An entertaining detective play, Murder At The Pelican Club by Pauline Rowson, is a 1940s murder mystery, an Agatha Christie style detective drama that will have audiences guessing ‘who done it.’
Written with a touch of humour, the play takes place in the Pelican Nightclub and Restaurant in November 1940. It can be performed on stage, or in a restaurant setting. Only one set is needed and eight actors.
Contact www.rowmark.co.uk for more information.
Pauline Rowson author of the popular Inspector Andy Horton police procedural crime novels, the Art Marvik mysteries and standalone thrillers set against the atmospheric backdrop of the sea on the South Coast of England
Crime author Pauline Rowson nominated for the Dagger in the Library Award
I'm delighted and proud to have been included in the nominations list for the prestigious CWA (Crime Writers' Association) Dagger in the Library Award voted for by librarians for a body of work by a crime writer that users of libraries particularly admire. Only librarians can nominate authors for the award. It is one of the most prestigious crime writing awards in the UK.
Previous winners include Mari Hannah, Elly Griffiths, Christopher Fowler, Sharon Bolton, Belinda Bauer, Mo Hayder, Stuart MacBride, Jake Arnott, Alexander McCall Smith, Stephen Booth, Peter Robinson, Lindsey Davis and in 2018 Martin Edwards.
Up to three members of staff from each UK library can nominate with a closing date of 28 February 2019.
The Dagger in the Library is to reward authors who have been bringing pleasure to library users with their crime books for over 10 years; have never previously won the CWA Dagger in the Library and have never won the CWA Diamond Dagger.
I have nineteen crime novels published - fourteen in the Inspector Andy Horton police procedural series; three Art Marvik mystery thrillers and two standalone thrillers. My crime novels have been translated into other languages and many are available as audio books.
My latest crime novel DEAD PASSAGE is number fourteen in the Inspector Andy Horton series and was published in 2018. It is available in paperback, as an ebook and on Kindle. My first crime novel, DI Andy Horton number one, Tide of Death, was published in 2006.
"A detective novel in the tradition of Rankin and Harvey." Mystery People Magazine
Fascinating Forensic Facts – Blood Stains
For my crime novels I’ve research gunshot wounds, death by crossbow, poisons (a favourite of Agatha Christie’s), blunt force trauma, suffocation and more. And I am incredibly grateful to all the forensic scientists, Hampshire police officers and the Hampshire Fingerprint Bureau and crime scene investigators who have assisted me.
Here is some information on blood pattern analysis I gleaned for both my Detective Inspector Andy Horton crime novels set in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and for my Art Marvik mystery thriller series set along the South Coast of England.
Blood Pattern Analysis
Blood can leave the body in many different ways, depending on the type of injury inflicted. It can flow, drip, spray, spurt, gush or just ooze from wounds.
Bloodstains are classified into three basic types:
passive stains, drops, flows and pools, and typically result from gravity acting on an injured body.
transfer stains result from objects coming into contact with existing bloodstains and leaving wipes, swipes or pattern transfers behind such as a bloody shoe print or a smear from a body being dragged.
projected or impact stains result from blood projecting through the air and are usually seen as spatter, but may also include gushes, splashes and arterial spurts.
So now you know!
Available in paperback, as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle.
A mysterious telephone call sends Horton on a complex and twisted investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago and uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
"A detective novel in the tradition of Rankin and Harvey." Mystery People Magazine
"Pauline Rowson is one of the most talented crime and thriller writers in the UK. By choosing locations and plot lines that are unique to her 'marine mysteries' she has set herself apart from the tried and tested formulae within the genre." Book Depository
Where to buy
Pauline Rowson's books at The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)
Pauline Rowson's books USA
Pauline Rowson's books UK
From your local bookshop
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
Writing routines - Pauline Rowson talks about hers and her crime novels
I'm often asked about my writing routine. Do I have one and if so what is it? How much time do I spend when writing?
Unless I am away from home on a speaking engagement, I try to write every day, usually for about three hours but this varies depending on the stage of the novel and whether I need to break off to conduct some research. Also if I need to stop writing to spend some time thinking and plotting.
