A great listen

We listened to this on one of our frequent trips around Wales. The location of the story was Snowdon which is familiar to us. The book certainly gave a sense of the rugged terrain. This novella is a prequel to the other Drake stories. The crime was interesting with a satisfying denouement. Looking forward to the other Inspector Drake stories after this great start.

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More Please!

I wish the whole series of Stephen Puleston books were available on audio books!!! I would buy them all.

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Nice introduction to DI Drake

Although this is a short novella Stephen Puleston has packed lots of action into this story. Ian Drake is a newly promoted DI in charge of his first case as SIO when two bodies are found. We learn that Drake is conscientious almost to the point of being OCD. His sidekick, DS Caren Waits, is his opposite - a bit of a slob. The case looks initially like a murder/suicide but Drake isn't convinced.

The story is set in Snowdonia, an area I know from family holidays, and I like books set in familiar locations, which were described well.

I listened to this in one sitting, and although short the story draws you in and there were several twist to keep you guessing. I haven't read anything by Stephen Puleston before but I will definitely try one of the full length Drake novels.

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Fast packed story

A great full packed story. A cop who wants to be thorough and do a good job. Determined to sort this case out. Superiors who would make do. But guess what, this is getting sorted.
Enjoyed the pace and narration. Story was great. Jam packed in a short time.
One to listen to

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Good story but a bit short

Enjoyed listening to this book. My first of the Inspector Drake series. Procedurally it was correct (as an ex police officer this can be frustrating with many police crime dramas) but it was all a bit rushed and consequently a bit short. Perhaps because it was the first book so looking forward to reading the others to see what I really think.

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Well written and narrated

A well narrated story that filled a few hours with a good who done it storyline.

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A great introduction to the series.

Devil’s Kitchen is a 70 page / 2 hour 21 minute novella prequel to Stephen Pulestone’s five Inspector Drake novels, set in fabulous north Wales. I listened to this via Audible, and it just happened to be the perfect length for my weekly drive to Wales. And the perfect setting too! Although this is a relatively short novella, the story is very complete, and never feels rushed, and there are enough twists, turns and dodgy suspects to keep fans of police procedurals very happy. Stephen’s writing is very crisp and clean, and his descriptions, brought to life for me by excellent narration of Richard Elfyn, paint a very vivid picture of the mountainous terrain of north Wales. I think releasing a prequel novella is an excellent idea to give potential readers a decent idea of a writer and their protagonist. And with Devil’s Kitchen, this pays off very well; I for one am keen to read more in the series.

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Great introduction to the series

This is the first book in the DI Drake series that I have read/listened to and it is a brilliant start.

The book follows DI Drake as he investigates a murder in Snowdonia where two hikers have fallen to their death, one of whom as a knife sticking out of their back.

The book is a brilliant read set amongst the mountains of Wales and the way the police investigate the murder makes it a very believable story. I really loved the fact that Drake kept on at it despite being told to stop and the book kept me guessing right to the end as we only find out key facts when he does, making it impossible to guess who did it, why and how

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Good listening

I read the book but got the opportunity to listen to the book. I enjoyed listening to it. Recommend to listen to or even read.

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Prequel novella

This is a novella prequel to the Inspector Drake series. Personally, I love the idea of having an introduction to the series and I did read the kindle version of this book some time ago but I have recently started listening to audiobooks so was very pleased that this series is being released in the audio version. It is very well narrated and Micheal is a brilliant fit for the characters.

Drake has just been promoted to Detective Inspector and is still finding his feet when 2 bodies are found at the bottom of a cliff. He is a very particular character and likes everything clean and tidy and this comes across in his work as he likes everything neatly tied up with no loose ends. He has a difficult relationship with his work partner, Caren as they are totally different personalities. Caren is dedicated to her work but, compared to Drake, she is a little slovenly and disorganised. However, Drake is determined to create a good working relationship. He also has a slightly difficult home life as his wife struggles with the anti-social hours that detectives work.

As they attend the crime scene it appears this is a crime of passion with the husband murdering his wife and then committing suicide. Drake, however, is convinced that all is not as it seems and has a struggle to convince his boss to allow him to follow his gut instinct. There are many twists and turns to the story which moves along at a reasonably fast pace. It is an unusual story with relationships, deceit and jealousy playing a part. The ending is one the reader wont expect.

The series is set in the beautiful countryside of Wales and Stephen makes an excellent job of ensuring the reader can visualise the setting and scenery.

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