Pauline Rowson's Blog - Posts Tagged "murder"
What makes a good crime novel?
Ask this question of crime fiction fans and you'll get varied answers. Some like the gritty gruesome, others prefer cozy comfortable. Some enjoy a literary style crime novel, others a racy, action-packed page turner. Reading about exotic locations turn some readers on whilst others enjoy 'home spun' tales. Then there's historical or contemporary, detective or private eye, male protagonist or female... But all crime fiction fans will agree they want great, believable characters and a cracking good plot. Saying this is easy, writing and delivering it time and time again is more difficult. But then that's the challenge and the enjoyment of writing.
Creating and developing a complex main character that the reader can have empathy with is vitally important. The reader must want to trust him or her, feel his/her pain and disappointments and root for him/her throughout the novel. And it's not just the main character but the supporting cast, and the villains and the walk-on roles who all need characteristics that are believable even if they are eccentric. The cast must be real to the writer and therefore real to the reader.
The plot needs to have twists and turns and to surprise the reader. But the plot and surprises spring from the characters' actions and motivations so we're back once more to creating great characters.
Writing a crime novel also takes fantastic organisational skills because all the bits of the plot and sub plots need to add up. If you change one thing on revisions then you find you have to change everything.
And all this takes hard work, which is what I should be doing now. But before I get back to Inspector Andy Horton and crew in the latest marine mystery crime novel here's a final note. In addition to the above the crime novel must also be well-written, have memorable settings, a mixture of narrative and realistic dialogue and a central theme. Being a crime writer is never dull.
The Suffocating Sea
Creating and developing a complex main character that the reader can have empathy with is vitally important. The reader must want to trust him or her, feel his/her pain and disappointments and root for him/her throughout the novel. And it's not just the main character but the supporting cast, and the villains and the walk-on roles who all need characteristics that are believable even if they are eccentric. The cast must be real to the writer and therefore real to the reader.
The plot needs to have twists and turns and to surprise the reader. But the plot and surprises spring from the characters' actions and motivations so we're back once more to creating great characters.
Writing a crime novel also takes fantastic organisational skills because all the bits of the plot and sub plots need to add up. If you change one thing on revisions then you find you have to change everything.
And all this takes hard work, which is what I should be doing now. But before I get back to Inspector Andy Horton and crew in the latest marine mystery crime novel here's a final note. In addition to the above the crime novel must also be well-written, have memorable settings, a mixture of narrative and realistic dialogue and a central theme. Being a crime writer is never dull.
The Suffocating Sea
New Book Contract Signed
I’m delighted to announce that I have just signed a contract with Severn House for the publication of the fifth DI Andy Horton Marine Mystery crime novel, BLOOD ON THE SAND, which will be published on 26 February 2010 at the same time as the paperback version of DEAD MAN’S WHARF.
For those of you who would like a taste of what is to come for Andy Horton look no further…
Blood On The Sand by Pauline Rowson
The fifth Inspector Horton Marine Mystery Crime novel
Inspector Andy Horton’s holiday peace is shattered when stepping out across an abandoned golf course on the Isle of Wight on a cold, grey January, he finds himself facing a distraught young woman with a gun in her hand leaning over a corpse in one of the discarded bunkers. When she professes to be the dead man’s sister and psychic, Horton’s old adversary, DCI Birch, is convinced she is mentally disturbed and the killer, but Horton is not so sure. He feels a strange affinity towards the woman, and a sense of recognition even though he’s convinced they’ve never met. When it’s revealed that the dead man was working on a top-level environmental project on behalf of the European Commission, Horton is urged by Superintendent Uckfield to go undercover. His mission is to trap a clever killer. Then another death changes everything. With no clear suspects, and a confusion of possible motives, a frustrating, complex case is complicated still further by Horton’s growing feelings and concern for the woman. As he goes in search of the truth, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, Horton uncovers a web of intrigue that ripples down the years, and which someone is determined should never be revealed.
