Articles and videos from crime author Pauline Rowson

If you're interested in how I write my crime novels or perhaps are a budding writer yourself and looking for tips and advice on how to write a crime novel then on my website page 'Articles/Videos'  are a selection of the videos from my talks and interviews on how I write, plot and research my crime novels.  There are also more videos on my You Tube Channel.

Along with this is a list of my articles on how to write a crime novel including developing characters, revisions, writing a crimes series, choosing characters, mastering viewpoint, and some fascinating forensic facts, on bullet wounds, blood spatter, fingerprints and more.

You can also subscribe to my newsletter to be kept informed of my latest book news, events, interviews, articles and videos. 

Two special guests joined Pauline Rowson for her crime writing talk at Fareham Library

Two special guests attended my talk at Fareham Library on 17 May as part of the Crime Writers' Association National Crime Reading Month. I was joined by two Guide Dogs for the blind (and their owners) and the dogs listened attentively as I talked about my crime novels and myr crime busting fictional heroes, the flawed and rugged DI Andy Horton, my undercover investigator, Art Marvik a former Royal Marine Commando and my new 1950 detective, Inspector Alun Ryga who sees his debut investigation in September 2019 with a baffling crime on Portland Island, Dorset. Perhaps I've recruited two new fans!

Fareham Library Pauline Rowson demonstrating her plot lines

I explained how locations along the south coast of England provide the inspiration for my crime novels  of which there are now nineteen and how I turn these ideas into her multi-layered and gripping plots. I also talked about how I develop plot lines by creating a storyboard; how I create characters using spider-grams and how I research the police procedure and the forensic aspects of my crime novels.

Pauline Rowson talking about her crime novels at Fareham Library

Pauline Rowson answering a question at Fareham Library

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 Fareham Library.

There are fourteen in the Inspector Andy Horton police procedural series set in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight; three Art Marvik mystery thrillers  set along the south coast including the Jurassic coast of Dorset and the Downs of East Sussex, Beachy Head and Cuckmere Haven; and two standalone thrillers.
 

Dead Passage is the latest Inspector Andy Horton mystery to be published, 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


My next crime to be published in September 2019 is the first in a brand new series set in 1950 England introducing Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga who is called up to solve coastal crimes. DEATH IN THE COVE is set on Portland Island, Dorset.

Death in the Cove will be published in paperback, as an e book, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo and as an audio book on 26 September 2019.

Pauline Rowson on her journey to becoming a crime author

I  wrote my first novel at the age of eleven, an adventure story in the style of  Enid Blyton, who was my great inspiration. It was borrowing an Enid Blyton book from my lovely little local library in Portsmouth that ignited my love of reading and of writing.  From about the age of seven or eight I too wanted to be a writer. I was always writing stories and plays, the latter  of which I’d stage with my friends and brothers in the garage at our family  home.

It took me some years to become an 'author' although I ended up writing for a career in marketing and PR before I was published. 

When you embark on a writing career it is not always obvious what you want to write. And it was the same for me. Some people begin with short stories, others throw themselves into a novel. But just as in painting when it takes the artist time to find his or her style so too is it the same for the writer.  This often happens by trial, error and experimentation.

When I first started writing  with the aim of becoming a published author I began by writing historical sagas. They were all rejected but they helped me to learn my craft and hone my style. Over time I found that a criminal element kept creeping into these sagas and I also discovered that I preferred to write from the male point of view. It was a while before it dawned on me that I should be writing crime novels with a male protagonist. It should have been pretty obvious because ever since Enid Blyton I have devoured crime and thriller novels for years and am a great crime fiction fan. But the time spent writing historical sagas wasn't wasted. I learnt a lot along the way. And my new crime novel to be published this year in September 2019 is indeed an historical crime novel set in 1950 and featuring a Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga who is set down to the Dorset coast to investigate an unusual murder.

The key to finding what you want to write about is simple - write and experiment, but most of all enjoy it.

 

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

Fascinating forensic facts from DI Andy Horton, SHROUD OF EVIL, now in audio book

Thankfully traumatic injuries and deaths caused by crossbows are a rarity. But it use it DI Andy Horton SHROUD OF EVIL which has now been released as an audio book, published by Soundings narrated by Gordon Griffin MBE.   SHROUD OF EVIL is number 11 in the DI DI Andy Horton crime series of which there are fourteen. They are published in  paperback, as e books, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo.  Ten in the crime series featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective DI Andy Horton are also available as audio books.

A DI Andy Horton mystery in audio, paperback, e book, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo

 Researching into crossbow shooting and pathology here is what I discovered.

The crossbow has been used as a means of death in suicides, almost always in males.

The weapons used can be high-performance precision crossbows with telescopic sights and hunting bolts.

The parts of the body involved are often the facial/head and thorax. The bolt can remain in the body. However if the killer removes the bolt and advanced decomposition takes place this can alter the wound patterns making it more difficult to determine the type of weapon used. (My pathologist in the Inspector Andy Horton novels, Dr Gaye Clayton, would I'm sure, be able to fathom this out. Read below an extract from SHROUD OF EVIL)

Examination of crossbow injuries can be difficult because they are similar to other incised wound patterns for example a sharp force such as a knife or a gunshot wound.