Sometimes if the flow is going, or I am nearing the end of the novel, I can spend up to eight hours writing, not good for the back and if it wasn't for my husband feeding me I'd forget to eat!
I don’t have a set routine because sometimes I am out walking the coastal paths in the mornings, looking for a good place to put a body - only fictional I hasten to add. But it is locations that inspire me so I am always out seeking ideas for new plots.
Having said that I usually write most evenings between 5pm until 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday mornings and often also in the afternoons of a weekend. When I am working on first drafts I like to crack on and get these written within two months, three at the most, once I have this first draft written, albeit in its crudest sense, I can then slow down and take some time to re-shape and refine the novel.
Every author is different and it takes a while to find what works for you. Some authors commit themselves to writing so many words a day. I don't. It also obviously depends on your commitments. I love writing and researching and hope to be able to continue doing so for many more novels to come.
DEAD PASSAGE is the latest in the DI Andy Horton series, number fourteen. It is available in paperback, as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle.
A mysterious telephone call sends Horton on a complex and twisted investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago and uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
"A detective novel in the tradition of Rankin and Harvey." Mystery People Magazine
Deadly Waters (2)
The Suffocating Sea (3)
Dead Man's Wharf (4)
Blood on the Sand (5)
Footsteps on the Shore (6)
A Killing Coast (7)
Death Lies Beneath (8)
Undercurrent (9)
Death Surge (10)
Shroud of Evil (11)
Fatal Catch (12)
Lethal Waves (13)
Dead Passage (14)
If you enjoy the Inspector Andy Horton crime novels you might like the crime novels featuring former Royal Marine Commando Art Marvik, now working as an undercover investigator for the UK's National Intelligence Marine Squad.
Dangerous Cargo (2)
Lost Voyage (3)
Unless I am away from home on a speaking engagement, I try to write every day, usually for about three hours but this varies depending on the stage of the novel and whether I need to break off to conduct some research. Also if I need to stop writing to spend some time thinking and plotting.
Sometimes if the flow is going, or I am nearing the end of the novel, I can spend up to eight hours writing, not good for the back and if it wasn't for my husband feeding me I'd forget to eat!
I don’t have a set routine because sometimes I am out walking the coastal paths in the mornings, looking for a good place to put a body - only fictional I hasten to add. But it is locations that inspire me so I am always out seeking ideas for new plots.
Having said that I usually write most evenings between 5pm until 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday mornings and often also in the afternoons of a weekend. When I am working on first drafts I like to crack on and get these written within two months, three at the most, once I have this first draft written, albeit in its crudest sense, I can then slow down and take some time to re-shape and refine the novel.
Every author is different and it takes a while to find what works for you. Some authors commit themselves to writing so many words a day. I don't. It also obviously depends on your commitments. I love writing and researching and hope to be able to continue doing so for many more novels to come.
A mysterious telephone call sends Horton on a complex and twisted investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago and uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
"A detective novel in the tradition of Rankin and Harvey." Mystery People Magazine
The DI Andy Horton novels in order
Tide of Death (1)Deadly Waters (2)
The Suffocating Sea (3)
Dead Man's Wharf (4)
Blood on the Sand (5)
Footsteps on the Shore (6)
A Killing Coast (7)
Death Lies Beneath (8)
Undercurrent (9)
Death Surge (10)
Shroud of Evil (11)
Fatal Catch (12)
Lethal Waves (13)
Dead Passage (14)
If you enjoy the Inspector Andy Horton crime novels you might like the crime novels featuring former Royal Marine Commando Art Marvik, now working as an undercover investigator for the UK's National Intelligence Marine Squad.
The Art Marvik mystery thrillers
Silent Running (1)Dangerous Cargo (2)
Lost Voyage (3)
Art Marvik has a deadly mission to complete in DANGEROUS CARGO now released as an audiobook
The second in this fast-paced, action-packed mystery thriller series featuring undercover investigator, former Royal Marine Commando, Art Marvik. His mission to catch a ruthless killer whose murders span over half a century. Tough, fearless and fit, Marvik is not bound by the rules of the law.
