Pauline Rowson's Blog, page 16

Writing a crime series and keeping it fresh

Writing a crime series and keeping each novel fresh is always a challenge for crime writers. There are now fourteen in the DI Andy Horton series with
the latest, DEAD PASSAGE, published on the 18 October 2018 in
paperback, as an e book and on Amazon Kindle. All the DI Andy Horton
crime novels are set against the backdrop of the sea in Portsmouth and
on the Isle of Wight and in each novel Inspector Andy Horton and his
colleagues have a new murder mystery to solve.





Inspector Andy Horton was first introduced in TIDE OF DEATH, which
opens with his second day back in Portsmouth CID following an eight
month suspension on a charge of gross misconduct. Determined to prove
his innocence of the charges that have wrecked his career and his
marriage Horton finds his personal investigations sidelined when the
naked body of a man is found on the beach. Aided by Sergeant Barney
Cantelli, Horton sets out to find a killer who will stop at nothing to
cover his tracks. Since first appearing on the crime fiction scene in
TIDE OF DEATH in 2006, DI Andy Horton has gone through many trials and
tribulations in his personal life and solved many complex murder cases.
So how does a writer keep the series fresh and the central character of interest to readers?

The research behind Art Marvik Mystery, Lost Voyage, now in paperback

My
research for the third Art Marvik mystery, Lost Voyage, (now published
in paperback and as an ebook) took me into the murky waters of the ship
recycling business.





In Lost Voyage, the Mary Jo, a salvage tug, went missing in 2003 on
its way to Newfoundland where it was to tow an obsolete Russian cruise
ship back to Britain for recycling. Some decades later someone claims to
have found the Mary Jo locked in the Arctic ice, it is a claim that
sparks a series of murders and Marvik’s mission for the UK’s National
Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS) is to discover the secret of the Mary
Jo and why a ruthless assassin has embarked on a slaying spree to
prevent it from being revealed.




What I gleaned about ship recycling for Lost Voyage mystery

Marvik Mystery, Lost Voyage, now in paperback, watch the book trailer

Marvik
faces a desperate battle to save others from a ruthless assassin who
will stop at nothing in order to protect the secret of the Mary Jo’s
last voyage from ever being exposed



Lost
Voyage, the third in the crime series to feature former Royal Marine
Commando, Art Marvik, an undercover investigator for the UK's National
Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS)



 "Plenty of action, I didn't want to put the book down. A good read for mystery/ thriller fans." Net Galley






Watch the book trailer of Lost Voyage

Plot or character driven novels - what is the difference and does it matter?

The prescribed wisdom states that novels are either plot driven or character driven. What, you may ask is the difference? And it's a very good question. Essentially character driven novels centre around the protagonist's journey, his or her internal thoughts, the experiences he/she undergoes, the choices he/she makes which ultimately drive and affect the plot. Whereas plot driven novels focus on yes, you've guessed it, the plot. Here the protagonist takes a particular action which drives the plot and there are plot twists and turns as a result, action and conflicts which in turn drive the plot to its outcome.





If that sounds rather confusing then don't worry, you are not alone. For me the distinction between the two is rather blurred although essentially critics and reviewers will say that my novels are plot driven and I agree to an extent. The two - character and plot - are invariably interlinked.






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Marvik mystery thriller Lost Voyage published in paperback

Delighted that Lost Voyage, number three in the Art Marvik mystery series has now been published in paperback. It is already published in hardcover and as an ebook.



Marvik is surprised to receive an unexpected summons to meet Helen Shannon, a woman he helped on his first mission. When a body is discovered in her flat, Marvik is convinced that Helen is being framed for murder, but why and by whom? Before he has a chance to follow it up, the head of the National Marine Intelligence Squad, (NIMS) Detective Chief Superintendent Crowder, asks Marvik to investigate the disappearance of a salvage vessel, the Mary Jo, which went missing in 2003. As Marvik delves into the past, it becomes clear that he faces a desperate battle to keep Helen and others safe from a ruthless assassin – one who will stop at nothing in order to protect the secret of the Mary Jo’s last voyage from ever being exposed.




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It's back to school and Horton has a week to find the killer of a headteacher

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 is set around Portsmouth and Langstone Harbour. A woman found brutally murdered on the Mulberry in Langstone Harbour A note on the body "Have you forgotten ME?" Horton has only a week to find a killer...

"Rowson adds an appealing hero to the British Police Procedural ranks." Kirkus Reviews (USA)

See where DI Andy Horton crime novel Deadly Waters is set

What's on in September

FATAL CATCH published in USA by Harlequin Books, LOST VOYAGE published in paperback, DEATH SURGE in large print, and new DI Andy Horton, DEAD PASSAGE available for pre-order. Plus Pauline Rowson will be entertaining members of the Lymington and District Probus
Club with tales of mystery, murder and mayhem.



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Dead Passage the new DI Andy Horton no. 14 available for pre-order

DEAD PASSAGE, the new DI Andy Horton, number 14 featuring the flawed and rugged detective available for
pre-order now, in paperback as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle.



A
mysterious telephone call sends DI Andy Horton on a complex and twisted
investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago. 

DI Andy Horton in Undercurrent - plenty of fast-paced action

Undercurrent, number nine in the DI Andy Horton crime series, is set against the backdrop of the sea in Portsmouth on the South Coast of England.





Naval historian Dr Douglas Spalding is found dead in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard. It looks like suicide but Horton goes out on a limb to prove otherwise. Soon he's embroiled in a cover up at the highest level.



'Rowson offers up a thorny, multifaceted plot; a profusion of unusual twists; a likable yet complex hero; and plenty of fast-paced, knuckle-biting action.' Booklist USA




Watch the book trailer of Undercurrent