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Pauline Rowson

The game of cat and mouse begins...

Following an eight month suspension for gross misconduct, Detective Inspector Andy Horton returns to his job after the charges are dropped, but the stain on his career and personal life persists.

When Horton stumbles across a naked corpse, brutally bludgeoned, he sets out to find the killer. And while his colleagues want him off the case, fate has other plans.

As a second body surfaces, chilling similarities send shivers down Horton's spine - is he the killer's next target? 

A gripping detective mystery perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean.

The Portsmouth Murders © 2023 Pauline Rowson 

THE DETECTIVE
Abandoned as a child, DI Andy Horton grew up in a children’s home. Now he lives onboard his yacht in Southsea Marina. He rides a Harley-Davidson and never wears a suit or tie — unless it’s to go to court. He’s an instinctive copper and a man of contrasts, which often lands him in trouble with his bosses. He has a desperate need to belong, and yet is always just on the outside. Self-contained and afraid to show his feelings, but also a risk-taker that seeks justice.

THE SETTING
Portsmouth boasts a vibrant waterfront, a diverse multicultural population, an international port, a historic dockyard, and is home of the Royal Navy. Portsmouth Harbour is one of the busiest in the world — and one of the best places to hide a body, it seems. Set against the backdrop of the sea, the Solent area of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight is every detective’s worst nightmare. The sea is ever-changing and often the best clues get swept away by the tide.

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

Colin Mace

SAGA Egmont

Solent Murder Mystery

The Portsmouth Murders

Dark waters hide deadly secrets. 

When the headmistress of a Portsmouth school is found brutally murdered on an old structure in the middle of Langstone Harbour, Detective Andy Horton of Portsmouth CID is assigned to the case.

The victim, discovered with a note with the words ‘Have you forgotten ME?’, was a steely, determined woman who made enemies on her path to success. But did any of them hate her enough to want her dead?

With the clock ticking and Superintendent Uckfield pressing for results, Horton is forced to make a decision that will put his life on the line.

This absolutely gripping detective mystery is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean.

The Langstone Harbour Murders © Pauline Rowson 2023

THE DETECTIVE
DI Andy Horton’s mum walked out on him when he was a child and he grew up in children’s home. Now he lives onboard his yacht in Southsea Marina. He rides a Harley-Davidson and never wears a suit or tie — unless it’s to go to court. He’s an instinctive copper and a man of contrasts, which often lands him in trouble with his bosses. He has a desperate need to belong, and yet is always just on the outside. Self-contained, afraid to show his feelings, but he’s a risk-taker that seeks justice.

THE SETTING
Portsmouth boasts a vibrant waterfront, a diverse multicultural population, an international port, a historic dockyard, and is home of the Royal Navy. Portsmouth Harbour is one of the busiest in the world — and one of the best places to hide a body, it seems. Set against the backdrop of the sea, the Solent area of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight is every detective’s worst nightmare. The sea is ever-changing and often the best clues get swept away by the tide.

ALSO BY PAULINE ROWSON
THE SOLENT MURDER MYSTERIES
Book 1: THE PORTSMOUTH MURDERS
Book 2: THE LANGSTONE HARBOUR MURDERS
Book 3: THE HORSEA MARINA MURDERS
Book 4: THE ROYAL HOTEL MURDERS
Book 5: THE ISLE OF WIGHT MURDERS
Book 6: THE PORTCHESTER CASTLE MURDERS
Book 7: THE CHALE BAY MURDERS

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

The Langstone Harbour Murders

The stakes are high, and time is running out...

When a charred body is discovered on a burning boat at Horsea Marina, Detective Inspector Andy Horton is called to investigate. The victim is identified as Tom Brundall, a wealthy financier from Guernsey, who was terminally ill. 

Puzzled, Horton wonders why a dying man would return to his hometown of Portsmouth and who would want to kill him. As Horton digs deeper, another body surfaces, forcing him to grapple with not just the victims' pasts but also the unresolved mystery of his own mother's disappearance three decades earlier. 