And just to recap the DI Horton series in order:
TIDE OF DEATH
DEADLY WATERS
THE SUFFOCATING SEA
DEAD MAN’S WHARF
BLOOD ON THE SAND
I’m also hard at work on the next one! For details of all my books you can visit my official web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
For those of you who would like a taste of what is to come for Andy Horton look no further…
Blood On The Sand by Pauline Rowson
The fifth Inspector Horton Marine Mystery Crime novel
Inspector Andy Horton’s holiday peace is shattered when stepping out across an abandoned golf course on the Isle of Wight on a cold, grey January, he finds himself facing a distraught young woman with a gun in her hand leaning over a corpse in one of the discarded bunkers. When she professes to be the dead man’s sister and psychic, Horton’s old adversary, DCI Birch, is convinced she is mentally disturbed and the killer, but Horton is not so sure. He feels a strange affinity towards the woman, and a sense of recognition even though he’s convinced they’ve never met. When it’s revealed that the dead man was working on a top-level environmental project on behalf of the European Commission, Horton is urged by Superintendent Uckfield to go undercover. His mission is to trap a clever killer. Then another death changes everything. With no clear suspects, and a confusion of possible motives, a frustrating, complex case is complicated still further by Horton’s growing feelings and concern for the woman. As he goes in search of the truth, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, Horton uncovers a web of intrigue that ripples down the years, and which someone is determined should never be revealed.
And just to recap the DI Horton series in order:
TIDE OF DEATH
DEADLY WATERS
THE SUFFOCATING SEA
DEAD MAN’S WHARF
BLOOD ON THE SAND
I’m also hard at work on the next one! For details of all my books you can visit my official web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
The Suffocating Sea in Large Print
I received the large print edition of The Suffocating Sea, the third in the DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery crime novels last week, and it looks good. This will now be on sale on line or to order through bookshops, and also available on loan through libraries. In addition, The Suffocating Sea is available as a talking book, which can be bought as a download or in cassette and CD format, or on loan through the library service. Of course, it is also available in paperback and hardback.
The reviews are back on Amazon.co.uk along with the ratings, (they disappeared for a while because of a technical glitch). Not all reviews are good, that is to be expected, what one person thinks a killer read another considers 'tripe'. My murder mystery novels have been classed as police procedurals, although I like to think of them as detective novels. They are not for the lovers of hard boiled crime fiction, the gruesome kind but more of a light entertaining read, although having said that some readers have described them as 'complex' and 'gripping'. Anyway, whatever, I am glad that Amazon has sorted out their technical glitch.
It’s the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, and this year I won’t be going, although my novels are on the Frankfurt Book Fair web site with details of the rights available. It looks as though it might be a lively book fair in terms of protests. At least five groups, including Tibetan activists, have registered with the city to carry out protests. Let’s hope everything goes off peacefully!
I am looking forward to the London Book Fair though in April 2010, which I will be attending. I know it seems a long way off, but the time flies past. By then I’ll have a new Andy Horton published called Blood on the Sand. Can’t wait to see the cover design.
Back to this week though, and on Thursday I’m giving a talk and book signing at the 60+ festival being held in Portsmouth. I will be at Portsmouth Central Library on 15 October at 2.30pm.
Apart from that it’s on with the writing. Andy Horton number six is coming along nicely.
The Suffocating Sea
The reviews are back on Amazon.co.uk along with the ratings, (they disappeared for a while because of a technical glitch). Not all reviews are good, that is to be expected, what one person thinks a killer read another considers 'tripe'. My murder mystery novels have been classed as police procedurals, although I like to think of them as detective novels. They are not for the lovers of hard boiled crime fiction, the gruesome kind but more of a light entertaining read, although having said that some readers have described them as 'complex' and 'gripping'. Anyway, whatever, I am glad that Amazon has sorted out their technical glitch.
It’s the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, and this year I won’t be going, although my novels are on the Frankfurt Book Fair web site with details of the rights available. It looks as though it might be a lively book fair in terms of protests. At least five groups, including Tibetan activists, have registered with the city to carry out protests. Let’s hope everything goes off peacefully!
I am looking forward to the London Book Fair though in April 2010, which I will be attending. I know it seems a long way off, but the time flies past. By then I’ll have a new Andy Horton published called Blood on the Sand. Can’t wait to see the cover design.
