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Which of my British coastal crime novels are set on the Isle of Wight?
If you’re drawn to crime fiction with a salty edge, you’ll find the Isle of Wight cropping up time and again in my novels. This deceptively peaceful island—fringed with beaches, coves and sailing waters—provides the perfect backdrop for murder, mystery and intrigue.
Six of my Detective Inspector Andy Horton Solent Murder Mysteries feature the Isle of Wight—although, true to Horton’s patch, the action rarely stays in just one place.
The island plays a key role in:
The Isle of Wight Murders #5
The Luccombe Bay Murders #15
The island is also featured in DI Andy Horton’s investigations in:
The Guernsey Ferry Murders #13
Here, quiet bays, bustling regattas and hidden corners become the scene of some very dark deeds.
The Isle of Wight isn’t just Horton’s territory.
Art Marvik—my undercover, no-nonsense investigator—calls the island home (when he’s not risking his life on covert operations). He lives in an isolated cottage at Newtown Harbour, tucked away off the River Medina.
His first outing DEADLY WAVES opens there setting the tone with danger close to home. The island also features in FATAL DEPTHS #4 where the stakes are just as high and the waters just as treacherous.
And the Isle of Wight’s criminal connections don’t stop there…
Inspector Ryga is heading to Bembridge—a coastal village on the island’s north-east—in an upcoming 1951 mystery (#7). Expect atmosphere, intrigue and a touch of post-war tension.
The Isle of Wight sits just off the south coast of England, separated from the mainland by the Solent—right on the edge of DI Andy Horton’s policing area around Portsmouth.
Getting there is all part of the adventure.
Horton travels across on the Wightlink car ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, or sometimes by catamaran or hovercraft to Ryde—occasionally in pursuit of suspects. If he’s lucky, he might even hitch a ride with the Marine Unit… or sail there himself, dropping anchor in Cowes, Ryde or Ventnor, or in one of the island’s many secluded coves.
Marvik, never one to hang about, cuts across the water in his powerful motor cruiser. Meanwhile, back in 1951, Inspector Ryga makes the journey in style—by paddle steamer to Ryde Pier Head.
Shaped like a diamond, the Isle of Wight stretches roughly 23 miles east to west and 13 miles north to south. With a population of around 141,000, it still swells each summer as visitors flock to its shores—just as they did in Queen Victoria’s day.
This island has long attracted creatives and royalty alike. Poets such as Alfred Lord Tennyson and John Keats found inspiration here, while Queen Victoria made Osborne House her beloved summer residence—and final home.
Its history stretches back even further, from William the Conqueror to Carisbrooke Castle, and continues through a rich maritime heritage of shipbuilding, yacht racing and world-famous music festivals.
From Ryde in the north-east to Shanklin and Sandown in the south-east, and across to Totland and Freshwater in the west, the island is dotted with coastal towns and villages.
At its heart lies Newport, the island’s capital, where the River Medina widens into an estuary, flanked by Cowes and East Cowes.
Much of the Isle of Wight remains beautifully rural—rolling downs, dramatic cliffs and secluded bays, some only accessible by boat. But beneath that beauty lies something darker…
The ever-eroding coastline has revealed prehistoric remains over the years—so who’s to say it won’t uncover something far more recent? Perhaps even the next case for Andy Horton.
Take a look at the map to see where DI Andy Horton is investigation his island set crimesand where Art Marvik is also occupied.
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.
