A Time to Kill

Inspector Drake, Book 5

By: Stephen Puleston

Narrated by: Richard Elfyn

A web of intrigue and deaths in the heart of Snowdonia. Can Inspector Drake unearth the killer from deep inside the rural community?

Investigating the disappearance of local antiques dealer Harry Jones is not high on DI Ian Drake’s priority list. He has more important things to spend his time on than looking for a man who has probably just walked out on his wife. Until they find Harry’s dead body.

Drake knows they are dealing with a cold-blooded killer. But the valleys of Snowdonia are an unlikely place for a murderer to hide out, and Harry an unlikely victim. As the investigation unfolds, Drake discovers a web of intrigue surrounding Harry and business links with the criminal underworld.

When another murder takes place that strikes at the heart of the community, Drake is convinced the killer lies closer to home. And when two key witnesses disappear, Drake faces a race against time to bring the killer to justice, before he strikes again.

A Time to Kill is the fifth book in the dynamic Inspector Drake crime series. If you like police procedurals, clever mysteries, and gripping thrillers, then you’ll love Stephen Puleston’s Ian Drake novels.

©2018 Stephen Puleston (P)2019 Stephen Puleston

Suspenseful and Intriguing

A complicated homicide for the police to solve. Mr. Puleston is a new to me author. I like murder mysteries. The storyline was a tad bit confusing at times. I needed to carefully listen to the narrator in order to keep all the characters straight in my head.

The British accent of Mr. Elfyn gave this English novel merit. He has a clear and easy to listen voice.

Great

One enjoys another story with Inspector Drake he is down to earth with some everyday problems. The case is intriguing old blooded killer, with a web of intrigue around Harry. The narration add to this great plot. Given audio for my voluntary review

Glad I Stuck With This Series

As another reviewer said, this series keeps getting better. And A Time To Kill is the best yet. Especially good pacing and character development.

Just excellent series - better with each book

Note: Even though this is Book 5 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone story.

Yet another great mystery from Puleston! I’m in love with this series. It’s well written all around from characters to plot to setting. So I always know that when I pick up a DCI Drake mystery, I’m in for a good story.

In this one, our dead guy Harry Jones is a bit of a gigolo and everyone knows it. However, his wife Fiona is trying to maintain some semblance of decorum but that makes it harder for Drake, DS Sara Morgan, and their team to figure out who the killer is. At first, Drake thinks Jones just went off with his latest conquest but then his body is found.

I live in the USA and I found it very interesting to see how the people of Snowdonia react to handguns. There’s a small stash of ‘antique’ guns found, mostly from WW2. In the story, it’s a really big deal. I live on a small hobby farm in an open-carry state, and such a stash of handguns wouldn’t be unusual to find in any of the homes around here. Eventually, Drake has to call in the specially trained cops that are trained to use firearms. All of this made the story extra interesting to me as it’s a very different gun culture.

I’m not big on romance in general but I did smile a bit as Drake makes his tentative flirtations. Annie is something of a local historian. If a full blown romance doesn’t happen for these two, I hope they remain good friends. And since we’re gossiping about Drake’s private life, he’s got a little family drama going on with his sister. She doesn’t want to meet or even acknowledge their newly discovered half brother. But in such a tightly knitted, small community, Drake’s family will cross lines with his investigation. And that lead to an extra exciting ending. Drake races to rescue a family member as well as stop the fiend! 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Richard Elfyn as always was spectacular in his narration. I love the Welsh accent even though I have no idea how many of the Welsh words are spelled. Elfyn switches seamlessly from one regional accent to the next. The female characters sound feminine and the pacing was perfect. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Inspector Drake solves another murder

A Time to Kill is Stephen Puleston’s latest Inspector Drake novel. Richard Elfyn does a great performance bringing the book to life. This book is a little bit different because Ian Drake has divorced his wife and I got a glimpse into his family life. The murder investigation is woven through his time with his mother and daughters. He also meets a lady and flirts a little. The story builds to a marvelous conclusion and I was s little surprised! I really enjoyed this latest Inspector Drake book. I can’t wait for the next book! I received a free code and am leaving my review voluntarily.