Dangerous Cargo available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo and released as an audio book on 1 January 2019, narrated by Peter Noble.
Dangerous Cargo available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo and released as an audio book on 1 January 2019, narrated by Peter Noble.
Dangerous Cargo released as an unabridged audio book narrated by Peter Noble, published by Soundings.
How a mysterious telephone call sparks an investigation in DI Andy Horton DEAD PASSAGE
In the previous blogs I have talked about the locations that inspired me for DEAD PASSAGE, number 14 in the DI Andy Horton series. These are Rat Island in Portsmouth Harbour, The Spur Redoubt, the Solent Forts and Lumps Fort, the latter now Southsea Rose Gardens.
In addition to locations the idea for DEAD PASSAGE also came when I was crossing on the Wightlink Ferry the St Clair from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight.
I could visualize Andy Horton on board waiting for someone he had reluctantly agreed to meet because she claims she has something to tell him about her dead father, once the Labour Member of Parliament for Portsmouth whose death in a local hotel twelve years ago had been deemed misadventure due to a drug overdose. But she doesn't show.
This simple idea sparked many questions - what is it about her father's death she has discovered? Why call Horton when he wasn't on the original investigation? Why not got to the police station to report any new evidence? Why meet on the Isle of Wight ferry? And then why not show? This all set me off on a story line.
The trilling of Horton’s desk phone sent a jagged pain shooting through his throbbing head. He reached for the phone without looking at the display, expecting it to be his boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, bellyaching about some failure on his part.
‘Yes,’ he said wearily, his eyes still on his computer screen.
‘Is that Inspector Horton?’ a woman asked. It certainly wasn’t Bliss.
‘It is.’ He pulled himself up.
‘This is Adele Goldsby.’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t––’
‘Remember me, no, I don’t expect you do. I’m Dudley Goldsby’s daughter.’
It took Horton a few moments before it clicked. Of course, Dudley Goldsby had been the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South-West and it had been April 2005 when he had found Goldsby’s naked body sprawled on a bed in a hotel room on Southsea seafront. Now fully alert, despite his headache, Horton asked how he could help.
‘I can’t tell you over the phone. Meet me on the Wightlink car ferry to the Isle of Wight, the St Clare, sailing at eleven this morning.’
‘It’s rather difficult at the––’
‘Please.’
He heard the urgency in her voice. To say he was too busy would be cruel but the truth. He was so inundated with work that if he stayed at his desk non-stop for a fortnight he’d still have a pile of paperwork the size of an Egyptian pyramid. But he didn’t like to turn her down or fob her off. ‘Couldn’t you come to the station?’ he offered.
‘No,’ she replied firmly. ‘There’s something I need to show you. Please, just this once. I’ve never asked you for anything before.’
And when Horton tried to resist:
‘It has to be you,’ she hastily interrupted in a determined manner, yet there was no sign of hysteria in her voice.
There was nothing for it. With a reluctance that he hid from his voice, he said, ‘How will I know you?’
So DI Andy Horton is off on a new complex and twisting investigation where he uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
In addition to locations the idea for DEAD PASSAGE also came when I was crossing on the Wightlink Ferry the St Clair from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight.
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DI Andy Horton mystery DEAD PASSAGE |
I could visualize Andy Horton on board waiting for someone he had reluctantly agreed to meet because she claims she has something to tell him about her dead father, once the Labour Member of Parliament for Portsmouth whose death in a local hotel twelve years ago had been deemed misadventure due to a drug overdose. But she doesn't show.
 |
Isle of Wight Ferry, St Clare at Portsmouth |
Read an extract – Page one from DEAD PASSAGE
March – WednesdayThe trilling of Horton’s desk phone sent a jagged pain shooting through his throbbing head. He reached for the phone without looking at the display, expecting it to be his boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, bellyaching about some failure on his part.
‘Yes,’ he said wearily, his eyes still on his computer screen.
‘Is that Inspector Horton?’ a woman asked. It certainly wasn’t Bliss.
‘It is.’ He pulled himself up.
‘This is Adele Goldsby.’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t––’
‘Remember me, no, I don’t expect you do. I’m Dudley Goldsby’s daughter.’
