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Songs for the Dead  By  cover art

Songs for the Dead

By: Stephen Puleston
Narrated by: Richard Elfyn
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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

What listeners say about Songs for the Dead

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Great story in the Drake series

The author weaves a wonderful tale that twists and turns and shakes up your expectations. The characters in the story are so well developed that you feel as though you have know them for a long time, and are still finding out little tidbits that make you say AH-ha!
Inspector Drake’s OCD issues make him one of the best at what he does, but strains his relationships in and out of work. I enjoy the way the author explores the effect OCD has on his life without drowning the reader and the minute details of such.
I have listened to the Audio and read the book. The narrator sound just like you would imagine him to sound! We know the series is based in Wales, and the narrators accent and tone take you there! His voice is crisp and clear and the accent does not confuse the American ear!
Each book in this series has been wonderful as a stand alone and part of an on going series.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The quirkiness of DI Drake

DI Ian Drake is awakened in the middle of the night for a case...two traffic officers were found murdered...very gruesomely. As Ian and his partner, Karen try to figure out the clues left behind, a number and song lyrics, bodies start piling up...another police officer. The killer seems to always be a step ahead. The quirkiness of Ian is cute , if not odd...he abhors dirt and disorder. Karen’s sloppy attire drives him batty, and he may be addicted to Sudoku. Quirkiness notwithstanding, Ian finally figures out the clues and the perpetrator is not who you expect. Narration was just right for this book. Looking forward to more in this series.
I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Blah-blah-blah, a waste of 10 minutes and 10 hours

I got to the point where I didn't care about the ending to find who and why. I read Stephen Puleston's Devil's Kitchen and I really enjoyed it. Richard Elfyn's narration is spot-on but his talent was wasted on this one. The plot rambled on and on. Too many characters had me confused. Well, I did finish it. This has to be the most ridiculous and convoluted ending! I am returning it.

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10 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Lost potential

Really good narrator who did his best with a poorly edited book.
There are all the elements here for a solid police procedural with an interesting detective but..... the story loses momentum due to poor editing and by the end I really didn’t care anymore. I’m returning this book.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This author is all over the place.

The characters are not believable as Police.........all are insecure and worried about them selves. The DCI doesn't inspires confidence in him self or his team. The Author jumps around, the characters don't ask the questions that good detectives would. I had high hopes for this series..............alas.........not.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A great first book in the series

I really enjoyed this book. It has a good plot, and I like how the killer's perspective is given from time to time.

Inspector Drake it's a very interesting character, with his conflict between family and job, and his need to set the wrongs right. But sometimes his OCD become the protagonist, distracting from the plot.

The setting is presented vividly and makes you love Wales if you already didn't. And the secondary characters are rich and lively.

And the narrator, Richard Elfyn, does a very good job bringing the characters to life. All in all, this is a great book, worthy of your time.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Angry, irritated, impatient frustrated

Those words pretty much describe the emotional range of DI Drake. And he's too impetuous and intolerant to be a good detective. No more Drake for me!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect narrator!

procedural, wales, law-enforcement, murder

Realistic coppers with real responses to the evil that opened the book with the brutal shooting of two of their own who were not even in contact with a civilian as they drove along. The lead DI, Drake, has more OCD than the forensic techs, but that's a good thing because only the painstaking due diligence will solve this one as it escalates to include threats, suspense, and more murders. This is not a cosy nor the telescoped investigation of American TV, this is much more like the reality suffered by law enforcement everywhere.
Richard Elfyn seems perfect as narrator with clear speech and appropriate inflections.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful