How did you create DI Andy Horton, Art Marvik and Inspector Ryga?
I like heroes. I make no apology for that and being married to a former veteran and fire fighter I had plenty of material to choose from when creating my crime busting fictional heroes - the flawed and rugged fictional detective, DI Andy Horton; the likable, smart, tough, but all too human hero, Art Marvik and my new 1950 Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga who makes his debut in DEATH IN THE COVE on 26 September 2019 ( available for pre-order).
His empathy enables him to put himself in a victim’s shoes, to imagine events from their perspective (even the moments up to their death), making leaps of deduction few would be able to. And he’s most often right. But it also makes him vulnerable. He carries a lot of personal baggage as many people do, men especially, who have difficulty in unburdening themselves and sharing their problems.
Abandoned by his mother at the age of ten, with no knowledge of his father he's been raised in children's homes and in care. This has made him a very self-contained person, who finds it difficult to trust. He is especially tough on bullies, or people who abuse their power or position, as they remind him of the people in the children’s homes. When this happens, when his guard slips, he’s like a raw nerve. He fears his emotions will betray him.
He feels a duty of care to the victims of the crimes he investigates and often feels like he’s the only person looking out for them; the only one who can bring the guilty to justice so that the dead can rest. No one cared about him when he was a child; he won’t let that happen to anyone else.
There are currently 14 in the DI Andy Horton series with DEAD PASSAGE the latest which was published in October 2018.
With Marvik I wanted a character who was not bound by the official rules of the law, but who was nevertheless on the right side of it and the Marvik novels had to have all the hallmarks of my brand – a troubled hero, the sea, boats, interesting and diverse characters and lots of action.
Marvik, like Horton, is also fit and tough, but he is a former Royal Marine Commando, Special Boat Services officer while Andy Horton is a copper. Whereas Andy Horton is emotionally scarred, Marvik is physically scarred having incurred facial injuries in combat. He’s also desperately trying to adjust to a new life outside the services and this can be very difficult for a number of veterans (and fire fighters) who have seen a lot of action and trauma and experienced many high adrenaline fixes.
Marvik thought he’d be able to adjust and carve out a new career for himself on the sea, but his first job as a private maritime security operative goes very wrong when the luxury motor cruiser he was travelling on and had been detailed to guard, gets attacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean, and Marvik finds himself with a bullet in his shoulder and the boat’s owner dead. He’d failed on his first mission in civilian life, and SILENT RUNNING opens with him reeling from it. When he’s invited to work undercover on dangerous assignments for Detective Superintendent Crowder’s National Intelligence Marine Squad, Marvik grabs it with both hands.
Marvik's role is to go into a mission with the minimum of information, to probe, ask questions, stir up trouble and provoke the truth and a killer into the open. There are currently three in the Marvik mystery thriller series, Silent Running, Dangerous Cargo and Lost Voyage.
DEATH IN THE COVE introduces Inspector Alun Ryga. It is set in 1950, England, a country still suffering the physical and mental scars of six years of war in the grip of austerity and rationing. Recently promoted to Inspector at Scotland Yard, Ryga,a former Merchant Navy seaman and German prisoner-of-war is despatched to the Island of Portland in Dorset to solve an unusual and baffling case.
The 1950s is a fascinating period where memories of the war are very strong, and the fear of more world conflicts haunt people. Society and policing in the 1950s was vastly different to today, no mobile phones, no dashing about and no computers so it was extremely interesting to research and write.
Scotland Yard were frequently called in to investigate murder cases around the UK so rather than have the novel (and series) rooted in London I could move my detective around the country to help solve crimes. Once again, though, I wanted to feature the sea in my crime novels - my trademark or brand if you like - so I created a character with an intimate knowledge of the sea, a former Merchant Seaman.
In addition, I didn't want to make Ryga an action hero but sought to differ him from DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik by creating a man who was more reflective. Neither did I want someone who had been hailed as a war hero but who had been forced to suffer the war in captivity. Ryga, therefore, is one of many who had no option but to wait and hope for endless days, months and years that the war would end and the Nazis would be defeated.
Ryga’s background, and the years of incarceration, have made him unique in his approach to solving coastal based crimes. His experience at sea and four years spent in MILAG (Marine Internierten Lager) after his ship was seized by a German Raider has made him watchful, analytical and reflective and given him insights into his fellow man, along with a promise to himself to keep an open mind.