It took Horton a few moments before it clicked. Of course, Dudley Goldsby had been the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South-West and it had been April 2005 when he had found Goldsby’s naked body sprawled on a bed in a hotel room on Southsea seafront. Now fully alert, despite his headache, Horton asked how he could help.
‘I can’t tell you over the phone. Meet me on the Wightlink car ferry to the Isle of Wight, the St Clare, sailing at eleven this morning.’
‘It’s rather difficult at the––’
‘Please.’
He heard the urgency in her voice. To say he was too busy would be cruel but the truth. He was so inundated with work that if he stayed at his desk non-stop for a fortnight he’d still have a pile of paperwork the size of an Egyptian pyramid. But he didn’t like to turn her down or fob her off. ‘Couldn’t you come to the station?’ he offered.
‘No,’ she replied firmly. ‘There’s something I need to show you. Please, just this once. I’ve never asked you for anything before.’
And when Horton tried to resist:
‘It has to be you,’ she hastily interrupted in a determined manner, yet there was no sign of hysteria in her voice.
There was nothing for it. With a reluctance that he hid from his voice, he said, ‘How will I know you?’
So DI Andy Horton is off on a new complex and twisting investigation where he uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
DEAD PASSAGE, number 14 in the DI Andy Horton series is available in paperback, an ebook and on Amazon Kindle.
Second Art Marvik mystery thriller DANGEROUS CARGO by Pauline Rowson now released as an audio book
In Dangerous Cargo, Marvik's second mission for the National Intelligence Marine Squad, the former Royal Marine commando finds himself on the trail of a 50-year-old mystery, his task to catch a ruthless killer whose murders span over half a century.
'Rowson’s superhero, Art Marvik, returns in another pulse-pounding adventure. Delivering more than enough action to keep adrenaline junkies reading.' Booklist
I'm delighted that Soundings has published this crime novel in audio book format as I know that many of my listeners are eagerly awaiting it.
Peter Noble is an Earphones Award-winning narrator. He's recorded more than 250 bestselling audio books and audio dramas. Born in South Africa he studied music and drama has worked in the theatre, as well as appearing on radio, TV and film. He now lives in Hertfordshire.
Crime Review says, 'Dangerous Cargo is the sort of book where you can’t look away for a second or you’ll be sunk. Pauline Rowson is the queen of misdirection in this outing for former marine Art Marvik.'
All my unabridged audio books are available on Audible via Amazon and for loan in public libraries. They can also be ordered from local booksellers or direct from the publisher via their website or by telephone on 01865 250333.
They are also available in paperback and as ebooks on Amazon Kindle and Kobo.
What's in store in 2019 for crime author Pauline Rowson
Happy New Year.
Here we are in 2019 and it looks set to be another interesting year. I'll leave World affairs to other pundits, here I take a look ahead to what is planned on the crime writing front and with my crime novels and talks. A much safer bet I think!
In 2019 two of my crime novels will be released as audio books; I have a brand new 1950 set crime novel being published; publication in the USA, talks and lots happening on the writing front. So here is a look ahead.
New Crime Audio Books
2019 kicks off well with DANGEROUS CARGO, the second in the Art Marvik mystery thriller series released as an audio book on 1 January 2019. It is narrated by Peter Noble who narrated the first in the Art Marvik mystery thriller series, SILENT RUNNING and received great reviews.
In Dangerous Cargo, the former marine commando finds himself on the trail of a 50-year-old mystery, his task to catch a ruthless killer whose murders span over half a century. Dangerous Cargo is already published in paperback and as an ebook.
'Rowson’s superhero, Art Marvik, returns in another pulse-pounding adventure. Delivering more than enough action to keep adrenaline junkies reading.' Booklist.
Dangerous Cargo is also published as a paperback, e book and on Amazon Kindle and Kobo
Then between April and June, DI Andy Horton SHROUD OF EVIL (no. 11 in the series of 14) is to be released as an audio book narrated by Gordon Griffin who has already narrated nine in the DI Andy Horton series. Both audio books will be published by Soundings, part of Isis Publishing, the World’s leading publisher of unabridged audio books.
