June Bennett is a successful businesswoman. She is found dead by two of her employees, murdered by hanging and dressed in a 1930s costume. Drake and his team set to work but are interrupted by the discovery of another murder scene…
Looking Good Dead is the 12th book in the DI Drake series. I have read and reviewed books 10 and 11: Time To Die and Stone Cold Dead. Each book works as a standalone but personal and professional relationships have developed over the series.
June made enemies across her wide business interests as well as in her personal life. There are plenty of suspects for Drake and his team to investigate and pinning down motive is tricky. The killer uses the media to publicise his murders and directly targets Drake who fears for the safety of his family.
Most of the book is written to show the police investigation. There are some chapters written from the killer’s first person perspective and this adds to the tension as we witness his schemes and actions.
As I’ve said in my earlier reviews, I really like Drake and his stable family life. He has just got back from honeymoon and his new wife supports him completely rather than begrudging his dedication to his work. The Welsh landscape and culture underpins the plot and I felt immersed in the events and characters’ lives.
Looking Good Dead is an enjoyable police procedural with an easy-to-like lead detective.
Looking Good Dead (Inspector Drake Book 12)
Can DI Drake uncover the mysterious connection between two unconnected victims dressed in 1930s attire before more deaths?
Two startled shop assistants find the body of well-known businesswoman June Bennett hanging in a shop premises she owns. Drake and his team immediately suspect her death is linked to the parties she organised where revellers wore 1930s style clothes.
As suspicion falls upon her husband, the investigation takes an unexpected turn when the team uncovers ‘spin-off’ parties of a more scandalous nature. With the sudden death of an unrelated bank manager, Inspector Drake faces the formidable task of establishing a motive that links both victims.
Tension escalates as the killer taunts Drake with chilling photographs from the scene of the second murder, attracting a deluge of media attention. Yet, Drake is determined to stay resolute, drawing upon the echoes of his past battles?
Looking Good Dead is the twelfth book in the dynamic Inspector Drake crime series. If you like police procedurals, clever mysteries, and gripping page-turners, then you’ll love Stephen Puleston’s unnerving whodunit.
STEPHEN PULESTON
Stephen Puleston was born in Holyhead/Caergybi, Ynys Môn, in Wales. After leaving university he trained and practised as a lawyer.
He is now a full time author presently writing two crime series. Both are based in Wales, a country rich in history and spectacular scenery.
The Inspector Ian Drake books involve a detective inspector based in North Wales, the area where he was born and raised, who faces his own demons while solving gruesome murders.
The Inspector John Marco series follows the adventures of John Marco an inspector based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. He’s from a Welsh-Italian family catching the killers at large in the bustling city of Cardiff.
All the novels in the Inspector Drake and Marco series are available as audiobooks. All are narrated by experienced professional actors.
Stephen lives with his family in Ynys Môn/Anglesey.
