Dead and Gone (Inspector Drake Book 9)

A woman’s body lying in a roadside ditch. Soon after one of her work colleagues is murdered at an ancient castle. Can Inspector Drake discover what connects them before more deaths?

Llinos Malton works with Annie, Inspector Drake’s partner, but her absence from work is troubling until her body is discovered in a roadside ditch. Is it more than a hit and run? Another of Annie’s colleagues, John Smyth, is missing but there is nothing to suggest foul play until his body is discovered in the grounds of an ancient Welsh castle.

Relationships made decades previously suggest there could be more to Smyth’s background. When the team discover Smyth’s links to some nasty extremists learning more about Smyth is urgent. And is Malton involved too? Drake faces pressure from his superior officer to focus on one suspect.

The death of an extremist linked to the inquiry suggests it is unconnected to the first two deaths but Drake’s instinct tells him the inquiry is more complex than first appears.

With the spotlight on the department where Annie works Drake can’t avoid Annie being involved and when he identifies the killer Annie’s life may well be at risk. It means a race against time to capture the killer.

Dead and Gone is the ninth book in the dynamic Inspector Drake crime series. If you like clever mysteries, great plots and believable characters then you’ll love Stephen Puleston’s Ian Drake novels.

 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

MY REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

Another great story in the Inspector Ian Drake books. Inspector Drake has a lot riding on this case. With three deaths that seem to be connected, Inspector Drake and his team are fighting against their superior officer to find the truth behind these three deaths. Not only that, but two of the three dead are colleagues of Annie, Inspector Drake’s partner in the history department at college.

Inspector Drake misses the days when he could count on his superior officer to have his back and support his investigations with little worry. Now he has to prove himself constantly and it makes it hard to do his job properly and thoroughly.

There are a lot of twists, unpredictable connections, and suspense in this story, all part of the reason I love the Inspector Drake books. With his OCD and his tendency to dig deep into the cases he is trying to solve, it makes the story so much more than just a suspense book. It brings you into the lives of the characters and the plot. I always try to work out the bad guy from the beginning, but with the twists and turns in these books, it’s never easy until almost the end of the book. There are few clues as to who the correct suspect is and it always keeps me involved in the story until the final page. I love the quirkiness of Ian Drake and his team. They all bring something different to the table and the team works well together. I give this book a 5-star review and I look forward to more from Stephen Puleston in the future.