Rachel Lynch Books in Order – Updated February 24, 2026

Rachel Lynch is a British crime writer best known for her long-running DI Kelly Porter police procedural series, set in and around England’s Lake District.

Reading order matters most for Kelly Porter because personal fallout and team dynamics carry forward; her other novels are mostly standalones or a separate military-police mini-series.

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Pick your starting point in 10 seconds

• Want the main event (best entry): Dark Game (2018)
• Want “current” Kelly Porter (catching up fast): Start at Shared Remains (2024), then backfill, expect character-history spoilers.
• Want a shorter commitment: The Rift (2021) (Book 1 of the Major Helen Scott duology)
• Want a standalone thriller vibe: The Rich (2023)

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DI Kelly Porter series (Lake District) – Publication order

Included (mainline):

1. Dark Game (2018): A scandal forces Kelly Porter back to Cumbria, where a cold case drags her into a ruthless local secret that reshapes her new life.
2. Deep Fear (2018): A brutal discovery tests Kelly’s instincts and hardens her approach as the cost of being “the outsider” starts to land.
3. Dead End (2018): A death that looks settled refuses to stay closed, pushing Kelly into the kind of family history that stains everyone nearby.
4. Bitter Edge (2019): A case that seems clear on paper turns into something personal, tightening the pressure on Kelly’s choices and alliances.
5. Bold Lies (2019): A professional, multi-layered threat forces the team to work wider and faster, raising the series’ operational stakes.
6. Blood Rites (2019): A vulnerable victim and an eerie setting pull Kelly into a case where identity and motive stay slippery until late.
7. Little Doubt (2020): Two linked killings challenge the rules Kelly is willing to live by, sharpening the series’ moral edge.
8. Lost Cause (2020): A missing-person thread escalates into something colder and more methodical, accelerating the danger around the team.
9. Lying Ways (2021): A prison-linked investigation traps Kelly in a closed world of grudges and leverage, exposing weaknesses she can’t ignore.
10. Sudden Death (2022): A public catastrophe creates a sprawling victim list, forcing Kelly to find the true target before the next strike.
11. Silent Bones (2023): A drought reveals long-buried violence, tying past and present into a case that reopens old wounds for the unit.
12. Shared Remains (2024): A suspicious death in rugged terrain pushes Kelly into a deeper look at vulnerability and exploitation in her patch.
13. Cruel Truth (2026): A high-season Lake District scene turns lethal, driving Kelly toward a truth that won’t stay buried once found.

Optional (prequel / best treated as a flashback rather than “Book 0”):

• First Act (2026): Set years earlier, this prequel reframes early choices and motivations, working best once you already know who Kelly becomes.

Where the prequel fits (recommended): Read First Act after Dark Game (minimum) or after Dead End (ideal), so it deepens context without stealing your first impressions.

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Major Helen Scott military police thrillers – Publication order

These are connected to each other, but separate continuity from DI Kelly Porter.

1. The Rift (2021): A high-security assignment fractures fast, forcing Major Helen Scott to balance mission demands against the human cost of failure.
2. The Line (2022): A death tied to military circles widens into an international tangle, pushing Helen into consequences that don’t respect jurisdiction.

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Standalone novels – Publication order

These can be read in any order.

• The Dependants (2015): Life on an army base becomes a pressure chamber, where loyalty and survival collide far from any battlefield.
• The Rich (2023): A therapist’s clients look polished on the surface, but their secrets form a pattern that turns deadly when exposed.
• The Secret Inheritance (2024): A return to a family estate turns into a timed ordeal, where money and memory are both weapons.
• The Famous (2025): Public image becomes the mask for private harm, as someone with reach discovers fame doesn’t prevent retribution.

Separate continuity (historical fiction, not part of the crime novels):

• Rain and Fire: The Making of Napoleon (2025): A historical rise-to-power narrative told through an observer’s eyes, distinct in tone and genre from the thriller work.

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Chronological order: when it changes anything

• DI Kelly Porter: The only meaningful wrinkle is the prequel First Act, which sits earlier in the timeline but is still best read after you’ve met Kelly in Dark Game.
• Everything else: Publication order and “chronological” order are effectively the same, or chronology simply doesn’t apply.

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A clean, low-friction recommended reading plan

If you want the smoothest experience with the fewest spoilers:

1. Dark Game (2018) → Deep Fear (2018) → Dead End (2018)
2. First Act (2026) (optional, as a flashback that sharpens context)
3. Continue straight through: Bitter Edge → Bold Lies → Blood Rites → Little Doubt → Lost Cause → Lying Ways → Sudden Death → Silent Bones → Shared Remains → Cruel Truth

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Latest release status

• First Act (2026) is out as a DI Kelly Porter prequel.
• Cruel Truth (2026) is the next mainline DI Kelly Porter novel, with a listed publication date in April 2026.

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FAQs

Are DI Kelly Porter and Major Helen Scott connected?

They’re best treated as separate worlds. You don’t need one to read the other.

Can I start DI Kelly Porter with a later book?

You can, but you’ll lose the slow-burn character changes and you’ll meet people already carrying history. If you care about continuity, start at Dark Game.

Are the standalone novels tied to Kelly Porter?

No. They’re designed to stand alone.

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Bottom line

If you’re only choosing one place to begin, start with Dark Game (2018) and read forward. Add First Act (2026) as an optional flashback once you’ve finished the opening arc.