A freelance journalist is murdered on a bowling green. He was investigating a supposed cult that promises to revolutionise your life and fulfil your potential. DI Ian Drake and his team start investigating but there is soon another body…
Stone Cold Dead is the 11th book in the DI Drake series. I have previously read and reviewed the 10th book Time To Die.
Jack Holt is found dead on a bowling green, held in place by croquet hoops. DI Drake is instantly drawn to Holt’s journalistic background and his focus on the Peel Foundation as a potential motive. But it becomes clear that there may be a personal suspect and motive until a second body is found.
The book is written in the third person throughout to show the police investigation. I really liked Drake’s character. He also has a stable family life that is very important to him and further endeared him to me. Other police characters also have a personal link to the case which threatens their impartiality and focus.
The plot develops at a reasonable pace and there are two main lines of enquiry for the police team to investigate. There are little details of normality that make the characters seem authentic and natural, such as the on-off use of satnav. I also have to mention the realistic use of Welsh locations as I visited many of them on holiday this year!
Stone Cold Dead is a solid and enjoyable police procedural.
Stone Cold Dead (Inspector Drake Book 11)
A journalist’s brutal murder stuns a small community…But unravelling his life unearths surprises not even DI Drake could expect.
When a journalist is found pinned to a bowling green with croquet hoops, his head caved in, DI Drake and his team must unravel the man’s life.
The reporter was working on exposing the dark and sinister side of a cult led by a charismatic individual who Drake identifies as being their prime suspect. But the dead man’s private life isn’t what it appears to be and soon the detectives identify other persons of interest.
But who would want to murder the respected journalist? There are plenty of persons of interest with motive to kill the man and while Drake focuses on the cult and it’s leader another death forces a new approach.
When facing the startling truth Drake and his team are forced to protect the innocent no matter what the cost and the face a race against time to prevent more deaths.
Stone Cold Dead is the eleventh novel in the Inspector Drake crime series. Perfect for fans of JM Dalgiesh, JD Kirk, Damien Boyd, LJ Ross, Rachel McLean and Simon McCleave.
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.