The war has also unexpectedly resulted in opening up a new career for Ryga. Encouraged by a fellow prisoner to study, Ryga with the help of his mentor made the transition from the Merchant Navy to the Thames River Police. Before DEATH IN THE COVE opens Ryga has been involved in two highly successful criminal investigations at the Port of London and as a result had been catapulted into the Metropolitan Police and then into CID in Scotland Yard. Now he is being called upon to utilize his vast knowledge of the sea on his first solo investigation out of London to discover why a man dressed in a pinstriped suit has been stabbed in the neck and ended up dead on the beach of a small cove on Portland on the Dorset coast.
Detective Inspector Andy Horton
Andy Horton is a combination of many men I have met during my adult life primarily those who I have met through my husband’s career as a fire fighter, fit, fearless, caring and with a strong sense of duty to the public. Andy Horton has all these qualities and along with being tough and resilient he is also deeply empathetic.His empathy enables him to put himself in a victim’s shoes, to imagine events from their perspective (even the moments up to their death), making leaps of deduction few would be able to. And he’s most often right. But it also makes him vulnerable. He carries a lot of personal baggage as many people do, men especially, who have difficulty in unburdening themselves and sharing their problems.
Abandoned by his mother at the age of ten, with no knowledge of his father he's been raised in children's homes and in care. This has made him a very self-contained person, who finds it difficult to trust. He is especially tough on bullies, or people who abuse their power or position, as they remind him of the people in the children’s homes. When this happens, when his guard slips, he’s like a raw nerve. He fears his emotions will betray him.
He feels a duty of care to the victims of the crimes he investigates and often feels like he’s the only person looking out for them; the only one who can bring the guilty to justice so that the dead can rest. No one cared about him when he was a child; he won’t let that happen to anyone else.
There are currently 14 in the DI Andy Horton series with DEAD PASSAGE the latest which was published in October 2018.
And what about Art Marvik?
With Marvik I wanted a character who was not bound by the official rules of the law, but who was nevertheless on the right side of it and the Marvik novels had to have all the hallmarks of my brand – a troubled hero, the sea, boats, interesting and diverse characters and lots of action.
Marvik, like Horton, is also fit and tough, but he is a former Royal Marine Commando, Special Boat Services officer while Andy Horton is a copper. Whereas Andy Horton is emotionally scarred, Marvik is physically scarred having incurred facial injuries in combat. He’s also desperately trying to adjust to a new life outside the services and this can be very difficult for a number of veterans (and fire fighters) who have seen a lot of action and trauma and experienced many high adrenaline fixes.
Marvik thought he’d be able to adjust and carve out a new career for himself on the sea, but his first job as a private maritime security operative goes very wrong when the luxury motor cruiser he was travelling on and had been detailed to guard, gets attacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean, and Marvik finds himself with a bullet in his shoulder and the boat’s owner dead. He’d failed on his first mission in civilian life, and SILENT RUNNING opens with him reeling from it. When he’s invited to work undercover on dangerous assignments for Detective Superintendent Crowder’s National Intelligence Marine Squad, Marvik grabs it with both hands.
Marvik's role is to go into a mission with the minimum of information, to probe, ask questions, stir up trouble and provoke the truth and a killer into the open. There are currently three in the Marvik mystery thriller series, Silent Running, Dangerous Cargo and Lost Voyage.
Introducing the latest fictional sleuth - Scotland Yard's Inspector Alun Ryga
DEATH IN THE COVE introduces Inspector Alun Ryga. It is set in 1950, England, a country still suffering the physical and mental scars of six years of war in the grip of austerity and rationing. Recently promoted to Inspector at Scotland Yard, Ryga,a former Merchant Navy seaman and German prisoner-of-war is despatched to the Island of Portland in Dorset to solve an unusual and baffling case.
The 1950s is a fascinating period where memories of the war are very strong, and the fear of more world conflicts haunt people. Society and policing in the 1950s was vastly different to today, no mobile phones, no dashing about and no computers so it was extremely interesting to research and write.
Scotland Yard were frequently called in to investigate murder cases around the UK so rather than have the novel (and series) rooted in London I could move my detective around the country to help solve crimes. Once again, though, I wanted to feature the sea in my crime novels - my trademark or brand if you like - so I created a character with an intimate knowledge of the sea, a former Merchant Seaman.
In addition, I didn't want to make Ryga an action hero but sought to differ him from DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik by creating a man who was more reflective. Neither did I want someone who had been hailed as a war hero but who had been forced to suffer the war in captivity. Ryga, therefore, is one of many who had no option but to wait and hope for endless days, months and years that the war would end and the Nazis would be defeated.
