Great Welsh pronouncements

The narrator has no problems speaking the Welsh words. Love the series. Sometimes I get confused when the author switches scenes. Maybe it should be a new chapter or the narrator could pause a little longer. But love the series, reminds me of an English/Welsh “Monk”. Keep writing.

3 people found this helpful

Learn some Welsh & solve a mystery

Note: This is Book 3 in the series but can be read as a stand alone.

Inspector Drake returns! Book 1 was great, book 2 was good, and Book 3 takes the series back to great. The story starts with a gruesome murder – a pitchfork! Yep! But there’s very few clues, at least until another body turns up (no pitchfork tho). But that murder has a lot of questions, a lot of hints of more crime going on behind the scenes. There was a lot of delicious suspense in this novel. I really enjoyed being kept on tenterhooks for certain sections of the story.

The tale also explores the personal lives of Drake and Caryn Waites. Ian Drake’s home life isn’t so homey. He is rarely home when a murder investigation has come up. His wife, who has her own career and the two kids to manage, is tired of Ian not being physically and emotionally available. In truth, these small parts were a little boring for me. I think this is because we see almost everything thru Ian’s eyes (a few short moments are told from Caryn’s point of view) and so we never really learn about Ian’s wife as a whole person. She simply comes off as cold and uncaring of what Ian is going through.

Still, I’m here for the murder mystery and enjoy Ian’s thought processes that let him track down the killer. Toss in some politicians, local concern over an incoming nuclear power plant, and a pedophile ring, you’ve got a heck of a story! I really liked concerns over preserving Welsh customs and language too because that made it very personable. Small and large actions shape our traditions, as Ian has to face that with his kids concerning whether they should be in a Welsh or English school.

All around, it kept me entertained & I look forward to more mysteries from Stephen Puleston. 4.75/5 stars.

The Narration: Richard Elfyn continues to bring these mysteries to life. His regional accents and pronunciation of proper Welsh names is very good. Each character has a distinct voice and his female voices are believable. The pacing is spot on and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Stephen Puleston. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

1 person found this helpful

Great Audio book

I was lucky enough to have gotten a free audio book code from the author. I am volunteering to leave this review. Great audio book plenty of twist and turns.

Compelling Police Procedural

This is a wonderful police procedural set in modern-day Wales. The protagonist, Inspector Drake, is a very relatable character, very well-drawn and true. He is struggling in his personal life and working tirelessly in his job. The writing is excellent, the plot compelling, and the narrator perfect. I now want to systematically read my way through all the books in this series! This author eadily holds his own against an author such as Michael Connelly. I cannot recommend it enough!

Against the Tide

Puleston is a master at describing people, places, and things; you can actually see them, feel them, and smell them. Multiple murders, eco-warriors, dirty pictures, and dysfunctional families keep you guessing until the end. I was gifted this from the author.

On my way to buy Book 4 now

I have read this series in order and, for me, the prequel (Devil's Kitchen) started a bit slow - but by the time I was halfway through Book 1 (Brass In Pocket) I realized that the insight we are given into Ian Drake's personality in the prequel gave me the tools I needed to understand his motivations and that of the people around him. Book 2 (Worse Than Dead) kept the momentum going and now, in Book 3 of the series Drake is just Drake - a man with some issues (but don't we all have some issues?).

The story begins with one dead body turning up and then . . . well, no spoilers here - but the web of crimes involved could be taken from the headlines of the news almost anywhere - sadly. In the Ian Drake books, the reality of occasionally taking a turn down a blind alley during an investigation is more refreshing than other books I've read where the protagonist seems to pull magical solutions out of the ether, and the politics of policing that sometimes arise is also more realistic than other novels where the investigator seems to be above the law and breaks every rule in the book to get the bad guy.

I've enjoyed the series very much so far and am looking forward to beginning the next book soon.

Inspector Drake is awesome

Against the Tide is book 3 in the Inspector Drake series. Stephen Puleston has written an exciting thriller. The narrator is Richard Elfin and his performance was wonderful. Inspector Drake has a dead fisherman and a strangled girl with a murderer on the lose. If you enjoy British police inspectors, Drake is a great series to enjoy. All of the books are wonderful. I received a code for my honest review.

Excellent

Having listened to the other two books in this series, enjoyed hearing about Drake in this third book. He is still in therapy the cases he works on leave a toll on him.Small welsh community are they against the nuclear power plant that wants to come in and causing murder to make it happen.
He is also confronting the problems with the death of his father.
Good series and good narration
Given audio for my voluntary review

Another excellent book in this series

The gruesome murder of a fisherman, a young girl strangled and the construction of a new nuclear plant are at the heart of this gritty, dark story.

Inspector Drake must find what links these events while battling his own personal problems. And those are really burdening him: his father's death haunts him, his family is breaking apart and his OCD is getting worse in spite of his therapy sessions.

The plot here is, as usual, tight and involving; the writing, really good; the characters engaging and evolving in each book. It's hard to read for moments because the storyline deals with powerful people who feel that they are allowed to do whatever they want because of that power, and because we can see how much Drake is struggling with both, the case and his personal life. But there is a sliver of hope at the end that sheds some light in the obscurity :D

Richard Elfyn does a good job with the narration, although some of the kids' voices are less than nice :P

Ian Drake takes on a series of murders!

Inspector Drake and his team take on a series of murders in a local Welsh team which has Drake at his wits end as the investigation proceeds. Along with all of Drake’s personal issues – his need for obsessive compulsions for order - and the recent loss of his father he begins having marital problems. This story is action-packed and filled with a number of twists that keep your interest until the final resolution. Of the three Ian Drake audiobooks this is without a doubt the best. Once again Richard Elfyn’s narration brings this story to life.