Death Surge, DI Andy Horton 10, published in paperback, e book and audio book - Read an extract and see the location photographs
Below is an extract from Death Surge
- DI Andy Horton number 10 - now published in paperback. Also available
as an e book. In this the first in the series of extracts from Death Surge I'll be matching the text with some of the location shots.
The DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery crime novels (currently 11) are set in the Solent area of Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the surrounding areas on the South Coast of England.
A telephone call from a frantic Sergeant Cantelli to say that his nephew, Johnnie Oslow, is missing cuts short Detective Inspector Horton’s sailing trip to France. Summoned back to the Isle of Wight, Horton learns that Johnnie has not shown up for racing during Cowes Week, as previously arranged.
An extract from Death Surge
Horton’s phone rang. He swore softly. He should have switched it off. He hoped it wasn’t Bliss, who for once had decided to work at the weekend to earn extra brownie points in the promotion stakes, wanting to bawl him out for not writing up his reports of the last murder investigation. But with relief he saw it was Cantelli. And the sergeant was the one person he would never ignore. Cantelli had stood by him through all the mess of those false rape allegations twenty months ago when he’d been working undercover, which had cost him his marriage and stalled his career.
‘Andy, thank God.’
‘What is it?’ Horton asked with concern hearing the anguish in Cantelli’s voice.
‘It’s Johnnie. He’s missing.’
Horton’s heart lurched; he knew the fear and panic that word evoked. Johnnie Oslow was Cantelli’s nephew, who Horton had helped steer away from a path of criminality seven years ago, when he’d been sixteen and in trouble with the law, following an arson attack on a sailing club in Portsmouth. Horton had introduced him to sailing via a charity that rehabilitated wayward boys and girls. The lad had never looked back. From there he had got a job as a crew member on a Greek millionaire’s personal yacht and also as a team member on one of the same millionaire’s many racing yachts.
‘He’s been missing since Wednesday,’ Cantelli said, ‘but it’s only just been reported. He’s meant to be at Cowes Week, racing with a guy named Scott Masefield.’
‘Not Andreadis, his boss?’ Horton asked, puzzled.
‘It doesn’t sound like it. I’ve only got sketchy information. A Nat Boulton, who said he worked for Andreadis, called Johnnie’s mum, Isabella, an hour ago to ask if she’d heard from him. She said she hasn’t, not since last Tuesday. As far as Isabella is aware, Johnnie was due at Cowes on Friday, but this Boulton said he was meant to be there from Wednesday. They tried Johnnie’s mobile phone but got no answer. Isabella tried it and the number is dead. She phoned me. I got the same result. So I called Cowes police station and got an idiot who sounded as though he should either be committed or in nursery school. He said this Masefield guy reported it and it’s been logged. Logged!’ Cantelli cried in disgust.‘I’m on the ferry on my way over to the Island to see Masefield and find out what the devil’s going on.’And that showed just how concerned Cantelli was, because nothing short of a direct order from Bliss would get him on water. The sergeant got sick just standing on a pontoon.
Horton was perplexed by the local station’s response because Andreadis, Johnnie’s boss, was very wealthy and influential, so surely reporting one of his crew missing would have been enough to have summoned the National Guard, if they’d had one. But ‘logged’ meant no further action had been taken. Horton didn’t blame Cantelli for being furious.
‘Doesn’t Andreadis have any idea where he might be?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t got his telephone number or this Nat Boulton’s. And I can’t speak to this Scott Masefield because he’s racing,’ Cantelli added scathingly.
Horton switched the autopilot back to manual. ‘I’ll meet you on the promenade at Cowes by the Castle Hill Yacht Club. Do nothing until I get there.’
‘Thanks.’ The relief in Cantelli’s voice was palpable.
Death Surge is available for sale in paperback and e book, It can also be loaned from UK, USA and Commonwealth libraries.
"A crisply written, cleverly plotted procedural with a nice twist, Rowson’s latest also continues the intriguing saga of Andy’s search for the mother who disappeared in mysterious circumstances when he was a child." Booklist.