Back to this week though, and on Thursday I’m giving a talk and book signing at the 60+ festival being held in Portsmouth. I will be at Portsmouth Central Library on 15 October at 2.30pm.
Apart from that it’s on with the writing. Andy Horton number six is coming along nicely.
The Suffocating Sea
Sunshine and Sub Genres at Crimefest 2012 Pauline Rowson reports back on her panel appearance
Just as in CrimeFest 2010 this year’s CrimeFest was again a glorious hot day with wall-to-wall sunshine in Bristol. Not the best time to be closeted inside the Royal Marriott Hotel but a very pleasant one to be strolling along the regenerated dock area and catching the little ferry across the narrow strip of water, which I managed to do. It was great to be back on the water, albeit for about two minutes, and I wondered whether DI Horton might take a trip into Bristol on his yacht one day. Or perhaps another character in a future thriller might be drawn to the area.
It was an early morning start for the panel on which I was appearing, beginning at 9a.m., but the audience seemed attentive enough and the authors were awake, which helped. And I noted that we didn’t send anyone to sleep.
I met my fellow crime writers; Mary Andrea Clarke, Frances Brody, Leigh Russell and our excellent moderator Adrian Magson in the Green Room, a dimly lit space in the basement of the hotel. It looked like a set from a murder mystery play. I half expected to trip over a dead body but there were none only very much alive authors.
Our brief was to explore Genres and Sub Genres but as in most of these panels we ended up talking about many different aspects of crime writing and our crime novels. Frances Brody talked about her Kate Shackleton mysteries set in the 1920s, Mary Andrea Clarke about her historical crime novels set in the late 18th century and on the contemporary side there was Leigh Russell with her female detective Geraldine Steel and me with my hunky DI Andy Horton. Adrian Magson, as moderator, didn’t talk about his crime novels, except when introducing himself, but for the record he is a very accomplished and successful crime author having written many novels, articles and short stories.
Adrian asked us about our secondary characters, and if they would continue to feature in future novels. In my case he singled out DCI Lorraine Bliss, Andy Horton’s abrasive, alpha female, ambitious boss. I can’t say at this stage if she will continue to appear in the Horton novels but she appears in the new DI Horton, which is being released in July, called Death Lies Beneath, and she also features in the Horton novel I’m currently writing.
I was asked why I chose to create DCI Bliss. The reason is because she is completely the opposite of DI Horton and this therefore creates tension between them. Horton is a maverick cop, who likes action, and doesn’t much care if he cuts corners or gets into trouble just as long as the villains are caught. While Bliss is a desk johnnie, intent on doing everything by the book and making sure that whatever happens she comes out looking good with a couple of brownie points to boot, to help her in her climb to the top.
Adrian also asked me why I wrote from the male point of view, while the others on the panel had chosen to have a female protagonist. It wasn’t until I created DI Horton, after writing several novels with a female lead that didn’t get published, that I realised writing from the male point of view was more natural and exciting for me. I have also written two stand alone thrillers, In Cold Daylight and In for the Kill, both with male leads. I joked with the audience that maybe I’m a closet man! But in reality perhaps it’s because I have spent most of my career working in male dominate organisations.
It was a relaxed but lively discussion with some good questions from the audience many of whom had travelled from as far as Canada and America. And it was expertly chaired by Adrian Magson who made sure that we all contributed equally to the discussion.
I met some lovely people after the panel and had a chance to chat to them about what they like about crime fiction: a puzzle to solve, great characters, atmospheric settings, action packed novels were some of the answers, which varied as much as the genre does itself, and that’s what’s so exciting and fascinating about both writing and reading crime fiction. There’s something for everyone.
I’m already looking forward to CrimeFest 2013.
It was an early morning start for the panel on which I was appearing, beginning at 9a.m., but the audience seemed attentive enough and the authors were awake, which helped. And I noted that we didn’t send anyone to sleep.
I met my fellow crime writers; Mary Andrea Clarke, Frances Brody, Leigh Russell and our excellent moderator Adrian Magson in the Green Room, a dimly lit space in the basement of the hotel. It looked like a set from a murder mystery play. I half expected to trip over a dead body but there were none only very much alive authors.