"A compelling protagonist and mounting suspense make the book hard to put down." Publishers Weekly.
When Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator, he believes Kenton is either with a woman, or he’s stolen from a client and absconded with the money. But when Kenton’s car turns up,and a shocking discovery is made, things turn serious. Immediately, Horton finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications.
Both these are already available in paperback, as ebooks and on Amazon Kindle.
New crime novel to be published
In October 2019 my new crime novel is to be published, DEATH IN THE COVE. Death in the Cove features a Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga who is called out to investigate coastal crimes. In the first of the series Inspector Ryga meets war photographer Eva Paisley and they strike up a partnership that will run through the series.
Death in the Cove is set in a nation still gripped by austerity and rationing after the Second World War. Recently promoted to Inspector in the Criminal Investigations Department of Scotland Yard, Ryga is on his first solo investigation outside of London and he is keen to prove his worth. Years working at sea in the Merchant Navy and then four years spent as a German prisoner-of-war have made him watchful and thoughtful, and given him insights into his fellow man, along with a promise to himself to keep an open mind. It is set on the Island of Portland in Dorset, where the body of an unidentified man dressed in a pin-striped suit is found in the secluded Church Ope Cove.
I do hope many of you will enjoy this new mystery set in a very different world from today where police officers can't just hop in a car and dash about and where there are no mobile phones or Internet. My aim in writing this novel is not only provide an intriguing crime and an entertaining crime novel but to reflect the times, the fashions, the attitudes and a much slower pace of life before Britain headed for the more racy 1960s.
On the writing front
I've just finished writing the first draft of the second Inspector Alun Ryga novel and will be working on the revisions later during the year. Before then I will be writing my second 1940 set murder mystery play. My first has been performed a couple of times, most recently in Bristol by the Winterbourne Players who did a splendid job, the audience loved it and they are keen to stage another of my murder mystery plays.
I'll also be working on a new DI Andy Horton novel which I hope will be published early 2020. I'm being urged by readers to let Andy find love or at least have some romance. Maybe he will. And will he discover the truth behind his mother's disappearance? We'll have to wait and see.
Overseas publication
The Inspector Andy Horton crime novel LETHAL WAVES number 13 in the series is to be published in mass market paperback by Harlequin Books USA in October. Harlequin Book Club members will receive their copy in October before it goes on general sale in November. Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, itself a subsidiary of News Corp and one of the largest consumer book publishers in the world. Harlequin has offices in 14 countries, including offices in Toronto and New York. Lethal Waves is already on sale worldwide as an e book and in paperback. I'm looking forward to seeing the new cover design for this edition.
Talks
At the present I only have two talks lined up for 2019 but I am sure more will be booked as the year progresses. On 12 March I will be talking about The Secrets of Successful Crime Writing to members of Hamble Valley U3A and on the 19 September to Westbourne WI. If you would like me to speak at an event do please contact me via my website.
That's it for now but there is sure to be more happening throughout the year. Do check back on the website for updates or subscribe to my monthly newsletter to receive all the latest book news, articles, events and interviews.
Happy New Year.
An exciting murder mystery play, Murder at the Pelican Club
An entertaining detective play Murder At The Pelican Club by Pauline Rowson is a 1940s murder mystery, an Agatha Christie style detective drama that will have audiences guessing ‘who done it.’ Written with a touch of humour, the play takes place in the Pelican Nightclub and Restaurant in November 1940. It can be performed on stage, or in a restaurant setting. Only one set is needed and eight actors.
Contact www.rowmark.co.uk for more information.
Contact www.rowmark.co.uk for more information.
Happy Christmas 2018 from Pauline Rowson
From Inspector Andy Horton and his colleagues on his CID patch in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight;
From Art Marvik and Shaun Strathen and their colleagues in the National Intelligence Marine Squad.
and of course from myself their creator.
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Pauline Rowson |
Wishing you all a safe, healthy and happy Christmas.
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| A Lighthouse Christmas by Pauline Rowson |
See you all in 2019.