What began as the hunt for a missing man becomes the search for a ruthless killer...
The DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery crime novels (currently 11) are set in the Solent area of Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the surrounding areas on the South Coast of England.
A telephone call from a frantic Sergeant Cantelli to say that his nephew, Johnnie Oslow, is missing cuts short Detective Inspector Horton’s sailing trip to France. Summoned back to the Isle of Wight, Horton learns that Johnnie has not shown up for racing during Cowes Week, as previously arranged.
An extract from Death Surge
Horton’s phone rang. He swore softly. He should have switched it off. He hoped it wasn’t Bliss, who for once had decided to work at the weekend to earn extra brownie points in the promotion stakes, wanting to bawl him out for not writing up his reports of the last murder investigation. But with relief he saw it was Cantelli. And the sergeant was the one person he would never ignore. Cantelli had stood by him through all the mess of those false rape allegations twenty months ago when he’d been working undercover, which had cost him his marriage and stalled his career.
‘Andy, thank God.’
‘What is it?’ Horton asked with concern hearing the anguish in Cantelli’s voice.
‘It’s Johnnie. He’s missing.’
Horton’s heart lurched; he knew the fear and panic that word evoked. Johnnie Oslow was Cantelli’s nephew, who Horton had helped steer away from a path of criminality seven years ago, when he’d been sixteen and in trouble with the law, following an arson attack on a sailing club in Portsmouth. Horton had introduced him to sailing via a charity that rehabilitated wayward boys and girls. The lad had never looked back. From there he had got a job as a crew member on a Greek millionaire’s personal yacht and also as a team member on one of the same millionaire’s many racing yachts.
‘He’s been missing since Wednesday,’ Cantelli said, ‘but it’s only just been reported. He’s meant to be at Cowes Week, racing with a guy named Scott Masefield.’
‘Not Andreadis, his boss?’ Horton asked, puzzled.
‘It doesn’t sound like it. I’ve only got sketchy information. A Nat Boulton, who said he worked for Andreadis, called Johnnie’s mum, Isabella, an hour ago to ask if she’d heard from him. She said she hasn’t, not since last Tuesday. As far as Isabella is aware, Johnnie was due at Cowes on Friday, but this Boulton said he was meant to be there from Wednesday. They tried Johnnie’s mobile phone but got no answer. Isabella tried it and the number is dead. She phoned me. I got the same result. So I called Cowes police station and got an idiot who sounded as though he should either be committed or in nursery school. He said this Masefield guy reported it and it’s been logged. Logged!’ Cantelli cried in disgust.‘I’m on the ferry on my way over to the Island to see Masefield and find out what the devil’s going on.’And that showed just how concerned Cantelli was, because nothing short of a direct order from Bliss would get him on water. The sergeant got sick just standing on a pontoon.
Horton was perplexed by the local station’s response because Andreadis, Johnnie’s boss, was very wealthy and influential, so surely reporting one of his crew missing would have been enough to have summoned the National Guard, if they’d had one. But ‘logged’ meant no further action had been taken. Horton didn’t blame Cantelli for being furious.
‘Doesn’t Andreadis have any idea where he might be?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t got his telephone number or this Nat Boulton’s. And I can’t speak to this Scott Masefield because he’s racing,’ Cantelli added scathingly.
Horton switched the autopilot back to manual. ‘I’ll meet you on the promenade at Cowes by the Castle Hill Yacht Club. Do nothing until I get there.’
‘Thanks.’ The relief in Cantelli’s voice was palpable.
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Cowes Isle of Wight featured in DI Andy Horton, Death Surge |
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Cowes Isle of Wight featured in DI Andy Horton, Death Surge |
Death Surge is available for sale in paperback and e book, It can also be loaned from UK, USA and Commonwealth libraries.
"A crisply written, cleverly plotted procedural with a nice twist, Rowson’s latest also continues the intriguing saga of Andy’s search for the mother who disappeared in mysterious circumstances when he was a child." Booklist.
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