Early one morning the body of a fisherman is discovered, his body impaled to the sand with his own digging fork. Later a body of a female is found on a beach. Inspector Drake and his team investigate. But what are the motives and is their any connection between the two deaths. Will there be more.
Another enjoyable crime story in this well-written series with its likeable main characters ( )

Murder in Anglesey.
I think I'm going to start this review by mentioning the audiobook narrator, Richard Elfyn, because he made such light work of all the Welsh place names and characters, which would have been so totally mispronounced if I'd been reading. Unless you are Welsh, this is definitely a book to listen to. My husband is Welsh and our daughter-in-law is Welsh speaking, which added to the setting for me.

This is the fourth Inspector Drake novel I've listened to and I'm getting quite found of the crotchety old grump. In earlier books his OCD annoyed me a bit, but I can't help respecting that he's now recognised the problem and is making a valiant attempt to control it. The author also makes less reference to his issues, which helps. He is missing his father, who was sick in the last book and has now died, and his wife is losing patience with him. So he is under a lot of personal stress when this latest case drops onto his lap.

A body is found on the beach impaled by a garden fork and Drake and Ceren, his sidekick, are called to the scene. This is only the first victim, however, and Drake must sift through a plethora of conflicting evidence to identify murderer and motive. There is a plan to build a nuclear power plant in the area and townsfolk vary in their response to this; some are set to gain financially, while others are set against it for a variety of reasons. Evidence of a pedophile ring comes to light, implicating some powerful people and Drake must step carefully.
All of this is complicated by an irritating, pushy journalist and a leak from 'inside'.

This is a series that is maturing as it progresses and I shall certainly continue to follow Inspector Drake. For me, there were rather too many characters and I got confused, with the Welsh names adding to this, but for more experienced mystery lovers this would be a great read. ( )

Wales, the land of coal mines, what are to the American eyes unpronounceable names and for those of us of a certain age, Tom Jones. But there is a lot more there than those trivial pieces of knowledge. And DI Drake leads us into a view of the Welsh that we would otherwise miss. Combined with his prickly nature, his OCD and his fears that he will be unsuccessful in solving this grisly murder makes for a melange of interesting activities.

First there is DI Drake. Because of his OCD he is becoming more and more estranged from his wife. He needs his Sudoku puzzles to provide him with calm along with Bruce Springsteen for company when he drives. But he also finds that contact with some of the seamier sides of life infuriate him but he cannot let that interfere. His staff are understanding but they too have their quirks and eccentricities. And finally there are the citizens of Conwy, a village small enough that everyone knows everyone and their business too. Big wigs in London want to build a nuclear power plant in the area and need to buy up land, smallholders are unsure and there is, as always, those opposed to the plan. And an Englishman who owns large swathes of land and cottages by the sea and claims his family has lived in Wales for centuries arouses DI Drake’s ire because he cannot even pronounce Welsh Christian names much less understand the language. And there is another dark and dirty secret bubbling under the surface.

It all starts with a fisherman found on the beach, murdered in a particularly gruesome manner. He had been one of the small landowners being whipsawed over selling or not selling. As Drake starts his investigation a second murder is reported, this time of a young girl. Are the two crimes related? A hard question that must be answered soon because the Police Superintendent wants action soon. This is starting to affect relationships at the gentry level - not to be bourne!

More than just a Welsh equivalent of a police procedural story it tells of relationships, outlooks, raw feelings. The language situation I found particularly apt. The same situation occurs here in the agrarian/fishing South where I live that is now being inundated by New Yorkers and New Jerseyites whose harsh vowels, abrupt ways and lack of understanding grate against the Southern psyche. This is a good story, one that requires close attention but that is easily given as the author winds his way through the Welsh coast and DI Drake solves a complex murder mystery. ( )