Crime author Pauline Rowson on the facts behind fingerprinting
Hampshire Police Fingerprint Bureau have assisted me many times with my
research for my Inspector Andy Horton crime novels for which I'm
very grateful. I've visited Hampshire Police Support Headquarters at
Netley to study how the fingerprints taken at the scene of crime and of
people in police custody are identified.
Jane Ashton, Supervisory Fingerprint Examiner, showed me around the
modern single storey building at Hampshire Police Support Headquarters
named Herschel House appropriately after the father of fingerprinting
William James Herschel who was born in Slough on 9th January 1833. He
was the grandson of astronomer William Herschel, and the son of John
Herschel, also an astronomer but his father asked him to choose another
career, luckily for us, and he joined the East India Company.
Following the Indian Mutiny of 1858 he joined the Indian Civil Service and it was here, while drawing up a contract with a local man, that he made him use a hand print in order to prevent him from denying the contract later.
Throughout his life Herschel experimented with fingerprints using them to prevent forgery and as an administrative tool. But it was Francis Galton and Edward Henry, building on the foundations that Herschel had laid, that turned fingerprinting into a tool for fighting crime. And I saw it in action.
Jane had several files on her desk of prints taken at crime scenes with the locations of where they had been lifted clearly written on the lightweight plastic squares. Some prints were quite clear, others rather smudgy, to me at least, although Jane with her vast experience and training quickly dismissed that, she could see through the grey smudges to clear prints. These had been lifted primarily from burglaries but I also saw some interesting photographs of prints lifted using chemicals taken from wrappings on a drugs hauls. The prints taken of those in custody were on paper and therefore were very clear.
Although the police have a computer system for fingerprints called IDENT1, fingerprints are still physically examined by humans, through an eye glass and by careful study. The trained examiners know exactly what to look for and how skin reacts, ages and can be scarred. They can spot a scar and other smaller details that IDENT1 can't.
Fingerprints taken at the scene of the crime without a suspect in custody will be studied by the examiner, scanned and then run through IDENT1 to see if a match comes up. The match will be run for those first in the county of Hampshire and then widened to the outlying counties and if the officers at the crime scene have reason to believe the crime could have been committed by someone from outside the immediate area, and/or if the crime is a major one then the search will broaden to national. The image on the computer will be compared to that taken at the scene and the trained fingerprint examiners will be able to confirm if they have a match. Fingerprints, palm prints and toe prints don't lie. They are unique and even identical twins will have different fingerprints.
Fingerprints on objects can survive for a very long time and can be lifted from paint, oil grease and from those left in blood.
I thought with all the villains watching CSI and police dramas on television they'd all be wearing gloves and know exactly how to avoid leaving fingerprints but not so it seems, thankfully. Many crimes are committed in haste, those that are opportunistic, those by drug addicts desperate to get money for their next fix who never think rationally or intelligently, and never stop to wear gloves. And even in the serious and organised crimes I'm informed that villains will often remove their gloves or a glove for one reason or another (sometimes to go to the toilet). It is very difficult to keep gloves on all the time, they will leave a tell-tale mark somewhere and the role of the scene of crime officers is to find that. The role of the fingerprint examiners are to identify it and if it can't be identified because the criminal is not on the database then it is held until one day that person commits another offence and it is matched.
It's a fascinating topic. My thanks to Jane Ashton and her team at Hampshire Police Fingerprint
Bureau.
DEAD PASSAGE, number 14 in the DI Andy Horton crime series, available in paperback, e book and on Amazon Kindle.
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
 |
Crime author Pauline Rowson with Jane Ashton, Supervisory Fingerprint Examiner |
Following the Indian Mutiny of 1858 he joined the Indian Civil Service and it was here, while drawing up a contract with a local man, that he made him use a hand print in order to prevent him from denying the contract later.
Throughout his life Herschel experimented with fingerprints using them to prevent forgery and as an administrative tool. But it was Francis Galton and Edward Henry, building on the foundations that Herschel had laid, that turned fingerprinting into a tool for fighting crime. And I saw it in action.