Ryga’s background, and the years of incarceration, have made him unique in his approach to solving coastal based crimes. His experience at sea and four years spent in MILAG (Marine Internierten Lager) after his ship was seized by a German Raider has made him watchful, analytical and reflective and given him insights into his fellow man, along with a promise to himself to keep an open mind.
The war has also unexpectedly resulted in opening up a new career for Ryga. Encouraged by a fellow prisoner to study, Ryga with the help of his mentor made the transition from the Merchant Navy to the Thames River Police. Before DEATH IN THE COVE opens Ryga has been involved in two highly successful criminal investigations at the Port of London and as a result had been catapulted into the Metropolitan Police and then into CID in Scotland Yard. Now he is being called upon to utilize his vast knowledge of the sea on his first solo investigation out of London to discover why a man dressed in a pinstriped suit has been stabbed in the neck and ended up dead on the beach of a small cove on Portland on the Dorset coast.
DEATH IN THE COVE is published in paperback, ebook, Amazon Kindle, Kobo and as an audio book on 26 September 2019 Available for pre-order.
DI Andy Horton on the trail of a killer in DEAD PASSAGE
"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." The Book Depository
The NEW Inspector Andy Horton crime novel (no.14) published in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo
Met some avid DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik fans at Woolston Library
I was delighted to entertain readers at Woolston Library, Southampton on 9 July when I met some lovely and very avid DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik fans. It was very heart warming and motivating to hear from them how much they enjoyed reading my crime novels
I explained how I write my crime novels set on the South Coast of England. I now have nineteen crime novels published, soon to be twenty in September with the first in my new historical mystery series set in 1950 introducing Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga in DEATH IN THE COVE. There are fourteen novels in the DI Andy Horton series set in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight;three in the Art Marvik mystery thriller series; and two standalone thrillers, IN COLD DAYLIGHT and IN FOR THE KILL.
I explained how locations along the south coast of England provide the inspiration for my crime novels and how I turn these ideas into multi-layered and gripping plots, how I develop plot lines by creating a storyboard; how I create characters using spidergrams and how I research the police procedure and the forensic aspects of my crime novels. Following my talk there was a lively question and answer session and a book signing. It was a pleasure to talk to the lovely audience at Woolston Library.
Available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo. 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
Marvik faces a desperate battle to save others from a ruthless assassin who will stop at nothing in order to protect the secret of the Mary Jo’s last voyage from ever being exposed
"Plenty of action, I didn't want to put the book down. A good read for mystery/ thriller fans." Net Galley
England 1950, a country still struggling to come to terms with peace in the grip of austerity and rationing.
Recently promoted to Inspector at Scotland Yard the former merchant navy seaman and German prisoner-of-war is despatched to the Island of Portland in Dorset to solve an unusual and baffling case.
Published in paperback, e book, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo and as an audio book on 26 September 2019. Now available to pre-order.
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Pauline Rowson at Woolston Library |
I explained how I write my crime novels set on the South Coast of England. I now have nineteen crime novels published, soon to be twenty in September with the first in my new historical mystery series set in 1950 introducing Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga in DEATH IN THE COVE. There are fourteen novels in the DI Andy Horton series set in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight;three in the Art Marvik mystery thriller series; and two standalone thrillers, IN COLD DAYLIGHT and IN FOR THE KILL.
 |
Woolston Library Pauline Rowson demonstrating her plot lines |
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Woolston Library Pauline Rowson talking about her crime novels |
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Woolston Library Pauline Rowson signing copies of her crime novels |
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Crime author Pauline Rowson at Woolston Library |
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Pauline Rowson at Woolston Library before giving her talk |
Dead Passage is the latest Inspector Andy Horton mystery, number 14 in the series
Available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo. 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
Lost Voyage is the latest Art Marvik mystery thriller, number 3 in the series
Marvik faces a desperate battle to save others from a ruthless assassin who will stop at nothing in order to protect the secret of the Mary Jo’s last voyage from ever being exposed
"Plenty of action, I didn't want to put the book down. A good read for mystery/ thriller fans." Net Galley
Death in the Cove, an Inspector Alun Ryga 1950 mystery, available for pre-order (published September 2019)
England 1950, a country still struggling to come to terms with peace in the grip of austerity and rationing.
