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Songs for the Dead

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Songs for the Dead

By: Stephen Puleston
Narrated by: Richard Elfyn
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About this listen

A psychotic with an ear for melodies. A detective trapped inside his own mind. Can he catch the killer before the final beat?

Welsh Inspector Ian Drake barely manages to keep his OCD under control. So, after two fellow police officers are brutally murdered on an isolated mountain route, the pressure to solve the case threatens to make him crack. But Drake feels his carefully constructed world falling apart when the killer taunts him with cryptic song lyrics and promises of more death.

As tensions build to a crescendo - both at home and at work - the weary detective’s fears are realized when a local politician appears slain by the same sinister hand. And as Drake keeps receiving the culprit’s cruel verses, his head pounds at the thought of more victims marching to their doom.

Can he catch the sociopathic felon before he loses his sanity...or his life?

Brass in Pocket is the first 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 unnerving whodunit.

©2013 Stephen Puleston (P)2018 Stephen Puleston Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Traditional Detectives Crime Exciting Scary British Crime
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Most relevant
The murders are committed with references to song lyrics, but how are they relevant? This trip around Wales is a good story with strong characters. I had no idea who the criminal might be, until all was revealed.

The narrator worked well for this story as the voice gave character to the surroundings.

I was unsure why the two policemen were murdered during the first part of the story, but as more was read to me I began to understand. This was drawn out well.

I received from a free copy of this audiobook, which hasn’t influenced my review which is to say it’s a good listen and hopefully there are plenty more to follow. I didn’t know this author has written other books. I’ll certainly check out more in this series.

Do you know the song lyrics?

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I know I'm late to the party on this one. Everyone else is finishing book 4 and I've only just listened to book 1. But all good things and all that! And Brass in Pocket really is a good thing. Inspector Drake, flawed human that he is, is a fabulous creation and I love that he's married to a doctor. Such clever writing. The story was fast paced and tightly woven, and although there were clues for the reader to work out who the villain was, it escaped me completely. The denouement was a genuine, "OMG!" moment for me. Beautifully narrated by Richard Elfyn, there's something hugely satisfying about discovering a brand new series you know you're going to love. I feel hugely invested in Inspector Drake already and can hardly control my excitement for book 2. Congratulations Mr Puleston, this is a hit!

Great start to a new series

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Listener received this title free

I really enjoyed this book. Great story, well crafted, set in a beautiful part of the world. Loved the narrator's Welsh accent, as it helped make the story come alive (I'm not very good at Welsh pronunciations) I had read the book prior to listening to the audiobook. I read a lot of police procedurals, and will definitely read more of this series. I must admit that Drake is rather irritating, and I look forward to learning more about why he is the way he is.

Great audiobook

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Competent police procedural which will be of interest to anyone who likes following clues and trying to work out who the serial killer is. No horrendous gore or detailed descriptions of vicious violence - just sufficient detail for the plot to flow.
Only 3 stars from me since the story lacked humour and sparkling repartee between the participants. Character development was also somewhat sparse - though this may follow in later episodes.

Police procedural

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Listener received this title free

I actually read this a while ago along with " The Devil's Kitchen "a novella, and it's the 1st in the Ian Drake series. I enjoyed it then but this time I was given an audio version for reviewing and it did bring it more to life, and because the story is in Wales the narrator Richard Elfiyn does pronounce the area names properly which is more than I can do. The author has created a D I which is a family man with 2 children but does suffer from OCD which can be frustrating not only for his wife but his staff at times but not drunk scruffy etc, and he has a good team behind him each with their own likes and dislikes. The story starts off quite gruesome as 2 traffic police have been found murdered by a bolt from a crossbow in a deserted part of the country, with a number and lyric's from a famous rock song The story goes forward at a steady pace all the usual police procedures and, of course, the murders do not stop at 2. I have read a couple of the Drake series always found them enjoyable tense with clever plots and they seem to get better each time, but to listen to them instead of reading is a whole new experience and the narrator Richard Elfyn does a great job and I would certainly think about listening to some more books in the future.

Good Story Good Narration

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