As he pieces the puzzle together, it becomes evident that he's facing a ruthless foe who determined to bury the truth.

Can Horton catch the killer and find out what happened to his mother?

This absolutely gripping detective mystery is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean. 

The Horsea Marina Murders © Pauline Rowson 2023

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

The Horsea Marina Murders

Detective Inspector Andy Horton has a lot on his plate.

A celebrity receives threatening phone calls.
A nursing home resident is assaulted.
A man is found in a pit with several of his fingers severed.

Perry Jackson and his team are filming a new TV series about wrecks in the Solent and staying at the large and luxurious Royal Hotel on Portsmouth’s seafront.

Shortly after they’ve checked in, Jackson receives a series of threatening phone calls telling him to watch his back and you’ve been warned. Horton thinks it’s a publicity stunt to promote the new TV show.

Meanwhile, at the Rest Haven Nursing Home, Mrs Kingsway says she’s been assaulted by an intruder, but there’s no sign of a break-in. The staff thinks she’s lost her marbles, but her son wants action from the police.

And now a man in diving gear is found dead in Oldham’s Wharf. Several of his fingers are missing.

The pressure is on. Detective Horton’s deep in a web of intrigue, deception and corruption that stretches back into the past. Can he find his way back and stop a killer?

This absolutely gripping detective mystery is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean.

The Royal Hotel Murders © Pauline Rowson 2023

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

The Royal Hotel Murders

A cold, grey January morning.
A woman with a gun in her hand.
A corpse on an abandoned golf course.

Detective Inspector Andy Horton is taking a break on the Isle of Wight. But even when he’s on holiday trouble follows him...

On an abandoned golf course, Horton finds a distraught, young woman with a gun in her hand, crouching over one of the derelict bunkers.

Then the smell hits him. A dead man lies there. Dressed in walking gear, his body decomposing.

The woman with the gun says she’s his sister.

The local police think she killed her brother, but Horton’s not so sure.

Then Horton’s boat is broken into and another body is found in a barn. The victim stabbed in the back with a pitchfork.

Horton must race against time to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

This absolutely gripping detective mystery is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean.

© Pauline Rowson 2023

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

The Isle of Wight Murders

It’s Friday the thirteenth and Detective Inspector Andy Horton’s luck is about to run out. 

His Harley-Davidson is vandalized, a strange symbol etched into the paintwork. A convicted murderer, Luke Felton, a name he recognizes, has gone missing. A decomposing corpse washes up in Portsmouth Harbour. A mysterious phone call leads him to another in a windswept garden in Portchester. 

To make matters worse, Horton’s nit-picking boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, has returned early from her secondment to HQ.

Horton’s got a lot on his plate. Can he connect the dots before anyone else dies?

This absolutely gripping detective mystery is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, and Rachel McLean. 

© Pauline Rowson 2023

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.

The Portchester Castle Murders

Meet DI Andy Horton. He’s a risk-taking Harley-Davidson-riding detective who doesn’t always play by the rules . . . which often lands him in trouble with his bosses.

Suspicious lights at sea, decomposing bodies and an old flame send Horton down a rabbit hole in this captivating crime thriller.

An elderly man obsessively watches the coast from his Victorian house high on the hill above Ventnor. When he observes mysterious lights out at sea, he reports them to the police.

The local police think he’s a bit of a nuisance. And when Horton interviews him he’s inclined to agree. A judgement he may bitterly regret.

Meanwhile a call comes through from Horton’s partner, DS Cantelli. A woman’s decomposing body is pulled out of the sea, wearing a Victorian-style dress. The post-mortem gives them a massive shock.

And when another body is found, Horton thinks he’s got a serial killer on his hands. 

© Pauline Rowson 2023

Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty-four gripping, fast-paced, atmospheric crime novels including the popular SOLENT MURDER MYSTERY series featuring the rugged and troubled DI Andy Horton. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors.