Speechless by Stephen Puleston

334 Pages
Publisher: Stephen Puleston, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: October 31, 2014

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Wales, Poland, Trafficking, Police Procedural

The body of a man is found in the Taff River in Cardiff, Wales. When the forensic team is collecting evidence, they find his tongue has been removed. More bizarre is a tongue is in his pocket. This is just the beginning. It seems someone is attacking the Eastern European workers but more specifically, the Polish workers. During the investigation, Detective Inspector John Marco along with his partner, Detective Sergeant Boyd Pierce find themselves looking at a sex trafficking operation. The detectives think Frankie Prince, the local thug, is behind everything but they have no proof.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. John is a flawed individual. He wants/needs to please so many people that he fails in every relationship. If you like police procedurals, you will enjoy this one.

Packed with action and many elements such as human trafficking and murder, this was a page turner. Well written.
Many thanks to IBPA and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I AM SO EMBARRASSED ... JUST NOW FINDING THIS ONE ON MY KINDLE/AMAZON. WAS NEVER READ SO NO REVIEW COMING AT THIS LATE DATE. MY SINCERE APOLOGIES. BOOK HAS BEEN ARCHIVED.

6/26/18 HERE IS MY REVIEW. AGAIN, I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS MONSTROUS DELAY.


When a body is found floating in the river, DI John Marco is called upon to investigate. This should have been an ordinary undertaking, but when the man's tongue has been amputated and put in his pocket, Marco finds this is anything but ordinary.

The man is identified as a Polish immigrant. He's not the only member in the Polish community to be found murdered. The two dead men lead Marco to one of the city's most notorious criminals and to the possibility of human trafficking.

No one is talking. With the threat of severed tongues hanging over them, residents in the Polish community are afraid to speak.

Marco and his team will have to dig deep to get through the lies and the secrets . He's making progress until the Polish Secret Service gets involved and he finds himself the prime suspect in yet another murder when he travels to Poland.

There is non-stop action involving human trafficking, blackmail, murder, money laundering, and the Polish Mafia. Marco is not what I'd call an extremely likable character .. but I do like him.. maybe in spite of himself. He's dedicated to his job, and wants justice for his victims. An alcoholic, he's been dry over a year. And he loves the old Elvis songs ... I like him for that alone.

This is the first book in a series featuring DI Marco and his team. I'm looking forward to following him in his next adventures.

4.5 stars. Throughly enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the first page and I didn't want to put it down. Would definitely recommend this book.

It's a quiet Sunday morning for Inspector John Marco when he gets a routine call about a body in the river. Things change abruptly when he discovers something amputated from the corpse. John is an Italian cop that has been plunged into the tight-knit, secretive Polish community when he finds evidence that points to gangsters from Poland. No one is talking and the death count is stacking up.

Speechless is the first in a series of police investigation novels. Being Italian, I have an affinity for Italian characters and John Marco is an Italian man, struggling in almost every aspect of his life. He is out of shape, making unhealthy choices, struggling with his relationships and is now trying to investigate a crime that no one wants to talk about. The story stuttered for a moment and seemed to lose momentum, but Puleston created several unexpected twists that sparked my need to follow Inspector Marco on this dangerous journey to it's end. I will definitely be looking for the next book in the series.