Songs for the Dead

By: Stephen Puleston

Narrated by: Richard Elfyn

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Dragged a lot at times

Too much attention to the Inspector's OCD. Too much time dealing with family that never went anywhere. Could have cut the story in half and it would have flowed better.

Great start

I enjoyed this. I’m especially glad I listened to the audiobook because I never would have been able to pronounce the Welsh place names. However, I am extremely disappointed that the subsequent books are not available in that format.

An interesting character is DI Drake. Quirky, yes, but dedicated. I look forward to learning more about his colleagues and seeing more of their working relationships. That’s one of the things I enjoy in this genre.

The story was good. I didn’t guess the killer until near the end. For the first in a series, this was a great start. I would read more (listen) if, as mentioned, they were on Audible.

Solid police procedural

3.5 stars. I found this book a bit jilted and confusing at times but overall good. It’s worth your time and a solid police procedural.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Richard Elfyn. He is (I believe) Welsh, but his accent isn’t too thick or difficult to understand. I found his voice soothing and comforting.
I did enjoy this book, but there were a few parts I felt lost at. Maybe that was just me, as it was overall a good book, I just think some of the red herrings were too grandiose and out of left field.

okay

this book was okay. The murder of two police officers in Wales starts a chain of events - more murders that seem unconnected.
Inspector Drake has a hard time solving the murders. He is a different kind of guy, with some quirks that got old hearing about.
I listened to it wanting to know what happened and who the killer was. I did not really enjoy the main characters. I would have liked to have a few more of the detectives fleshed out in the story. was it worth a credit, I guess?

Excellent start to the series

Having previously read this book I was intrigued to give it a listen as well. I don't typically like audiobooks as I find my mind wandering and not paying attention to what I am listening to, but this book held my interest very well. I thought the narration was great, very fitting to the material, and I enjoyed hearing the proper pronunciation of all of the Welsh locations. I enjoyed the story and the characters very much, both of these aspects felt realistic to me and kept me more involved in the book. I definitely recommend this title. The author was kind enough to supply me with a credit for this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Needed an editor

Too many twists. And sub plots. Needed an editor to make me not get bored.

Excellent Mystery!

When two traffic officers are killed during the early morning hours in northern Wales, Inspector Drake and his partner Karen get assigned the case. To say they have an interesting working relationship might be an understatement, Drake has a serious case of OCD and Karen in his eyes is a bit of a mess, but they really complement each other. I liked the way the story was told not just from the police investigators point of view, but you also get a peek into the mind of the killer which adds to the mystery. You will want to sit in your car just a little longer after you turn off the engine afraid if you stop listening you might miss a clue.

I found the authors pacing perfect and the narration by Richard Elfyn really brings the characters to life. I’m looking forward to the next audiobook in the series.

I like the newer Inspector Drake books and will continue reading them

I’ve read several books of this series, which I enjoyed. I’ve just listened to the Audible version of the first book, “Brass In Pocket,” which I had to DNF when it first came out. I had problems with the 1979 music, because I don’t know much about music then. Lyrics would’ve helped, although I’m sure there are copyright problems.

I usually rate Audible books higher because most narrators do an excellent job and improve the book. I rated this lower than the newer books, because there was too much repetition about Inspector Ian Drake’s OCD symptoms and his coping (or not) tricks.

I look forward to more Audible books from this author.

Meets all the requirements for a great mystery

Excited to stumble upon a new police/mystery series. Will be listening to the next one!

A long Wait

Always like Inspector Drakes books with his compulsive rituals but the Suduko did not help this time with helping find the killer. The story line was brilliant, which kept me guessing till close to the end. A lot of twists and turns that were used to put us off as to who the real killer was.
Stephen Puleston writes with a dry humour and knowledge of his subject, crime. He also
introduces us to his beautiful Wales where Inspector Drake lives.
I enjoyed the audiobook and Richard Elfyn did an excellent job of narrating.