The inspiration for this January set Solent Murder Mystery, THE GUERNSEY FERRY MURDERS came from seeing one of the regular ferry services sail from Portsmouth into the Solent and out around the Isle of Wight on its way to the Channel Islands, the Condor Commodore Clipper Ferry. The Commodore Clipper ferry is so much an integral part of Portsmouth and the Solent that it was inevitable I would feature it at some stage.
I started with the idea of a body on that ferry, that of an affluent, well-dressed woman who is found dead in her locked cabin when the ferry docks at Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Andy Horton is there following up a lead on his investigation into the disappearance of his mother, Jennifer, when he was a child. He is to dine with his friend, Inspector John Guilbert of the States of Guernsey Police when Guilbert calls him. They have a body on the ferry!
I asked Condor for their permission to allow me to have a fictitious body on their ferry and I was delighted when they agreed and even more so when they gave me free reign of the boat and the opportunity to question their staff in aid of my research.
Andy has just returned home from Guernsey when he is called out to another murder, that of tramp under a rotting houseboat close to Langstone Harbour, where Andy lives on board his modest sailing yacht in nearby Southsea Marina. I liked the contrast between the body on the commercial ferry and another under a rotting and stationary houseboat. I also liked the contrast between an affluent woman and a down and out.
DI Andy Horton and Sergeant Cantelli's investigations take them to the eastern shores of Portsmouth. This area is known as Milton Common and there is a lovely coastal walk along the shore. Milton Common is 45 hectares of grassland and lakes reclaimed over twenty years from the Langstone Harbour mud. The eastern footpath through the common running alongside Langstone Harbour forms part of The Solent Way. The common is the only large area of natural grass on the crowded Portsea Island (Portsmouth).
There are three lakes, Frog Lake, Duck Lake and Swan Lake and it is the latter that is mentioned in THE GUERNSEY FERRY MURDERS but I won't spoil it by saying how. The lakes support many aquatic species including frogs, toads and newts. In summer, dragonflies can be seen hawking over the lakes accompanied by Swallows, Swifts and House Martins, all attracted by the small flies and midges emerging from the water. In winter, Long Tailed and Bearded Tits and many other migrant birds on passage south. The harbour is also a haven for visiting winter Brent Geese as well as many other species. THE GUERNSEY FERRY MURDERS is set in January so Horton and Cantelli would have seen many Brent Geese unless they were too deeply engrossed in their murder investigation!
Horton's investigation also take him across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. To see all the locations in this crime novel and others in the Solent Murder Mystery, click on this google map below where I have marked them up.
See where the DI Andy Horton Solent Murder Mysteries are set.
( was previously published as Lethal Waves).
"Nothing in this police procedural is as it first appears. The Harley Davidson-riding, boat-dwelling Horton is a fascinating man to get to know, and his thoughtful approach to detection is a pleasure to read." Publishers Weekly
"It never ceases to amaze me how Pauline keeps the twists and turns coming without giving too many clues which would compromise the narrative. A strongly recommended read." Amazon
Pauline Rowson lives on the South Coast of England and is the best selling author of many crime novels, published by Joffe Books. Her popular crime novels include the DI Andy Horton Solent Murder Mystery series, the Art Marvik mystery thrillers and the 1950s set Inspector Ryga mysteries. Subscribe to her newsletter for all the latest books news.