Devil's Kitchen

An Inspector Drake Prequel Novella

By: Stephen Puleston

Narrated by: Richard Elfyn

Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

A tragic accident or a murder on a mountain? Inspector Drake’s first investigation takes him to the middle of Snowdonia, but can he uncover the truth?

When two bodies are found sprawled at the bottom of the Devil's Kitchen in the mountains of Snowdonia, it looks like a murder-suicide. But something doesn't feel right to Detective Inspector Ian Drake, and his gut instinct has never let him down before.

Drake suspects at least one of the deaths could be suspicious, but who would kill such an ordinary couple, and why? This might be Drake's first murder inquiry, but his years as a detective have taught him one thing - every murder has a motive, and every killer leaves a trace.

If you enjoy crime mysteries, then you’ll love this prequel novella in the eight-book Inspector Drake series. If you enjoy clever, well-plotted mysteries with engaging characters, then don’t miss Stephen Puleston’s Inspector Drake novels.

©2016 Stephen Puleston (P)2018 Stephen Puleston

An excellent presentation for Inspector Drake ♥

A short story introducing Inspector Drake and his partner, DS Caren Waits during his first case.

It's really interesting to see this beginning, seeing Drake going to such great lengths, following his instinct that it's telling him that there is something more than a murder-suicide in this case. It's a good presentation, that highlights his sheer determination when it comes to doing what it's right.

We get to see him trying to be a good dad, but too focused on his job. We see his OCD acting and making him uncomfortable around messy places and people.

We see all that has made us love him in the rest of the stories, and that's wonderful.

I really, really liked it.

Great introduction to Inspector Drake series

Richard Elfyn brings the world of Inspector drake to life with an excellent,and mellifluous performance of this short police procedural. A quick and easy listen that seems almost certain to drag you back for more as you visit Northern Wales through the eyes of Inspector Drake. While much of what makes up the man is not on ready display in this short novella, it does more than adequately display the craft of Mr. Puleston and his understanding of the area.

Interesting jumping off place

This novella prequel is engaging and flows well. It makes me look forward to experiencing the growth of the characters and Inspector Drake's settling into his new position in the department.There are layers of relationships with multiple issues that just get scratched in this book. The crime involved is a mystery laced with intriguing twists and a healthy dose of angst. I was impressed with Richard Elfyn's ability to narrate this journey. The end of the book was not what I had surmised. I am adding Stephen Puleston's works to my TBR list.

Short murder mystery brilliantly written and narrated!

Sometimes a short story is a winner. After two losers that I returned, I was delighted to find this gem. Trying to solve a double death scene, officials meet some quirky characters. Well written and narrated, this book had an ending I ever saw coming. Looking for more in this series. Very highly recommended and worth it.

Murder-suicide in the English countryside?

I was a HUGE fan of The Inspector Lindley series on PBS so I was excited to listen to this novella...and I was not disappointed. DI Ian Drake is dispatched to investigate an apparent murder-suicide. This is Drake’s 1st case as the senior officer so he intends to not muck it up. Drake and his partner, Karen, feel that this is not a simple jealous husband killing his wife then himself but their boss thinks otherwise. Will Drake get to the bottom of the mystery, while balancing the needs of his family? This is a novella so it is short but totally worth the listen and whets the appetite for more DI Drake!

prequel to a good series

This is a prequel to the Inspector Drake series which are set in Wales and very good. This is his first case. The story is very good but since it is a short story the ending seemed rushed. Drake is working on the murder with different leads. He figures it out at the very end, and they tie up all the loose ends. I was glad to listen to get background on Drake’s beginnings. We get a glimpse into the start of his career as an inspector. This is worth a listen. I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A short, entertaining murder mystery

Devil’s Kitchen is a murder mystery that appears simple at first glance but proves to have more going on under closer inspection. The story is fairly short, but it is a complete mystery.

The narrator fits the story well and does a good job bringing it to life.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Murder in the mountains.

I listened to the audiobook of this novella and I have to say, the narration by Richard Elfyn, was excellent. So I was already in a receptive mood as I prepared to set out for a long drive.

I'm actually not quite sure what the purpose is of prequels. I've asked a few authors at Lit Fests and got varied responses, though it seems it's often the publisher's idea.
In this case, we are introduced to detective inspector Ian Drake, just after he has been promoted, and his side-kick, Ceren Waits. They are an interesting pair, as he's meticulously tidy and she's, well, a bit of a slob really. As I'd never read any of Stephen Puleston's books, I had no prior image of either character, which was possibly a good thing.

Two bodies are found on a Welsh mountain, husband and wife. The wife appears to have been murdered but it's not immediately apparent how the husband came to be sprawled close by.
It would have been easy to have gone with the obvious conclusion - that the husband murdered his wife and then committed suicide, but Drake's intuition suggests there's more to it. Being his first murder enquiry, he needs to be sure he gets it right and he persuades his superior to allow him a little more time to turn all the stones.

It did make me think about how easy it would have been for the incorrect conclusion to have been drawn and the case closed. How often must this happen??

This was an enjoyable listen, not too drawn out and fairly straight forward. I wasn't confused at the end as I have been by some books I've read recently. I'd probably give the first book in the series a try if it were to become available in audio - and especially if it's read by Richard Elfyn.

This s great prelude to the Inspector Drake series

Stephen Puleston gives us insight into the intriguing personality of Inspector Drake. For those that have read the series, this short story s a bit of history and fills in the developmental timeline for the fastidious and somewhat obsessive character. For those just starting the series this is a Must Read First story.
Following Inspector Drake and his Partner Caren on his first big case, one is drawn in by the clever twists and turns of the confusing murder scene....
The author does a good job of developing the detailed characters of the victims, in such away that you are settled and comfortable with the outcome if the inspectors case!

Ooo! My new mystery addiction!

Ian Drake and Caren Waits dig into the deaths of 2 hikers in the mountains of Snowdonia, Wales. An accident? Murder? Murder-Suicide? Ian wants to dig into it. His supervisors want him to close the case swiftly and the immediate evidence points to a murder suicide. Yet Ian can’t ignore his little questions.

This is great little introduction to the Ian Drake Mysteries. Right away, I was captivated by the surroundings – the mountains of Wales. Part of that is the very talented audiobook narrator (which I’ll discuss later), but a good chunk of it is the details built into the story. There’s so many accents, so much history, and that makes for a rich background for the plot.

Inspector Drake is also an interesting guy. He seems a bit tightly wound, compact, not into chit chat. As the pressure builds we notice that he needs his little routines and likes being neat & tidy all the time. Ha! Too bad he’s paired with the easy going Caren Waits. She’s nearly always snacking on something and is more about the work than about being neat and tidy. Drake reminded me a bit of Monk from the TV series, but not so outrageous. Drake is aware that he sometimes comes off as odd and he tries hard to keep it in check.

The mystery had a few surprises for me – yay! I expected this to be pretty straight forward (just like Drake’s bosses) and I was proven (happily) wrong. As a reader, I applaud the twist. Though I expect Drake was left feeling a little let down. This is one of those cases where the truth doesn’t necessarily bring you justice, and that made it all the more interesting as a story. Great start to a murder mystery series! 5/5 stars.

The Narration: First, it’s just cool to say this dude’s last name – Elfyn. Richard Elfyn gave a great performance on this book. There’s a few Welsh place names and Elfyn pronounces them smoothly (and hopefully correctly as I am so ignorant of the language and area I can’t say). He also did a great job with the regional accents, as the text of the story mentions this or that accent often. His female voices were believable and all of his characters had distinct voices. The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

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