A Time to Kill cover art

A Time to Kill

Inspector Drake, Book 5

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A Time to Kill

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

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 Crime Crime Fiction Fiction Mystery Traditional Detectives Detective Murder

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Very methodical, usual police procedure, and can be a bit long drawn at times. The story without giving too much away is about the death of an antique dealer found shot. As it is a local person, D.I.Ian Drake is the lead detective with a bit of OCD about him is on the case and believes a killer is also a local person. With all police work, it's getting to know the victim very well and who he could have upset along the way, and in this case most of the inhabitants of the village. The area has been well described and as I have not been to that part of Wales I cannot confirm if it is correct but the author does come from there, and the area does sound very tempting to visit. I have read a novella by Stephen Puleston and that was very good but short, and again the area well presented. It is typically British and well thought out will certainly read this author again

Well Thought Out

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The Author gets under the skin of this tight knit Welsh community and describes in vivid detail the liaisons, secrets, comings and goings the residents. An enjoyable read to the end.

Another excellent audio book

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I’ve listened to the first five.... loving each almost more than the previous.....I’ve only got No. 6 left 😫...... what am I going to do?!!
So hoping No.7 appears soon 🤞

Another brilliant story!

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Listener received this title free

I was looking forward to the next instalment of Inspector Drake and was not disappointed. A cleverly constructed plot, great characters and an unexpected ending. To add to that Drake seems to be coming to terms with his OCD and a new romance is on the cards. A really enjoyable read.

The audio book is narrated superbly by Richard Elfyn.

An enjoyable read

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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.

It's time for a good book

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Stephen Puleston’s Inspector Drake series gets better and better. I love these books, set in North Wales. The characters are developing well and as usual the story is littered with a variety of suspects and red herrings.
This book centres around the town of llanberis, and the murder victim is a dodgy antiques dealer who has links to local criminals . He also has an eye for the ladies. Lots of people would like to see harry Jones dead. Inspector Drake is just getting to grips with this murder when another murder takes place, then a third. Can they all be linked? Drake faces a race against time when he realises a fourth person could be in danger.
I particularly enjoy listening to these books as Richard Elfyn is a superb narrator. His extensive range of accents is impressive, but his beautiful lilting Welsh accent is so evocative of the area.

Thrilling police procedural

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I suspect at this point Richard Elfyn could be reading out his dental health records and I would happily listen to it, I love all the accents he does but particularly his beautiful Welsh lilt. The Drake series has been a firm favourite from the start and is getting better and better with every volume and the atmospheric Welsh scenery just makes for a perfect setting. I love the character of Drake and with his annoying wife out of the picture finally some good things happen for him. Oh, and then there’s a murder or two to solve of course!
I’d say it works as a stand-alone, especially because there’s some new characters joining the cast for this one, but I’d recommend to start at the beginning - it’s well worth it! Great series!

Getting better and better

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Listener received this title free

This is another cleverly constructed police procedural which is once again set in beautiful North Wales/Snowdonia. The plot is fairly complex, but still easy to follow. There are lots of clues and red herrings, and I certainly guess the identity of the murderer!

Inspector Ian Drake is growing on me with each book I read. I wasn’t sure about him at first. He seemed to be a bit of a grumpy bugger and his OCD was controlling his life. But in this book he seems to have the OCD very much more under control and is getting his life back. And he has a new girlfriend!!!!! I am so happy for him because his ex wife, Sian, seems like a bit of a cow! As a GP she should have had more understanding of his problems!

The book is excellently narrated by Richard Elfyn (I love his voice!)

Murder and Mayhem in Snowdonia

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Listener received this title free

As my past Reviews of these books show I have a major soft spot for Drake. This book does not let me down.
Stephen Puleston has created a great character here & I can’t help but feel there is so much more to Drake and his team.
This time there is a disappearance and shooting, extra rare event in this quiet town.
Narrator as always great & engaging. Looking forward to more

Excellent

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I'm almost running out of praise for this series to be honest, this is yet another cracking story that I raced through in 2 days. Drake is a reY great character and I'm enjoying the relationship building with his new DS as well as his interactions with the other members of his team. the plot of suitably complex with lots of red herrings and although I thought I'd guessed the murderer long before the end, I was absolutely wrong! another fabolous narration by Richard Elfyn, for me, he is inspector Drake.

A time to kill

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