Jane had several files on her desk of prints taken at crime scenes with the locations of where they had been lifted clearly written on the lightweight plastic squares. Some prints were quite clear, others rather smudgy, to me at least, although Jane with her vast experience and training quickly dismissed that, she could see through the grey smudges to clear prints. These had been lifted primarily from burglaries but I also saw some interesting photographs of prints lifted using chemicals taken from wrappings on a drugs hauls. The prints taken of those in custody were on paper and therefore were very clear.
Although the police have a computer system for fingerprints called IDENT1, fingerprints are still physically examined by humans, through an eye glass and by careful study. The trained examiners know exactly what to look for and how skin reacts, ages and can be scarred. They can spot a scar and other smaller details that IDENT1 can't.
Fingerprints taken at the scene of the crime without a suspect in custody will be studied by the examiner, scanned and then run through IDENT1 to see if a match comes up. The match will be run for those first in the county of Hampshire and then widened to the outlying counties and if the officers at the crime scene have reason to believe the crime could have been committed by someone from outside the immediate area, and/or if the crime is a major one then the search will broaden to national. The image on the computer will be compared to that taken at the scene and the trained fingerprint examiners will be able to confirm if they have a match. Fingerprints, palm prints and toe prints don't lie. They are unique and even identical twins will have different fingerprints.
Fingerprints on objects can survive for a very long time and can be lifted from paint, oil grease and from those left in blood.
I thought with all the villains watching CSI and police dramas on television they'd all be wearing gloves and know exactly how to avoid leaving fingerprints but not so it seems, thankfully. Many crimes are committed in haste, those that are opportunistic, those by drug addicts desperate to get money for their next fix who never think rationally or intelligently, and never stop to wear gloves. And even in the serious and organised crimes I'm informed that villains will often remove their gloves or a glove for one reason or another (sometimes to go to the toilet). It is very difficult to keep gloves on all the time, they will leave a tell-tale mark somewhere and the role of the scene of crime officers is to find that. The role of the fingerprint examiners are to identify it and if it can't be identified because the criminal is not on the database then it is held until one day that person commits another offence and it is matched.
It's a fascinating topic. My thanks to Jane Ashton and her team at Hampshire Police Fingerprint
Bureau.
A mysterious telephone call sends Horton on a complex and twisted investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago and uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the past.
Where to buy
Pauline Rowson's books at The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)
Pauline Rowson's books USA
Pauline Rowson's books UK
From your local bookshop
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
Crime author Pauline Rowson looks back at her talks, interviews and events in 2018
Yes it's that time of year again when a round up of events is on the cards! In 2018 I was busy meeting lots of readers and entertaining audiences with tales of my crime busting heroes, DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik and revealing the secrets of successful crime writing to audiences.
The year also ended with the staging of my 1940 murder mystery set play, MURDER AT THE PELICAN CLUB performed by the Winterbourne Players, Bristol and directed by Michele English and what a performance. The audience loved it.
Here it is then a round up or my talks, interviews and events in 2018. Happy watching.
The year also ended with the staging of my 1940 murder mystery set play, MURDER AT THE PELICAN CLUB performed by the Winterbourne Players, Bristol and directed by Michele English and what a performance. The audience loved it.
Here it is then a round up or my talks, interviews and events in 2018. Happy watching.
On location with DI Andy Horton in DEAD PASSAGE read extracts and see more location shots
DEAD PASSAGE number fourteen in the DI Andy Horton series of crime
novels is set on Horton’s CID patch, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. A
mysterious telephone call sends Horton on a complex and twisted
investigation into the death of a local politician twelve years ago and
uncovers a trail of lies, secrets and revenge with roots deep in the
past.
Continuing with the story behind the DI Andy Horton crime novel, DEAD PASSAGE, I have mentioned in previous blogs that DI Andy Horton’s patch, Portsmouth, is not only a vibrant coastal area and commercial port but is also steeped in history.
In previous Horton novels I have featured some of the locations used in DEAD PASSAGE - the ancient fortifications which were erected by Henry VII and Henry VIII to protect the city from the marauding French and the Spur Redoubt.
Here is another fortification erected in a later period and known as Lord Palmerston’s Follies, the Solent Forts, which is also featured in DEAD PASSAGE. This is No Man's Fort which, like another of the Solent Forts, Spitbank Fort, is now a unique luxury hotel and well worth a stay or a visit for lunch.
