DI Kelly Porter is faced with two important cases in this, the third novel in the series. An elderly Earl, at first thought to have commit suicide, is now deemed a homicide AND two young girls have gone missing from the fells.

The elderly Earl is going nowhere, but given the case Kelly makes sure she gives it her all. She befriends the Earl’s nineteen year old grandson Zach which makes her even more invested in finding out who killed the old man.

Time is of the essence in the case of the missing girls. They must find them, before it is too late.

On the home front, Kelly is now living in her riverfront house in Pooley Bridge. Her mother’s failing health ensures that Kelly visits her often, but does nothing to cure the antagonistic relationship between Kelly and her sister, Nikki. Kelly has always felt like an outsider, even within her own family. Now in her late thirties, that feeling has not gone away…

Pooley Bridge, Cumbria

The one person who can always comfort her, is her boyfriend Johnny. He gives her the space she needs, yet is always there for her. He seems to understand the pressures of her work and they enjoy similar leisure activities.

On the work front, Kelly’s supervising officer DCI Crane is trying to convince her that she needs to apply for promotion. An idea that Kelly rejects because she is happy where she is doing what she does as a ‘hands-on’ member of her team.

“Dead End” is the third novel in the D.I. Kelly Porter police procedural mystery series. The first in the series, “Dark Game” was a solid 5-star read for me and the following novels in the series maintain the quality. There is nothing quite so satisfying to me as reading a British police procedural crime thriller.  When it has an engaging protagonist, a Lake District setting, and a compelling and well rendered plot, then it is for me, reading bliss.

The thing I like most about this series is that Rachel Lynch has found that perfect balance between the protagonist’s personal life and the murder investigation. Just the right amount of attention to each makes for compelling reading.  I enjoyed the relationships between Kelly and her team, between Kelly and the pathologist Ted Wallis, and between Kelly and her boyfriend, Johnny. This time out a family secret is divulged that has transformed Kelly’s thoughts on her own family and her place within it.

Rest assured that I will be reading every installment in the DI Kelly Porter series. A must-read for those who enjoy well-written, character-rich, realistically plotted crime novels. Highly recommended!

I purchased this book in Kindle format. If it weren’t for my myriad review commitments I would like to ‘binge read‘ the rest of the series.  At present there are EIGHT books in the DI Kelly Porter series.

Rachel Lynch grew up in Cumbria and the lakes and fells are never far away from her. London pulled her away to teach History and marry an Army Officer, whom she followed around the globe for thirteen years.
A change of career after children led to personal training and sports therapy, but writing was always the overwhelming force driving the future. The human capacity for compassion as well as its descent into the brutal and murky world of crime are fundamental to her work.

You can follow Rachel Lynch on Twitter.