DI Kelly Porter Books in Order
Part ofRachel Lynch Books in OrderSee the DI Kelly Porter series by Rachel Lynch in order, with book summaries, Lake District background, character insights and guidance on the best place to start this gritty police procedural.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
12 books
Dark Game
by Rachel Lynch
2018
After a scandal forces her out of London's Metropolitan Police, DI Kelly Porter returns home to Cumbria expecting quieter work. Instead she inherits a child's unsolved murder, an abandoned baby and a suspicious death that together expose a violent criminal underworld in the lakes.
Dead End
by Rachel Lynch
2018
When the elderly Earl of Lowesdale is discovered hanging in his grand but crumbling hall, it first looks like suicide. At the same time two young hikers vanish in the fells, and Kelly Porter must connect historic disappearances, buried scandals and a family who will protect their name at any cost.
Deep Fear
by Rachel Lynch
2018
A woman's mutilated body is found outside a church, posed with soil in her mouth and other chilling symbols. As more victims appear, each seemingly punished for past sins, Kelly Porter races to decode a ruthless killer's message before the violence hits home.
Bitter Edge
by Rachel Lynch
2019
Teenager Jenna Fraser, once a promising runner, appears to leap from a Lake District cliff to her death. As DI Kelly Porter explores bullying, drugs and whispers about a teacher at Jenna's elite school, an old enemy moves closer to her own family.
Blood Rites
by Rachel Lynch
2019
An unidentified young woman is discovered naked and silent at an ancient stone circle, then vanishes from hospital before police can learn her name. When a local woman is murdered amid bizarre animal sacrifices, Kelly Porter is drawn into a secretive pagan group and a deadly personal reckoning.
Bold Lies
by Rachel Lynch
2019
A decomposed body found on the shore of Derwent Water links to the staged murders of two scientists in London. Forced to work with her ambitious ex, Kelly Porter follows a trail of dangerous research, political pressure and ruthless people with everything to lose.
Little Doubt
by Rachel Lynch
2020
A wealthy housewife is stabbed to death in broad daylight, and hours later a young woman from a rough estate is killed the same way. Running both cases, DI Kelly Porter starts to suspect a traitor inside the police force itself.
Lost Cause
by Rachel Lynch
2020
On a freezing Cumbrian morning, the butchered remains of a woman are found stuffed into a bin. Kelly Porter believes a disturbed local loner has seen more than he admits, but deciding whether he is witness or predator could cost more lives.
Lying Ways
by Rachel Lynch
2021
When two former inmates from Highton prison are found murdered after their release, DI Kelly Porter is sent to investigate. Digging into life behind the walls, she uncovers corruption, coercion and a violent riot that puts one of her team in grave danger.
Sudden Death
by Rachel Lynch
2022
A helicopter crashes beside a fell-running race in the Lake District, killing and injuring runners and VIPs. As DI Kelly Porter uncovers evidence of sabotage, she must work out which powerful passenger was the real target before the killer strikes again.
Silent Bones
by Rachel Lynch
2023
A severe drought uncovers a skeleton at the bottom of Thirlmere reservoir, soon identified as one of Kelly Porter's missing schoolmates. Days later another former classmate is murdered, forcing Kelly to revisit painful teenage years while hunting a killer who has hidden in plain sight for decades.
Shared Remains
by Rachel Lynch
2024
A broken and bloodied body is found at the bottom of a Cumbrian quarry, staged to look like suicide. Investigating two feuding brothers who own the land and a care home run from their farm, Kelly Porter uncovers exploitation of vulnerable residents and dangerous secrets worth killing for.
Series background & context
DI Kelly Porter is at the heart of Rachel Lynch's long-running Lake District crime series. The books follow a driven detective who returns to her Cumbrian hometown after a bruising spell with London's Metropolitan Police, only to find that the quiet valleys she remembers hide very dark secrets.
In Dark Game, Kelly comes home carrying the weight of a professional scandal and the complicated pull of family. She moves back in with her mother, clashes with her sister and steps into a new role with Cumbria Police. Her first investigations - a cold case involving a murdered child, an abandoned baby and the death of a local businessman - blow apart the idea that rural crime is somehow softer than city work.
Each novel centres on a major investigation, and together they map out the different ways harm can spread through a community. Some stories delve into trafficking, online exploitation and organised crime networks operating behind tourist-friendly facades. Others tackle serial killings, violent assaults linked to elite schools, disappearances tied to ancient landscapes, prison corruption or a helicopter crash that turns a fell race into a mass-casualty scene.
As the series goes on, the cases reach further into Kelly's own past. Old school friends turn up as victims, cold cases resurface when drought reveals long-hidden remains, and family secrets she thought were buried come back in painful ways. The baggage she carries from the Met and from her childhood in the Lakes keeps colliding with the work she has sworn to do.
One of the pleasures of the series is watching Kelly grow into her leadership of the team. She is sharp, stubborn and compassionate, but never perfect. Lynch pays as much attention to office politics, home life and small triumphs as she does to forensics and autopsy reports. The Lake District setting is always present too: storms over Derwent Water, mist on the fells, and tourist villages that feel very different once the sun goes down.
Readers who start at the beginning get the full sweep of Kelly's personal journey, but each book offers a complete investigation with its own mood and focus. Dark Game is the natural entry point if you like to meet a character at the start, while later titles such as Sudden Death, Silent Bones or Shared Remains work well if you enjoy diving straight into a high-stakes case and getting to know the team as you go. Either way, expect tightly plotted police work, emotional fallout and a strong sense of place in every instalment.
Edited by
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