Our brief was to explore Genres and Sub Genres but as in most of these panels we ended up talking about many different aspects of crime writing and our crime novels. Frances Brody talked about her Kate Shackleton mysteries set in the 1920s, Mary Andrea Clarke about her historical crime novels set in the late 18th century and on the contemporary side there was Leigh Russell with her female detective Geraldine Steel and me with my hunky DI Andy Horton. Adrian Magson, as moderator, didn’t talk about his crime novels, except when introducing himself, but for the record he is a very accomplished and successful crime author having written many novels, articles and short stories.
Adrian asked us about our secondary characters, and if they would continue to feature in future novels. In my case he singled out DCI Lorraine Bliss, Andy Horton’s abrasive, alpha female, ambitious boss. I can’t say at this stage if she will continue to appear in the Horton novels but she appears in the new DI Horton, which is being released in July, called Death Lies Beneath, and she also features in the Horton novel I’m currently writing.
I was asked why I chose to create DCI Bliss. The reason is because she is completely the opposite of DI Horton and this therefore creates tension between them. Horton is a maverick cop, who likes action, and doesn’t much care if he cuts corners or gets into trouble just as long as the villains are caught. While Bliss is a desk johnnie, intent on doing everything by the book and making sure that whatever happens she comes out looking good with a couple of brownie points to boot, to help her in her climb to the top.
Adrian also asked me why I wrote from the male point of view, while the others on the panel had chosen to have a female protagonist. It wasn’t until I created DI Horton, after writing several novels with a female lead that didn’t get published, that I realised writing from the male point of view was more natural and exciting for me. I have also written two stand alone thrillers, In Cold Daylight and In for the Kill, both with male leads. I joked with the audience that maybe I’m a closet man! But in reality perhaps it’s because I have spent most of my career working in male dominate organisations.
It was a relaxed but lively discussion with some good questions from the audience many of whom had travelled from as far as Canada and America. And it was expertly chaired by Adrian Magson who made sure that we all contributed equally to the discussion.
I met some lovely people after the panel and had a chance to chat to them about what they like about crime fiction: a puzzle to solve, great characters, atmospheric settings, action packed novels were some of the answers, which varied as much as the genre does itself, and that’s what’s so exciting and fascinating about both writing and reading crime fiction. There’s something for everyone.
I’m already looking forward to CrimeFest 2013.
Unabridged audio book, DI Horton, Dead Man's Wharf, narrator gets great review
Gordon Griffin is the narrator of the unabridged audio books in the DI Andy Horton series . Gordon is the voice of DI Andy Horton and the other characters in the Horton novels and is currently recording Footsteps on the Shore. This will be followed by the seventh in the Horton series, A Killing Coast and the eighth, Death Lies Beneath.
The unabridged audio book Dead Man's Wharf, the fourth in the DI Horton series, has received a great review from Audio File Magazine.
"Narrator Gordon Griffin speaks with an educated British accent, differentiating each character in this mystery through a slight alteration in pitch and cadence. His pace is measured, and his tone is grave. This is not to criticize, however. One must not forget that the topic is murder.
Gordon Griffin's delivery also enhances the story's setting, the Solent area of the south coast of England, with its atmosphere of mist and the scent of the sea. As gruff Inspector Andy Horton uncovers fact after fact concerning the mysterious deaths at a nursing home, the scope of the crimes only seems to grow. Griffin makes us feel the pain and terror of hidden violence. It's a moving portrayal."
D.R.W. AudioFile Magazine 2013, Portland, Maine
Hailed by AudioFile Magazine as, ‘not simply a reader but the artist of the spoken word,’ Gordon Griffin has been an actor for over 40 years. He’s performed in everything from Shakespeare to rock musicals and such British favourites as The Likely Lads, When the Boat Comes in and Kavanagh QC. He’s also one of the people telling you to "Mind the Gap" on the London Underground! In addition to acting both on stage and screen he is a composer, lyricist and cabaret singer. For the past 20 years he’s also been involved in recording over 500 audio books, almost all are unabridged – that’s a lot of recording.
The DI Andy Horton novels are published by Severn House in the UK Commonwealth and the USA and the unabridged audio crime novels by Isis Publishing.
