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Stephen Puleston
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A Time to Kill : An exciting British crime thriller (Inspector Drake Book 5) Kindle Edition

by Stephen Puleston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,451 ratings
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A web of intrigue and deaths in the heart of Snowdonia. Can Inspector Drake unearth the killer from deep inside the rural community?

Investigating the disappearance of local antiques dealer, Harry Jones, is not high on DI Ian Drake’s priority list. He has more important things to spend his time on than looking for a man who has probably just walked out on his wife. Until they find Harry’s dead body. Drake knows they are dealing with a cold-bloodied killer. But the valleys of Snowdonia are an unlikely place for a murderer to hide out, and Harry an unlikely victim.

As the investigation unfolds, Drake discovers a web of intrigue surrounding Harry, and business links with the criminal underworld. When another murder takes place that strikes at the heart of the community Drake is convinced the killer lies closer to home.

And when two key witnesses disappear, Drake faces a race against time to bring the killer to justice, before he strikes again.

A Time to Kill is the fifth 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 Ian Drake novels.

Grab your copy of A Time to Kill today!

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  1. Book 5 of 12
    Inspector Drake
  2. Print length
    371 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    February 26, 2018
  6. File size
    1320 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B3X3Y1Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Highgate Publishing (February 26, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 26, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1320 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 371 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,451 ratings

About the author

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Stephen Puleston

Stephen Puleston

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I write mysteries and thrillers.

I write a series featuring Inspector Drake based in North Wales and also a series featuring Inspector John Marco based in Cardiff. The Drake mystery series has five books - Brass in Pocket, Worse than Dead, Against the Tide, Dead on your Feet and A Time to Kill.

Inspector Marco comes from an Italian/Welsh background and he lives in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The first Inspector Marco novel Speechless and the second Another Good Killing and the third Somebody Told Me. There is also a prequel novella called Dead Smart.

You can read about my writing and about Wales, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, on my website - www.stephenpuleston.co.uk.

For many years I worked as a lawyer in a small practice representing clients in the criminal courts and doing divorce work all of which has given me valuable raw material for my novels.I still live and work in North Wales where the Inspector Drake novels are set.

I still live and work in North Wales where the Inspector Drake novels are set.

You can contact me on twitter @stephenpuleston or @inspector_marco

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/17G6iIA

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,451 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Glynn Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Another good police mystery from Puleston
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
A Welsh antiques dealer is lured to a museum near a small town in Wales and murdered with what is eventually determined to be an old German handgun from the World War II period. Little can be gleaned from the crime scene; the murder happens at night and there are no witnesses.

Suspects abound. As Detective Inspector Ian Drake and Detective Sergeant Sara Morgan of the North Wales Police Service investigate, they soon learn that the killer might be the victim’s wife, his common law wife, a gangster who deals in antique thefts, any one of a number of people protesting a local development project, and several other people.

Drake has a set of personal problems. He’s recently divorced and trying to stay in the lives of his two daughters. Politics in the police force always threatens to interfere with investigations, including this one. And Drake is an obsessive-compulsive when it comes to cleanliness, germs, the cleanliness of his car, and the orderliness of his desk. He’s a good investigator, but he behaves almost automaton-like, until he meets a history professor during the investigation. DI Ian Drake starts falling in love and the romance saves the man (and the reader from getting aggravated).

These are the people and this is the world of “A Time to Kill” by Welsh writer Stephen Puleston.

Puleston publishes two series of Welsh police detective stories. Detective Inspector Ian Drake is with the North Wales Police Service, and Detective Inspector John Marco is with the South Wales Police Service. A Time to Kill is the fifth DI Ian Drake mystery.

Other killings begin to happen, and Drake and Morgan find themselves in a race against the killer’s next victims. The motive, as it is often is, is buried in the past but wrapped in events in the present.

“A Time to Kill “is a good story; Puleston writes consistently good police mysteries. One minor oversight: we don’t learn Sara Morgan’s last name until almost a fifth of the way through the story, with her first name as the only reference. It’s a small thing, and fortunately doesn’t detract from the high quality of the overall story.
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D. Zendel
4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid entry in an excellent series
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
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Wales Police Service Detective Inspector Ian Drake gets assigned a missing persons case, and he’s irritated because, really, he has better things to do with his time. Things get interesting, though, when he gets dispatched to a possible murder scene minutes from where he’s interviewing the wife of the missing man and the dead man is identified as the missing man. Drake and his new partner, Detective Sergeant Sara Morgan, have a wide open field of suspects to choose from – the dead man spent a lot of time with women other than his wife, and supported a controversial economic development project.