My grateful thanks to Solent Forts for helping me with my research for DEAD PASSAGE
He will be called upon to do so though, but that would be spoiling the story for you.
Also featured in DEAD PASSAGE is Lumps Fort. It doesn’t look much like this in DEAD PASSAGE which is set in March.
So why does Harnley look ill, what is troubling him and Pilbeam? Who are they? What connects them if anything and what connects this with Rat Island, the Spur Redoubt, No Man’s Fort and Lumps Fort.? DEAD PASSAGE, number 14 in the DI Andy Horton series, will reveal all.
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
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Dead Passage, DI Andy Horton crime novel by Pauline Rowson |
In previous Horton novels I have featured some of the locations used in DEAD PASSAGE - the ancient fortifications which were erected by Henry VII and Henry VIII to protect the city from the marauding French and the Spur Redoubt.
Here is another fortification erected in a later period and known as Lord Palmerston’s Follies, the Solent Forts, which is also featured in DEAD PASSAGE. This is No Man's Fort which, like another of the Solent Forts, Spitbank Fort, is now a unique luxury hotel and well worth a stay or a visit for lunch.
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No Man's Fort - Solent featured in crime novel DEAD PASSAGE |
About the Solent Forts
Fear of invasion by the French led by Napoleon III resulted in the commissioning of these sea based defences by British Prime Minister Lord Henry Palmerston. Concerned that the naval fleet and Portsmouth dockyard would be a target, work began on five commissioned forts in the 1860s. With 15ft granite walls and armour plating, these magnificent structures are testament to the skill of Victorian engineering. Taking 15 years to complete, by the time the forts were ready for occupation, the feared French threat of invasion no longer existed and hence, the forts became known as "Palmerston’s follies”.My grateful thanks to Solent Forts for helping me with my research for DEAD PASSAGE
An extract from DEAD PASSAGE
Horton drank his coffee and stared out at the grey, increasingly choppy sea. There were only a couple of hardy sailors braving it and a launch which was making its way towards the solid circular granite structure of one of the four Solent forts built to protect Portsmouth from the marauding French in 1867. The French had never made it to Portsmouth in the 1800s but they did now on the ferries that sailed into the international port. In the Second World War the forts had played their part in helping to defend the dockyard, after which they had lain derelict for years until Spitbank Fort, where the launch was heading, had been converted into a luxury hotel like its larger sister, No Man’s Fort, further east and closer to the Isle of Wight. Horton had never been on them.He will be called upon to do so though, but that would be spoiling the story for you.
Also featured in DEAD PASSAGE is Lumps Fort. It doesn’t look much like this in DEAD PASSAGE which is set in March.
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Southsea Rose Gardens - Lumps Fort featured in crime novel DEAD PASSAGE |
Read the extract
Horton had left the Harley in the adjacent car park and walked the short distance to Lumps Fort which had become the rose gardens years ago. It was just off the seafront with only the ruined fortified walls and a few mounts for guns to show it had once formed part of the city’s defences built in the mid to late 1800s. In summer the gardens were a riot of colours and scent. Now the bare rose twigs sprouted tentatively above the well-cultivated brown earth. It was just after one o’clock but the gardens were deserted thanks to the almost gale-force gusting wind roaring off the sea and the fitful rain showers that accompanied it. Harnley was huddled in the far left-hand corner under the covered shelter that ran along part of the walls. Horton took a seat beside the fidgety fretful man whose eyes were constantly moving. Harnley, like Pilbeam, looked drawn and ill.So why does Harnley look ill, what is troubling him and Pilbeam? Who are they? What connects them if anything and what connects this with Rat Island, the Spur Redoubt, No Man’s Fort and Lumps Fort.? DEAD PASSAGE, number 14 in the DI Andy Horton series, will reveal all.
DEAD PASSAGE is available in paperback, an ebook and on Amazon Kindle.
Where to buy
Pauline Rowson's books at The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)
Pauline Rowson's books USA
Pauline Rowson's books UK
From your local bookshop
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
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