A missing person. 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… cold-bloodied killer. But the valleys of Snowdoniaare 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.
A killer hidden in plain sight.
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…
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Stephen Puleston‘s A Time to Kill is an action packed Inspector Drake story filled with misdirection, false leads and Drake’s personal quirks. Having listened to the previous four inspector Drake stories I can honestly say I think this is the bet one yet – of course there are three more, so I guess I’ll have to wait to see which is truly best. The way Puleston weave the case in with Drake’s personal life and his OCD compulsions makes this story very entertaining, not to mention Richard Elfyn’s narration makes each character stand out and truly brings the story to life.
This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this book. This is the first book by this author that I have listened to but it won’t be my last.With so many cozy mysteries featuring amateur sleuths out there it was a nice change to listen to what I call an old fashion police procedural. It is a serious and fairly complex tale giving you plenty of twist and suspects but it works and I could very easily see it playing out on tv along side someone like Morse. The author weaves background information on the characters nicely into the mystery, so if like me this is your time with Inspector Drake you don’t feel confused or lost over previous plots. That’s not to say that I won’t be going back to the beginning to see what I have missed.
Inspector Drake is called out for a missing person case but the interview with the wife gets interrupted with reports of a dead body being found. The connection is made and what started out simple quickly turns complicated. The man had connections to the criminal underworld and known as a player with the ladies, Drake and his team have there work cut out for them narrowing the suspect list down. Even the timid wife seems to be hiding something. Then another body is found, can they find the connection between the two cases? What does a lawyer and an antiques dealer have in common? Time will tell but when two witnesses of the second murder go missing Drake finds that time is not on there side and things get personal for him.
I liked the narrator. He did some really good voices for the characters and a lot of them had accents which added to the feel that the mystery took place in Wales.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
4 stars
Harry Jones meets someone he didn’t expect at the site of an old abandoned hospital now the Slate Museum in the dark of night. To his surprise, that someone pulls a gun and shoots him dead.
Detective Inspector Ian Drake and his partner, Detective Sergeant Sara Morgan who is relatively new to the team, are on their way to interview a suspect when they get a call about a missing person. Since they don’t get assigned missing person cases, Drake is irritated. They go to the home of Fiona Jones. While interviewing her, they get a message about a body nearby. It is, of course, Harry Jones.
The begin interviewing Harry’s wife, friends, fellow councilors, staff and anyone else who might have known him. Surprisingly, he had a camera in his office. They obtain several weeks of recordings and scrutinize it carefully. Meanwhile, Fiona goes ballistic on a neighbor’s cars. They learn that Harry was into some unscrupulous business practices and he had a wandering eye. His wife knew about his affairs. He also had a storage unit with some very pricey antiques in it.
Along with their other suspects, the team especially zeroes in on a n’er-do well called Richard Perdue. He is an especially sordid individual who has connection to missing antiques, some seriously violent associates and had an argument with Harry Jones close to the time of his death.
Another person is murdered and the investigation heats up. Now with several suspects, the team has its work cut out for them. Making progress, a suspect is arrested. They keep him in a cell overnight, but have to let him go the following morning. Delving into Harry’s finances and his trust set up, the police discover that Harry had plans. Through determined and exhaustive perseverance, they identify all of the people who might be involved in Harry’s murder.
When yet another body turns up, the police wonder if it also has to do with Harry’s death. The problems are piling up. While interviewing the parents, Sara and Drake learn that Frank Smith was, indeed, known to both Harry Jones and Richard Perdue. As the investigation continues, Drake gets the niggling doubt that he has missed something. He starts to put the pieces together. When he has an epiphany, he suddenly happens upon a certainty that he knows who the killer is.
When three young people go missing, Drake and Sara fear the worst. What follows is a chase across the countryside chasing a killer and looking for the teenagers. The identity of the killer is somewhat of a surprise, but the real strength of this book is the painstaking police work done in apprehending them.
And Drake finally gets a love interest.
This is a well written and plotted novel as are all of Stephen Puleston’s books. The tension in the story begins immediately with the murder of Harry Jones and continues throughout the book. In spite of DI Drake’s little mannerisms, he is not a bad guy. He is relatively intolerant and needs to put a brake on his attitude at times, however. I liked Sara. She seems competent and dedicated to her job. There was sufficient information given about Sara and Drake to flesh them out, but not so much that it intruded on the story. I appreciate that Mr. Puleston’s novels are set in Wales. It is a beautiful country and I truly enjoy reading about it.
I want to thank Stephen Puleston for forwarding to me a copy of this great story to read and enjoy. I received a copy of this book so that I may read it and give my honest review.