Devils Kitchen – Stephen Puleston

Book blurb:

“When two bodies are found sprawled at the bottom of the Devil’s Kitchen in the mountains of Snowdonia, it looks like a murders/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.”

My thoughts:

Coming into this not having listened to any previous stories, it was great to go back to the very beginning and find out how it all began for Drake.

There is something about stories set in Wales , the accent ,the scenery it just makes crimes seem that little bit grittier.

Drake for me is tenacious,like a puppy with a stick ,not prepared to leave anything unchecked to find the answer to the case, when everyone else is telling him to close it. I can see his tenacity only getting stronger.

I loved the descriptions of the scenes, the names of the towns, I can could never hope to pronounce but i really want to visit,

The supporting cast of characters were brilliantly written and complemented/annoyed drake in a believable way, Drake himself the well groomed, fussy cop, did he keep himself well groomed because he wanted to or was to hide deeper feelings, maybe more will be revealed in later books.

The voice behind this fine tale is Richard Elfyn and he does the story absolute justice, great pace and keeps things interesting the whole time.

Despite this book is only two hours twenty one minutes long, it holds nothing back from the very beginning to the end.

In all honesty I loved this, I loved the writing style, none of the characters annoyed me, if your looking for a new series to start, then definitely start this.

You can buy it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Kitchen-Inspector-Prequel-Novella-ebook/dp/B01DOB25I6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539976466&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=devils+kitchen+stephen+puleston&dpPl=1&dpID=518s7N5OoPL&ref=plSrch

You can follow Stephen here: @stephenpuleston

Unethical Conduct – Arthur Cole, Nigel C.Williams

 

Book blurb:

“Corrupt senior officers, a murder, a rape and a flasher. Can DI Terry McGuire’s day get any worse?

McGuire became a police officer to uphold the law and to protect those who cannot protect themselves. When he discovers a connection between a former friend and colleague and a body buried on a beach that appears to have been frozen for five years, McGuire knows there is only one course of action he can take.

With a murder, a rape and a flasher adding to McGuire’s headache, is there a connection between his colleagues and the awful events unfolding? Can McGuire stand up for what he believes and bring the perpetrators to justice, whoever they may be?”

 

My review:

Having not listened to many police procedurals, I went into this without any preconceptions and what I found was a great story.

There is a lot of research in this book, the authors, Arthur Cole and Nigel C. Williams, did their homework. Terry McGuire, the lead detective, is a well rounded and believable character, someone I certainly would not want to get on the bad side of, there are other characters also which come and go, not intrusive but also not forgetful.

The pace is good , I would have liked to have known a bit more background on the villain of the story, but mystery does breed intrigue.

Once again I am enthralled by the narrator is Jake Urry bringing his own unique brand of terror to an already dark tale.

Just when I thought Wales was a nice bright happy place, this book flips it over and shows its darker seedy underbelly, a side I’m happy to listen about and not get to close to.

These two authors are new to me, however it’s been a welcome introduction to both. At 3 hours and 40 minutes long this book is a brilliant place to start if you’re new to police procedurals or to the voice that is Jake Urry, then this book is where I would begin.

This is the first book in what looks like a great series, I’ll definatly get the rest to see where Terry ends up next.