A Cold Dark Heart

An Exciting British Crime Novel (Inspector Drake, Book 8)

De: Stephen Puleston

Narrado por: Richard Elfyn

Accident or murder? A dangerous serial killer. Can Drake catch a murderer trusted by everyone?

When 89-year-old Emyr Isaac is found dead in his home, Drake and his team initially suspect a burglary gone wrong. Isaac was old, and his death was a tragedy, but it’s not a murder case...is it?

But as the investigation develops, Drake uncovers more suspicious deaths - all elderly victims, all seemingly innocent - but with one connection: Each victim received care from the same healthcare professional during their last moments.

If Drake’s suspicions are correct, they have a dangerous serial killer on the loose - someone who should offer help and safety, not a chilling early demise. Soon, the team realize that stopping this killer will require playing a dangerous game. Drake must do all he can to ensure no more lives are lost...even if it means putting members of his own team in harm’s way.

A Cold Dark Heart is the eighth book in the dynamic Inspector Drake crime series. If you like clever mysteries, great plots, and believable characters, then you’ll love Stephen Puleston’s Ian Drake novels.

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©2020 Stephen Puleston (P)2020 Stephen Puleston

Wales, Wales, Wales… I love it

Every book in the series just gets better and better!
Keep up with this series, it’s great!

Air embolism strikes again

Note: This book works pretty well as a stand alone but the series is awesome, so I recommend enjoying other books in the series as well.

Puleston delivers once again! I just get sucked into these Inspector Drake novels and really enjoy every minute of them. In this one, Drake has some difficulty getting used to his new boss (Hobbs, I think is the character’s name). This new boss isn’t very supportive of his team, doesn’t ask for input, and it’s obvious to Drake’s experienced team that he’s never dealt with such a murder inquiry as this one. Yet Drake is very much aware that he’s not always the easiest person to work with either. So he pretty much keeps his mouth shut and just does the best he can with what his boss gives him.

My one quibble with this story is the main plot device of murder by air embolism which is hard to do on purpose. Wikipedia has a good article on it (just search for Air Embolism) and here’s a quote: It is estimated that 300-500 ml of gas introduced at a rate of 100 ml per sec would prove fatal. So, because I enjoy this series so much, I suspended my disbelieve and just assumed the murderer had read this article and figured out how to do it properly.

Drake’s team maintains their loyalty to him and don’t automatically take to the new boss, making me like them all the more. Sara has learned by now that she’s the one to put a personal touch into any interviews they need to do. I also liked that Lynette got to step up in this book and show off some skills she gained before joining the police force.

The main mystery has more than one suspect, and it turns out more than one crime has been committed. I loved how this multiplied the possibilities for culprits early on in the story. The second half of the novel does narrow things down as the police focus on the murders. All of this takes place with the lovely backdrop of Wales. The ending was pretty satisfying and I liked how some questions were left unanswered even as our culprit faces justice. 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Richard Elfyn continues to give us a fully entertaining performance. I love his Welsh accent for those native to Wales and his variety of dialects, as described in the book, of so many other characters. Even his female character voices are believable and varied. I really liked his affronted voice for Drake’s sister upon learning that their widowed mom was dating. Ha! The pacing was perfect & there were no tech issued with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Narration

Typical Puleston Detective Drake book. Which is to say very good and ticks all the boxes. My main reason for writing this is to expound on the outstanding performance of Richard Elfyn. Seriously, this guy is an amazing actor. You try sounding like 6 or 7 different people and make it believable, now throw in several accents! Amazing. Hats off to you sir.

Puleston does it again. Smashing story. Fast Paced

Elderly folks are dying! Is it an accident? Old age? Or something more sinister? Drake and his team are on the hunt for a HEALTH care worker that could be a serial killer. They have to tie all the pieces together to catch this killer before they strike again. Linued volunteers to go undercover to ride along with a Paramedic that could turn out to be the killer, but will the be able to catch him in the act? Will Luned get figured out? Will Drake and his team be able to catch the killer with A Cold Dark Heart?

Outstanding

I have enjoyed all of the Inspector Drake books but this is the best of the lot to this point. As usual, it is very well written. The character development continues apace and the usual attention to detail is accounted for. It's the story/plot line of this book that is a notch, or two, above. Outstanding!

Excellent book Excellent series

Well written very descriptive and evocative with out explicit gore so appreciated. Strong story line well developed characters Look forward to more !! Thank you

This series is awesome

I truly appreciate an author who respects his readers and does not feel the need to rehash every previous story to explain the people in the current book. There are only slight references to his OCD. We didn't have to hear the backstory of divorced wife, parents, children, siblings. They are mentioned in the course of events, Puleston trusts us to remember. This means the entire book is devoted to good story telling. I found it refreshing and well done.