Recently promoted to Inspector at Scotland Yard the former merchant navy seaman and German prisoner-of-war is despatched to the Island of Portland in Dorset to solve an unusual and baffling case.
Published in paperback, e book, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo and as an audio book on 26 September 2019. Now available to pre-order.
Dead Passage an Inspector Andy Horton mystery "'has all the juicy ingredients that make a good story"
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.
"This book has all the juicy ingredients that make a good story: an historic death of a politician, a daughter who urgently wants to speak to the inspector, as she has ‘something to reveal’ about her father’s death, and also a few interesting characters that keep you guessing about who’s telling the truth…and who has something to hide." BH Living Magazine
"This book has all the juicy ingredients that make a good story: an historic death of a politician, a daughter who urgently wants to speak to the inspector, as she has ‘something to reveal’ about her father’s death, and also a few interesting characters that keep you guessing about who’s telling the truth…and who has something to hide." BH Living Magazine
Available in paperback, as an e book on Amazon Kindle
Read an extract
Dead Passage, the latest in the Inspector Andy Horton series (14)
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
Available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo
Introducing the latest fictional sleuth - Scotland Yard's Inspector Alun Ryga
The 1950s is a fascinating period where memories of the war are very strong, and the fear of more world conflicts haunt people. Society and policing in the 1950s was vastly different to today, no mobile phones, no dashing about and no computers so it was extremely interesting to research and write.
Scotland Yard were frequently called in to investigate murder cases around the UK so rather than have the novel (and series) rooted in London I could move my detective around the country to help solve crimes. Once again, though, I wanted to feature the sea in my crime novels - my trademark or brand if you like - so I created a character with an intimate knowledge of the sea, a former Merchant Seaman.
In addition, I didn't want to make Ryga an action hero but sought to differ him from DI Andy Horton and Art Marvik by creating a man who was more reflective. Neither did I want someone who had been hailed as a war hero but who had been forced to suffer the war in captivity. Ryga, therefore, is one of many who had no option but to wait and hope for endless days, months and years that the war would end and the Nazis would be defeated.
Ryga’s background, and the years of incarceration, have made him unique in his approach to solving coastal based crimes. His experience at sea and four years spent in MILAG (Marine Internierten Lager) after his ship was seized by a German Raider has made him watchful, analytical and reflective and given him insights into his fellow man, along with a promise to himself to keep an open mind.
The war has also unexpectedly resulted in opening up a new career for Ryga. Encouraged by a fellow prisoner to study, Ryga with the help of his mentor made the transition from the Merchant Navy to the Thames River Police. Before DEATH IN THE COVE opens Ryga has been involved in two highly successful criminal investigations at the Port of London and as a result had been catapulted into the Metropolitan Police and then into CID in Scotland Yard. Now he is being called upon to utilize his vast knowledge of the sea on his first solo investigation out of London to discover why a man dressed in a pinstriped suit has been stabbed in the neck and ended up dead on the beach of a small cove on Portland on the Dorset coast.
DEATH IN THE COVE is published in paperback, ebook, Amazon Kindle, Kobo and an audio book. 26 September 2019. Available for pre-order.
New 1940s set Murder Mystery Play Murder at Hillingbrook Halt
Delighted to announce that my new 1940s set murder mystery play, MURDER AT HILLINGBROOK HALT is now published.
Written in the vein of the classic crime thrillers of the 20th century, an Agatha Christie style detective drama that will have audiences guessing ‘who done it,’ Murder at Hillingbrook Halt is my second murder mystery play with my first, Murder at the Pelican Club, set in 1940s war torn Britain.
Murder at Hillingbrook Halt is set in 1948 and was inspired by the Parliamentary trains often referred to as 'ghost trains.' A Parliamentary train describes a train service which continues to run without passengers, stopping at certain stations that are no longer operational to avoid the cost of formal closure of a route or station
The play opens on the platform and takes place in the waiting room of Hillingbrook Halt in December 1948. It has three acts, a cast of 5 males and 3 females and runs for approximately 100 minutes with only one set required.
It was great fun researching and writing this play. I very much look forward to it being performed in the future.
Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty crime novels, fourteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective, Inspector Andy Horton; three in the mystery thriller series featuring Art Marvik, the former Royal Marine Commando now an undercover investigator for the UK's National Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS), two standalone thrillers, the award winning, In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill and a new 1950 set mystery series introducing Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga (pub date 26 September 2019).
The latest DI Andy Horton crime novel, DEAD PASSAGE, was published in October 2018 in paperback and as an e book, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo.
