When a local woman is brutally stabbed to death, there is a great deal of shock amongst the Lake District community. The death of another girl in a similar fashion does not command the same level of outrage, however, due to the difference in their social standing, and DI Kelly Porter faces a wall of silence as she tries to uncover the truth. When she begins to unearth a much larger conspiracy, the detective knows that she must put her job on the line if she is to see justice served.

This is a series that I have enjoyed since the first installment and I think I can safely say that this, the seventh book, is by far my favourite. With knife crime on the up, Rachel Lynch has written a very topical book, and one that highlights how this is not just a problem of the big cities. It was easy to see why witnesses were not forthcoming, with fear of reprisals being at the forefront of their minds. I am sure that there are some people who will read this book and will draw comparisons to an estate or area that they know.

For those who have watched the television series, there is a definite ‘Line of Duty’ feel to parts of this book, with Kelly realising that she cannot trust everyone who is supposed to be on the right side of the law. By introducing police corruption to the plot, we get to see a different side of Kelly as she realises that due to her integrity, matters may be taken out of her hands as she not only battles to solve the case, but finds herself fighting against those supposedly helping her to solve it.

One of the themes that I enjoyed most about Little Doubt, was how we get to see the best of people in the worst of circumstances. The mother of Keira Bradley, the murdered girl, was the epitome of a strong woman, going against the grain in order to bring order to her lawless estate.

Little Doubt is a fantastic book, with numerous plots that all converge to create a clever, gripping, topical story. One of my favourite reads of the year so far.

With thanks to Canelo and Net Galley for my copy.

Take a look at my reviews of the rest of this series:

Dark Game

Deep Fear

Dead End

Bitter Edge

Bold Lies

Blood Rites