The unabridged audio book Dead Man's Wharf, the fourth in the DI Horton series, has received a great review from Audio File Magazine.
"Narrator Gordon Griffin speaks with an educated British accent, differentiating each character in this mystery through a slight alteration in pitch and cadence. His pace is measured, and his tone is grave. This is not to criticize, however. One must not forget that the topic is murder.
Gordon Griffin's delivery also enhances the story's setting, the Solent area of the south coast of England, with its atmosphere of mist and the scent of the sea. As gruff Inspector Andy Horton uncovers fact after fact concerning the mysterious deaths at a nursing home, the scope of the crimes only seems to grow. Griffin makes us feel the pain and terror of hidden violence. It's a moving portrayal."
D.R.W. AudioFile Magazine 2013, Portland, Maine
Hailed by AudioFile Magazine as, ‘not simply a reader but the artist of the spoken word,’ Gordon Griffin has been an actor for over 40 years. He’s performed in everything from Shakespeare to rock musicals and such British favourites as The Likely Lads, When the Boat Comes in and Kavanagh QC. He’s also one of the people telling you to "Mind the Gap" on the London Underground! In addition to acting both on stage and screen he is a composer, lyricist and cabaret singer. For the past 20 years he’s also been involved in recording over 500 audio books, almost all are unabridged – that’s a lot of recording.
The DI Andy Horton novels are published by Severn House in the UK Commonwealth and the USA and the unabridged audio crime novels by Isis Publishing.
What's on in February: DI Andy Horton (8) Death Lies Beneath in paperback and audio book, talks and writing
February sees the publication in paperback of Death Lies Beneath, the eighth in the series of British Police Procedural crime novels featuring the flawed and rugged detective, DI Andy Horton. It is also now released as an unabridged audio book published by Isis Publishing and read by Gordon Griffin.
Death Lies Beneath has already been published in hardcover and as an e book in the UK, Commonwealth and the USA by Severn House,where it has received some lovely reviews.
Kirkus Reviews says: "A treat for fans of the puzzle-box mystery," and Publishers Weekly who say, "Rowson’s solid eighth police procedural featuring Det. Insp. Andy Horton contains convincing characters and a coherent plot to bolster a crafty solution to the crimes."
Death Lies Beneath
A body found on a rotting boat being salvaged in Portsmouth Harbour throws Horton into a complex and frustrating investigation. As the tension mounts to solve the case, Horton receives a chilling message; time, it seems, is also running out for him personally…
Speaking Engagements
In February I'll also be entertaining the audience of the Young at Heart Club, Hayling with tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem on 5 February at 2.15pm and the Southampton and District Centre of National Trust on 20 February and I'm looking forward to meeting some DI Andy Horton fans.
You can see all my up and coming talks and appearances on my events page
On the writing front
I'll also be continuing to write the next in the DI Andy Horton series, number twelve, as well as working on the creation of a new series featuring a new hero and a rather unusual theme.
I'm looking forward to a productive and interesting February.
Death Lies Beneath has already been published in hardcover and as an e book in the UK, Commonwealth and the USA by Severn House,where it has received some lovely reviews.
Kirkus Reviews says: "A treat for fans of the puzzle-box mystery," and Publishers Weekly who say, "Rowson’s solid eighth police procedural featuring Det. Insp. Andy Horton contains convincing characters and a coherent plot to bolster a crafty solution to the crimes."
Death Lies Beneath
A body found on a rotting boat being salvaged in Portsmouth Harbour throws Horton into a complex and frustrating investigation. As the tension mounts to solve the case, Horton receives a chilling message; time, it seems, is also running out for him personally…
Speaking Engagements
In February I'll also be entertaining the audience of the Young at Heart Club, Hayling with tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem on 5 February at 2.15pm and the Southampton and District Centre of National Trust on 20 February and I'm looking forward to meeting some DI Andy Horton fans.
You can see all my up and coming talks and appearances on my events page
On the writing front
I'll also be continuing to write the next in the DI Andy Horton series, number twelve, as well as working on the creation of a new series featuring a new hero and a rather unusual theme.