Pauline Rowson's books are published in the UK, Commonwealth and the USA where they are also available on loan from libraries. Her crime novels have been highly acclaimed and have been translated into several languages.
Written in the vein of the classic crime thrillers of the 20th century, an Agatha Christie style detective drama that will have audiences guessing ‘who done it,’ Murder at Hillingbrook Halt is my second murder mystery play with my first, Murder at the Pelican Club, set in 1940s war torn Britain.
Murder at Hillingbrook Halt is set in 1948 and was inspired by the Parliamentary trains often referred to as 'ghost trains.' A Parliamentary train describes a train service which continues to run without passengers, stopping at certain stations that are no longer operational to avoid the cost of formal closure of a route or station
Murder at Hillingbrook Halt
Eight people become marooned in the chilly waiting room of a fogbound isolated railway station, where a coal fire is slowly dying and a cold cup of tea has been abandoned by the missing station master. Is it just chance that has thrown them together or is there an underlying sinister reason? When the station master staggers into the waiting room and falls dead at their feet it's clear a killer is at large. Each one of them had the opportunity to commit the murder. Each has a secret to withhold. One of them is a killer who will stop at nothing to protect that secret from being exposed.The play opens on the platform and takes place in the waiting room of Hillingbrook Halt in December 1948. It has three acts, a cast of 5 males and 3 females and runs for approximately 100 minutes with only one set required.
It was great fun researching and writing this play. I very much look forward to it being performed in the future.
Pauline Rowson
Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty crime novels, fourteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective, Inspector Andy Horton; three in the mystery thriller series featuring Art Marvik, the former Royal Marine Commando now an undercover investigator for the UK's National Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS), two standalone thrillers, the award winning, In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill and a new 1950 set mystery series introducing Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga (pub date 26 September 2019).
The latest DI Andy Horton crime novel, DEAD PASSAGE, was published in October 2018 in paperback and as an e book, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo.
Pauline Rowson's books are published in the UK, Commonwealth and the USA where they are also available on loan from libraries. Her crime novels have been highly acclaimed and have been translated into several languages.
New historical crime novel set in 1950 DEATH IN THE COVE available to pre-order
DEATH IN THE COVE introduces Scotland Yard detective Inspector Alun Ryga who is sent to investigate a complex murder on the Island of Portland in Dorset. The novel is set in 1950 England, a country still struggling to come to terms with peace in the grip of austerity and rationing.
DEATH IN THE COVE will be published on 26 September 2019.
The body of a man dressed in a pinstriped suit has been discovered in an isolated cove on the Island of Portland by war photographer, Eva Paisley. Recently promoted to Inspector, Ryga is keen to prove his worth on his first solo investigation outside of London. Ignoring the warnings of the local police inspector, and the Dorset Chief Constable, that his trust in Eva Paisley is misjudged, Ryga quickly realises that her observations could provide the breakthrough he needs in a complex murder investigation and the answer to the haunting circumstances that have sent the man in the pinstriped suit to his death.
I thoroughly enjoyed creating my new Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Ryga and researching and writing an historical crime novel. Policing in the 1950s was so vastly different to today, no mobile phones, no dashing about and no computers. In addition, the legacy of the Second World War was still very much in evidence.
Ryga is a thoughtful, intelligent and thorough police officer with an understanding of the sea gained during his time in the Merchant Navy and an insight into human nature for both good and evil as witnessed during his days of incarceration in a German prisoner-of-war camp. I hope my readers will enjoy their journey with him and that the new crime novel will also appeal to many new readers.
Death in the Cove will be published in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo and as an audio book in September 2019.
Pauline Rowson is the author of twenty crime novels, fourteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective, Inspector Andy Horton; three in the mystery thriller series featuring Art Marvik, the former Royal Marine Commando now an undercover investigator for the UK's National Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS) and two standalone thrillers, the award winning, In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill. Her crime novels have been described as "Gripping, full of twists and turns, multi-layered, and compelling."
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Fancy being transported back to 1940 and solving a dastardly crime in the vein of Agatha Christie's, Miss Marple or Poirot well now&#... -
25 October 2018 Mid Hants & Wilts Federation of Townswomens Guilds Pauline Rowson will be guest speaker at the Mid Hants & Wilts... -
My 1940 set murder mystery play, MURDER AT THE PELICAN CLUB is to be performed by the Winterbourne Players, Bristol, England from 22 to 2...