In book five of this well-written series, Drake continues to struggle with his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I like that he’s not afraid to ask for help when the rituals threaten to overwhelm him, instead of suffering silently like a lot of men in a similar situation would. Drake is estranged from his wife, a general practitioner, partly because she has run out of patience with his illness, and with coming in third behind that illness, and his career. But his obsessions are what make him such a good detective. I find it interesting to watch him trying to balance all aspects of his life – soon-to-be ex-husband, father to two young daughters, leader of a team, work partner to someone new.

I enjoy the pace of this series, the author’s writing style, the scene setting, and the character development. I appreciated the mentions of Drake’s first partner, Caren Waits, who is currently on maternity leave. It made the story seem more real to me, rather than just having her drop off the face of the earth. I also enjoyed the contrasts between Waits and Morgan, and watching Drake try to figure out how to best work with someone new while accommodating his disease. He’s a tortured soul, but dedicated to his work, and entirely human, which is a nice change of pace from super cops who operate like robots. The plots are always interesting in Puleston’s books, but it’s the characters that keep me coming back.

I received a free advance copy of this book from the author, but as soon as it became available on Amazon, I bought my own copy. I like this author that much.
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prisrob
5.0 out of 5 stars Cold Blooded Killer
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
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Detective Inspector Ian Drake was introduced in Stephen Puleston's first book, 'Brass In Pocket'. This is an extraordinary series featuring the beautiful country of North Wales, and the singular obsessive DI Ian Drake. He is a man with severe OCD, Obsessive Complusive Disease, that interferes with Drake's job. He works with the North Wales Police. He has a new DS, Sara Morgan, who is an attractive young woman, and it seems they will work well together. His wife, Sian, physician,is soon to be his ex-wife. She has become the caretaker to their two girls, Helen and Megan, because as she complained, Ian was hardly ever home. His OCD and his work had taken him away from his family. As this novel proceeds, we realize just how much Ian Drake's life is ruled by his obsessions, his work ethics take first priority. However. There is a strong hint of a new romance.

In this book a series of murders have occurred starting with an old quarry. As the investigation unfolds, Drake discovers strange goings on with one of the murdered men, with business links with the criminal underworld. There are quite a few turns and twists.

At the same time, Ian Drake has met a new member of his family, and his mother is anxious to introduce the new member to the rest of the family. This is a brief interlude, and I am certain this will become a big part of the next book. Drake's OCD seems to be a mite better under control, but it is mentioned frequently. This book has the focus of the murder investigations, and it is a riveting and fascinating investigation.

Recommended. prisrob 02-28-18
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Top reviews from other countries

James Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars I quite enjoyed this book which I read after reading "Devil's Kitchen"
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2018
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I quite enjoyed this book which I read after reading "Devil's Kitchen", the prequel novella to this series. Four other books have come between it and
"A Time to Kill". I was easily able to see the changes in Inspector Drake's personal life and the changes in his career. This book starts out with Inspector Drake being asked to check out a missing person's report and just after leaving the home of that person's wife he is called to the scene of that person's murder. Things just keep happening after that. It seems that each page or chapter brings about a different clue or suspect. If you enjoy police procedure full of twists and turns, you'll love this series.
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Addicted to books
5.0 out of 5 stars Book 5
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2018
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This is book 5 in the Inspector Drake series and the books just get better and better. I am really getting to like the Drake character he is flawed, passionate and very human. I especially like the way he has developed throughout the series as we watched him struggle with his OCD and marital problems.

The story begins when a man goes missing and his body turns up having been shot with an antique pistol. Where has the gun come from and who is the murderer? As the case develops there are many suspects and Drake's case becomes entangled with one in the midlands. This means Drake has more people interfering than he would like, in fact he would prefer nobody interfered.

With everybody watching and suspects piling up but no clues or evidence this is turning into a difficult case.

Lots of intrigue and suspense that builds throughout the book and keeps the pages turning as we follow Drake on his journey towards the truth. The suspense reaches new levels towards the end and the jaw dropping conclusion.

An excellent read that will appeal to readers of Police Procedural. I am looking forward to more from this author.

A well earned 5 stars from me.
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Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Murder in the Valleys
Reviewed in Australia on February 28, 2018
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A man murdered or did he just walk out on his wife? Are there links to serious organised crime? Meanwhile there is a family reunion to happen, introducing a lost relative.

Another good episode in the DI Drake series. Intricate plot to keep you engaged. Drake's OCD seems to be under more control and is less distracting in the book.

A solid procedural with great storylines.
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TRIMONTIUM
4.0 out of 5 stars LOVELY SETTING
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2022
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I love this part of the UK. Inspector Drake ratner less so. I find him a cold fish. The story is convoluted and the answer not obvious. Overall too many characters.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy this series
Reviewed in Canada on April 26, 2019
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Very much like this genre. Characters a bit one dimensional but good plot that holds your interest. By the end of each book you're interested to see what is next.
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