First Act: A DI Kelly Porter prequel from the million-copy bestselling author

by Rachel Lynch

A new detective. Tested like never before.London, 2008. Kelly Porter has been in London for six years. She's 28 years old and has passed her detective exams, working for Bethnal Green CID. Now she's landed her dream job in the Met's Major Investigation Team the murder squad. And she is immediately thrown into the deep end.

Work on the Olympic Park is underway, and human remains are found on Kelly's former patch. When a link to children's toys is found, Kelly seeks help from a curator at the Museum of Childhood.

A legacy of horror and killer with an unexpected motive are about to be revealed but can Kelly stop them?

The breathtaking, fast-paced prequel to the million-copy bestselling DI Kelly Porter series. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney and LJ Ross.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

About the author

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.

Reviews

[books_by_vickib · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a prequel to the DI Kelly Porter series and an introduction to her character.

I felt the first part of the book started slower than I like my detective books, but it did pick up in the second half with a good few plot twists.

I enjoyed the partnership between Kelly and Seb would be interesting to see if that is her partner in the rest of the books because they made a good duo.

Overall I enjoyed reading this one and liked the twists, especially the one I never saw coming.