ranger, who had taken his family to the Castlerigg stone circle to witness the sunrise, where their son Callum discovered a naked, mute and terrified young woman behind one of the stones. With no ID she was called Carla Rigg. Why had she stripped and gone to a tourist attraction?

Mary Hales, 59yrs-old, has been stabbed 73 times, restrained, and a crude tattoo put onto her body. Her beloved aviary birds and dogs have been callously incinerated in the garden. Gossip and fear is rife and suggestions of witchcraft start to surface. When a journalist, writing spurious articles about local witchcraft, covens and demon-worship is found naked on a lake shore we enter the world of white witches, equinoxes and simple beliefs of gentle people where, slowly, pieces of the puzzle come together as Kelly and her team start to understand the meaning of the evidence being presented to them.

Kelly receives further letters from Amy which appear to have current information on the Hales murder and indications of pagan worship the investigation takes a sinister turn involving Johnny's daughter Josie and Joe's son Callum, as well as a member of Johnny's rescue team.

What has Amy to tell Kelly? How does she know so much about the murders?

This is another intriguing read. Lots of twists but solid investigation leading to a gruesome discovery and a lesson for Kelly not to take people at face-value.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book in the series

pagan rituals
signs
murder victims

what an outing for kelly and her team to waddle through....

a family outing to see the sunrise turns into a call for help after finding a naked woman, kelly and her team are mystified as to why she disappears from her hospital room..though worry for her safety is paramount the murder of woman and her animals take precedents, its a sadistic murder and finding out how awful the animals died is hearbreaking

but nobody is telling the truth, with more bodies piling up kelly and her team have their work cutout for them, can kelly get to the killer before they kill again and why does she keep getting mail from an inmate and what do they know about this case...

cleverly written and it was nice to catch up with the people in this series...cant wait for the next outing...

As Rachel Lynch is one of my favourite authors I was delighted but concerned at the prospect of reading the sixth outing for DI Kelly Porter in her beautiful Lake District home. I needn't have allowed any concern because it was as gruesomely gripping as usual.

Kelly is enjoying life although she misses her mum and hasn't spoken to her estranged sister in months. A previous case has been in the forefront of her mind as some not so anonymous letters have been delivered to her home address which is freaking her out just a little.

Her team is notified about a young girl found at an ancient stone circle and Kelly has no idea just how concerned she will become about her and her safety. Then an horrific murder scene is discovered with symbolic links to an ancient way of life and the investigation moves into areas where the current practitioners want no one to go and they find themselves hunting for needles in haystacks when it is obvious time is of the essence.

Kelly Porter is a detective who follows the rules, discusses her ideas with the team and keeps the reader well informed. Her family life is also vitally important to how she does her job and makes her a well rounded character who I love to read about. This story is easily as good as the previous books and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The amount of research was obvious from the detailed way Kelly and the other detectives found out all they needed to gradually progress through the baffling case and never once was I confused or out of my depth. Considering the variety of subjects covered the prowess of the author and her attention to detail was clearly visible from the start and made for a very entertaining read.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this series or  atmospheric crime novels. There are spoilers however, so if they bug you maybe start at book one; you won't regret it.