Pauline Rowson's Blog, page 20

The story behind Death Lies Beneath - An Inspector Andy Horton crime novel

DEATH LIES BENEATH is a multi-layered Detective Inspector Andy Horton crime novel, number eight in the series. It is inspired by locations in the area where I live and where the novels are set, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and by topical crimes. In this case, metal thefts, fraud, boat salvage operations and more.





DEATH LIES BENEATH is also one of the pivotal novels in the Horton police procedural series because in it Andy Horton discover something that gives him a lead in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his mother when he was ten.  This sets him off  on a tortuous journey to find the truth about what really happened to her after she walked out of their council flat in a tower block in inner city Portsmouth one foggy November day in 1978 never to be seen again. Also in DEATH LIES BENEATH Andy’s marriage to Catherine is set to be finally dissolved much to Andy’s sorrow.



"A fast paced excellent
mystery, with an interesting diverse set of characters, and an
intriguing hook at the end that has me eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.Highly recommended." Mystery People

Read more

What's on in June 2018

June features the Detective Inspector Andy Horton crime novel, Death Lies Beneath, no 8 in the series. Also in June, Death Surge no.10 in these British police procedural crime novels will be published in Large Print, and I'll be giving a talk about my crime novels and how I write them to Southampton Probus Lunch Club.




Read more

A hero with real problems is the key to creating a good crime series

Inspector Andy Horton has been described as 'an especially good series hero, a likeable fellow with plenty of street smarts and the requisite personal baggage - an abrasive supervisor (DCI Lorraine Bliss) and an antagonistic soon to be ex wife.' Booklist (USA) Footsteps on the Shore.



Heroes in crime novels are often ordinary people with their own set of problems and the key to producing a successful crime novel is not necessarily that the hero saves the world, aka James Bond, but that he also learns something about himself along the way. Putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances builds tension and readers tend to support characters in which they recognise certain traits they have themselves.




Read more

Video upload - The Art Marvik Mystery Thrillers

"Fans of Rowson’s DI Andy Horton books will be delighted with her new
series featuring former marine commando Art Marvik.  A tense, terrifying
thrill ride that twists and turns with dizzying speed, combined with a
likable, smart, tough, but all too human hero, make this a cracking-good
new series—action fans need Marvik on their radar." Booklist USA



Where to buy Pauline Rowson's books

Death by Crossbow - read more, featured in DI Andy Horton, SHROUD OF EVIL

Thankfully traumatic injuries and deaths caused by crossbows are a rarity. But it was something that I thought I would introduce in one of my Inspector Andy Horton crime novels, SHROUD OF EVIL.



Researching therefore into crossbow shooting and pathology here is what I discovered.




Read more

Subscribe to crime author Pauline Rowson's newsletter

Subscribe to my monthly e newsletter for all the latest news on my crime novels, talks, interviews, articles and tips on writing. Plus much more.




Read more and subscribe

The writing process and crime novels

Here's a Q & A I did for a blog on the writing process. Thought I'd share it here.



1. Where do you do your best thinking?

Walking the coastal paths of the Isle of Wight, Langstone, Chichester and Portsmouth Harbours where my Inspector Andy Horton crime novels are set.

Also out on research further along the south coast for the Art Marvik mysteries, set in Southampton (Silent Running) on the beautiful Dorset coast (Dangerous Cargo) and East Sussex at Cuckmere Haven and the Severn Sisters cliffs (Lost Voyage).

Read more questions and answers

Corpse in the water- Did you know? Fascinating Forensic Facts

All
my crime novels are set around the sea so it is inevitable that I will
have bodies in the water, by the water, and washed up beside the water!
So here's some fascinating facts from my research - not for the
fainthearted!




Bodies in the water

What's on in May 2018

In May I will be meeting up with some keen mystery readers from the USA, talking to them about my crime novels set on the south coast of England while they are on a tour of Southern England ending up with them attending the annual crime fiction festival in Bristol CrimeFest. Also in May some further research for my crime novels, new videos and more articles and news to follow on my website.




Read more

The Page 69 test – A Killing Coast – A DI Andy Horton crime novel

A Killing Coast, featuring the rugged and flawed Inspector Andy Horton is set against the backdrop of the Solent on the South Coast of England.  'Multilayered, twisted, and complex...a surprising conclusion and a
satisfying read.' Booklist USA

Does A Killing Coast pass the Page 69 Test?