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

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.

About the author

Rachel Lynch is a million-copy bestselling author of crime fiction, best known for her gripping DI Kelly Porter series as well as several standalones and the Major Helen Scott military police thrillers. Born and raised in Cumbria, the haunting beauty of the Lake District seeps into every story she tells. After teaching history in London and living across the globe as an army wife, Rachel eventually returned to her greatest passion: writing. Travel and the shared human experience comprise the fabric of her work. She explores the darkest corners of humanity with empathy and edge, weaving gritty realism with unforgettable characters. Alongside multiple standalone novels, she now brings her stories to life in a whole new way, through her podcast The Killer Storyteller: A Podcast with Rachel Lynch, where she unpacks every twist and turn, book by book.

Product details

• Authors: Lynch Rachel
• Publisher: Pan macmillan Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 29.01.2026
• EAN: 9781835984154
• ISBN: 978-1-83598-415-4
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 9 mm
• Series: Detective Kelly Porter
• Subjects: Fiction > Suspense; FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, FICTION / Crime, Crime & mystery, FICTION / Thrillers / Crime, Thriller / suspense fiction, Thriller / suspense, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives