Blood Rites
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
DI Kelly Porter is about to discover just how dark things can get in the Lake District.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. Kelly has all the pieces to solve the puzzle, but to put them together she must confront a figure from her past: one who nearly destroyed all that she holds dear. Will she avoid the same fate this time, or can the killer stay one step ahead of her to the bitter end? A captivating and atmospheric detective novel from a rising star in British crime fiction, perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney and Cara Hunter. Readers are hooked on Blood Rites ‘As always we get an excellent police procedural with these books but... also a cracking good read, well paced and a fascinating story.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘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.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Blood Rites was simply a brilliant read.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘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.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Crime fiction at its best’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘An absolutely edge-of-my-seat read which I totally devoured. Totally brilliant and roll on the next one! So recommend.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Rachel has produced another thrilling read! I’ve never been disappointed following a trip to The Lakes with Kelly Porter!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow, was this good! The writing is superb and the characters come to life on the page as they are so well-drawn. As always, the Lake District, is almost like another character in the novel and the description of the area draws the reader in with an appreciative sigh.' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Series
9 primary booksDI Kelly Porter is a 9-book series with 9 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Rachel Lynch.
Reviews with the most likes.
Contains spoilers
First of all, I didn't read the previous books in the series. I received this one and I didn't check to see if it was part of a series or not. Good news is that the 6th instalment can be read as a standalone. There are mentions to past cases, one in particular, but enough detail is given so that it's not too confusing. Bad news is that reading this book was such a chore.
What's good about it is that I got to know all of the characters. There is plenty about every one of them, some more than others, of course, but still. I liked the shifting perspectives and although at first I was confused about what's a coven doing in there, it ended up being quite an interesting touch to the plot overall.
I thought I have more good things to list, but that's about it. For the things I didn't enjoy as much, and the main reason why reading this felt like a chore to me, is the writing style. I couldn't get into it and I would lose focus so often. Every few pages or so I was not there. I don't know what is it about it, but it didn't grip my attention. I liked how the author took time to explain everything and familiarize us with the characters and situations, but at the same time that took the novel all over the place and slowed it down. Odd is that I actually enjoyed it more when the point of view settled on someone else rather than Kelly, the change was welcome and probably what helped me turn yet another page. I particularly liked it when it focused on Josie, although I didn't like Josie all that much. She was just okay.
To that I add that for the first 100 pages or so nothing is really happening. The focus is mostly on Kelly's former case. After 100 pages there's a murder and things look like going in an interesting direction. Only they aren't, quite.
I liked the plot overall and I think everything was well researched and well written, but I still have some questions. I wanted to know more about the murders, about how they happened, what triggered the criminal. And speaking of the criminal, I don't know how it took Kelly so long to figure out who it was. Wait, she didn't figure it out. It was obvious for the reader, not for the characters, I agree, but Kelly and her team, out of witch no one thought hey, something's off here, had plenty of information and hints to lead them to the criminal. And yet, even when it was revealed to her, Kelly didn't believe it at first. The last 20 pages alone made me want to drop the book, it was so annoying.
There's no thrill to this novel, it was not captivating as the back cover claims it to be, it was mediocre at best. Maybe readers who are familiar with the series are able to enjoy it more, but where I'm looking from, it's surprising I even finished reading it.
