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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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All stars
Most relevant  
not bad but a vitriolic hatred of scousers spoiled it Prejudice against a group of whatever background is unpleasant.

not bad but a vitriolic hatred of avoiders spoiled

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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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A great start to the Inspector Drake series of novels. The plot is gripping and engaging and the narration brings the characters to life. I’m looking forward to more in the series.

Brilliant plot and narration

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Listener received this title free

The killer of 2 traffic policemen in Snowdonia leaves a message - the number 4. He also sends messages in the form of song lyrics from 1979 - is it the lyrics or the year that are important? DI Drake is fasinated by numbers and obsessed with Suduko but now he is in a race against time to solve the riddle of the messages before there are more victims. Richard Elfyn's narration, in a lilting Welsh accent, is excellent. Looking forward to listening to more of the series.

Interesting plot, excellent narration

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Listener received this title free

This is an extremely enjoyable police procedural set in North Wales. Great characters, setting, and plot combined with excellent attention to police procedure. The enjoyment is further enhanced by Richard Elfyn's superb and authentic narration.

First Class Welsh Crime Story Superbly Narrated

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Detective Inspector Drake is called to the scene of a double murder where two police officers have been killed. The developing investigation is fast-paced and exciting. Drake is a nuanced and flawed character as are all great detectives. The narration is excellent bringing a great Welsh voice to the place names and bringing the characters to life. I am looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Entertaining story and great narration

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This story stole my interest pretty quickly. I found it fast & paced so well.
It was creepy in parts, shocking & downright terrible with what happens in it.
But what a great tale! It kept me enthralled & when work finishes & I have to stop listening...well not amused.
Narrator was great too, lovely voice, great pace, would love to listen to more.

Excellent

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The first in a series of books featuring DI Ian Drake is set in the beautiful surroundings of North Wales. The landscape plays an integral part in the story, and is a wonderful backdrop for this exciting police procedural.
I liked the main character Ian Drake, whose OCD seems to worsen throughout the case. I liked the fact his home life was normal, and also that his DS lived on a farm with her husband raising alpacas!
The book was fast paced and at times I did get a little confused with the myriad of suspects and motives.
The 1979 rock song theme which accompanied the murders was a great idea, hence the title “Brass in Pocket”.
The narrator was really excellent, coping equally well with upper class English and a welsh accent and in places the welsh language.
A super start to the series and I look forward to reading more from DI Drake.

A gripping read.

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Listener received this title free

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The author has written a really good story and the narrator has a good voice for audio. Some narrators can be a bit grating, but not this one.
The plot was twisty enough to keep me interested and guessing who was doing what. I found myself thinking about this book even when I wasn't actively listening to it.
I look forward to reading/listening to more in this series. Even after a few months since listening to it I can recall the detail of the plot which is testament to the the quality of the story as I read a heck of a lot of book.
Recommended listening.

Brilliant

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Listener received this title free

The Story – 5

This book starts off with a bang with the brutal murder of two traffic cops and from that moment on I was hooked! Set in Wales we meet Inspector Drake and his team as they try to find the killer, and he starts to take out more people and other officers it is clear this person has a revenge plot against the Welsh Police for some reason.

As the story progresses the killer leaves a number at each death then Drake starts to receive lyrics from songs – what are the connection between the numbers and lyrics? What is the significant of the year 1979 when the song where released?

The characters were very British if I say so, and Drake has his own little OCD quirks that take control when he feeling out of control with the case. I hope this is touched on more in the other books as it seemed to play a big part of Drake’s life.

I love police procedural and even more so when they are set on home soil, reading this British thriller was a refreshing read to the usual american ones I tend to pick up.

The Narration – 5

Richard Elfyn did a wonderful job at bringing this story to life, I loved his voice and the pronunciations of the Welsh worlds and towns. The production was crisp and clear with no background noise or static.

Overall – 5

This was a great start to this series and I love all the characters, the Welsh setting and I absolutely can’t wait to start the next book in the series!

Brass in Pocket

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