I'm looking forward to a productive and interesting February.
Deadly Waters, a DI Andy Horton crime novel, on special offer on Kindle for limited period only
My crime novels have been chosen to be featured in special sizzling summer promotions this year with June kicking off with a great offer on Kindle, Deadly Waters, the second in the DI Andy Horton series
Deadly Waters is in a Kindle promotion in both the UK and the USA. It is priced at £1.99 and $3.34 respectively and the offer ends on 30 June.
Deadly Waters is the second in the DI Horton series of currently eleven. They are set in the Solent on the South Coast of England in Portsmouth and have received critical acclaim in the UK, USA and the Commonwealth.
"Rowson adds an appealing hero to the British Police Procedural ranks." Kirkus Reviews (USA)
"A very entertaining police procedural, with finely detailed characters and an intricate plot that should keep you guessing until the end." Amazon (USA)
A woman, the head teacher of a struggling local school, is found brutally murdered in Langstone Harbour along with a note found on the victim, Have you forgotten ME? Is it simply a senseless murder by an unhinged killer or does someone close to the head have a motive for murder? As Horton delves deeper into the investigation, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, the tension mounts. With the clock ticking Horton is soon forced to take a decision that will put his life on the line . . .
Deadly Waters (DI Andy Horton Mystery 2): A Marine Mystery Crime Novel Featuring DI Horton
Deadly Waters is in a Kindle promotion in both the UK and the USA. It is priced at £1.99 and $3.34 respectively and the offer ends on 30 June.
Deadly Waters is the second in the DI Horton series of currently eleven. They are set in the Solent on the South Coast of England in Portsmouth and have received critical acclaim in the UK, USA and the Commonwealth.
"Rowson adds an appealing hero to the British Police Procedural ranks." Kirkus Reviews (USA)
"A very entertaining police procedural, with finely detailed characters and an intricate plot that should keep you guessing until the end." Amazon (USA)
A woman, the head teacher of a struggling local school, is found brutally murdered in Langstone Harbour along with a note found on the victim, Have you forgotten ME? Is it simply a senseless murder by an unhinged killer or does someone close to the head have a motive for murder? As Horton delves deeper into the investigation, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, the tension mounts. With the clock ticking Horton is soon forced to take a decision that will put his life on the line . . .
Deadly Waters (DI Andy Horton Mystery 2): A Marine Mystery Crime Novel Featuring DI Horton
It's back to school for DI Andy Horton in Deadly Waters
The school term is on us once again and so it is for the flawed and rugged Portsmouth copper DI Andy Horton in the second of the DI Andy Horton series, Deadly Waters, which is set around Portsmouth and Langstone Harbour. There are some photographs of where Deadly Waters is set on my website blog
Ambition, murder, adultery... Horton has only a week to find a killer...
In Deadly Waters,a woman,the headteacher of struggling inner city Portsmouth school, is found brutally murdered on the Mulberry in Langstone Harbour. A note is found on the body. Have you forgotten ME? Is it simply a senseless murder by an unhinged killer or does someone close to the head have a motive for murder? As Horton delves deeper into the investigation, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, the tension mounts. With the clock ticking Horton is soon forced to take a decision that will put his life on the line.
"Rowson adds an appealing hero to the British Police Procedural ranks." Kirkus Reviews (USA)
Deadly Waters (DI Andy Horton Mystery 2): A Marine Mystery Crime Novel Featuring DI Horton
Ambition, murder, adultery... Horton has only a week to find a killer...
In Deadly Waters,a woman,the headteacher of struggling inner city Portsmouth school, is found brutally murdered on the Mulberry in Langstone Harbour. A note is found on the body. Have you forgotten ME? Is it simply a senseless murder by an unhinged killer or does someone close to the head have a motive for murder? As Horton delves deeper into the investigation, aided by Sergeant Cantelli, the tension mounts. With the clock ticking Horton is soon forced to take a decision that will put his life on the line.
"Rowson adds an appealing hero to the British Police Procedural ranks." Kirkus Reviews (USA)
Deadly Waters (DI Andy Horton Mystery 2): A Marine Mystery Crime Novel Featuring DI Horton
