The Marine Mystery series of crime novels feature the flawed and rugged detective DI Andy Horton. He’s a one-off, tough as a container ship, having dredged through the sludge of life's sewerage, since childhood. He seeks solace in the fresh sea breeze, which blocks out the stench of his own personal injustices. Often, as in real life, there's little distinction between this 'hunter' and the 'hunted'.

DI Andy Horton turns from battling with crime on the streets of Portsmouth, to battling with the elements on the ocean, anything to stop him dwelling on his past, like why did his mother walk out on him when he was ten? Where is she now? Who was his father? Then just when he thinks he's found happiness, Catherine, his wife, believes an accusation of rape whilst Horton was working undercover.

 

In the first of the series, Tide of Death, Horton not only has a complex crime to solve …a body washed up on the beach, but he needs to find out why this girl lied and ruined his marriage. He’s back on his own again, living on his boat, and fighting for access to his daughter, trying to restore his reputation with his colleagues, whilst trying to find a killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks…

Horton is a brave earthy character, fit and fearless with a desperate need to belong and yet always just on the outside. He’s never quite able to trust or let go of the enforced control that’s protected him throughout his tough childhood. A boy from the streets of Portsmouth, he’s been raised with the rough, the evil, the manipulative, the selfish and the vulnerable. He seeks justice and doesn’t much care how he gets it, just as long as the villains get caught.

 

Horton is joined in Portsmouth CID by Sergeant Barney Cantelli, half English, half Italian, a family man married with five children. Cantelli stood by Horton during his suspension following the rape allegation. Laid back, easy-going, dark-haired and wiry, Cantelli has a great sense of humour and a strong sense of duty.