The external morphology is strongly dependent on the type of tip used. Multiple-bladed hunting broad heads produce radiating incised wounds, whereas conical field tips produce circular to slit like defects.

Read the extract from SHROUD OF EVIL. Inspector Andy Horton is in the mortuary with the forensic pathologist, Dr Gaye Clayton

‘There’s clinical data that confirms a victim might have the ability to act and survive for a period of time after being shot. He can even remove the bolt from his body – not a good idea, because he won’t know what internal damage has been caused and he could make matters worse. Your victim might have done this after the killer fled, or the killer himself might have retrieved the bolt after the victim fell.’ She headed into the small office behind the mortuary. Horton followed her, finding his pulse unwilling to settle back to normal.
‘But someone removed the bolt because as you and Superintendent Uckfield saw, it wasn’t in the body. A removed bolt alters the wound patterns, so too does rapid decomposition, which thankfully in this victim doesn’t apply, but if he hadn’t been found when he had then it would have been impossible to determine what had killed him.’
‘Unlucky for the killer that the body was washed up on the shore.’ Or was it?

B7 Media announce audiobook deal for Pauline Rowson's new mystery crime series, Death in the Cove

UK audio publisher B7 Media has announced an exclusive deal to produce audio books based on a new historical mystery crime series by Pauline Rowson, author of the popular DI Andy Horton novels and Art Marvik mystery thrillers.

The first novel in the series, DEATH IN THE COVE, featuring Scotland Yard detective Inspector Alun Ryga, will be published in September 2019. Rowson’s crime novels have been described as; "Gripping, full of twists and turns, multi-layered, and compelling."

DEATH IN THE COVE is set in 1950s England, 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.

Pauline Rowson says, "The 1950s is a fascinating period where memories of the war are very strong, and the fear of more world conflicts haunt people. Policing in the 1950s was vastly different to today, no mobile phones, no dashing about and no computers. Scotland Yard were frequently called in to investigate murder cases around the UK and I chose to create a detective 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, making him unique in his approach to solving coastal based crimes. I hope readers will enjoy investigating the baffling crimes with Inspector Ryga.”

"I’ve known and admired Pauline Rowson’s marine mysteries ever since I read her debut DI Andy Horton novel, TIDE OF DEATH. Pauline is an intuitive crime writer who crafts intricate plots, real page turners, always with a distinctive coastal setting. I’m delighted that Pauline has chosen B7 Media to produce the audiobooks for her new crime mystery series,” says B7 Media’s Executive Producer, Andrew Mark Sewell.

B7 Media is a multi-award-winning audio producer and publisher known for its acclaimed BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Isaac Asimov’s I Robot, Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles and most recently Dan Dare: The Audio Adventures. B7 launched their debut audiobook range in January 2019 with titles including Sam Meekings’ The Afterlives of Doctor Gachet, Stephanie Bull’s The Shape of Veronica and Chris Jackson’s Roger Federer: Portrait of an Artist. Upcoming titles include Comic Book Babylon, Tim Pilcher’s kiss-and-tell about the British comic book industry of the 90s, John Altman’s (best known as EastEnders Nasty Nick) searingly honest biography In the Nick of Time and world-renowned vocal coach CeCe Sammy’s If You Can Speak, You Can Sing.

DEATH IN THE COVE

 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. The body of a man dressed in a pinstriped suit has been discovered in an isolated cove on the island by war photographer, Eva Paisley. 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.


ABOUT PAULINE ROWSON

Pauline Rowson is the author of nineteen crime novels, fourteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective Inspector Andy Horton, three in the mystery thriller series featuring Art Marvik, the troubled 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.

Death in the Cove will also be published in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo in September and as an audiobook.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD - PRE ORDER from www.B7Media.com/Shop/ Running time TBC | RRP: £19.95

Death by Crossbow, in SHROUD OF EVIL, an Inspector Andy Horton crime novel now in audio book

SHROUD OF EVIL an Inspector Andy Horton mystery has been published by Soundings as an unabridged audio book narrated by Gordon Griffin MBE.

A DI Andy Horton mystery in audio book, also available in paperback as an e book, on Amazon Kindle and Kobo

 SHROUD OF EVIL is the eleventh in the DI Andy Horton crime series of which there are fourteen published in paperback, as an e book and on Amazon Kindle and Kobo. Ten in the crime series featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective DI Andy Horton are also available as audio books.

Shroud of Evil - DI Andy Horton video - a great read for mystery lovers and now in audio book

SHROUD OF EVIL an Inspector Andy Horton mystery has been published by Soundings as an unabridged audio book narrated by Gordon Griffin MBE.

A DI Andy Horton mystery now in audio book, paperback, e book and Amazon Kindle and Kobo

SHROUD OF EVIL is the eleventh in the DI Andy Horton crime series of which there are fourteen published in paperback, as an e book and on Amazon Kindle and Kobo. Ten in the crime series featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective DI Andy Horton are also available as audio books.

Tickets for Pauline Rowson's talk on the secrets of successful crime writing at Fareham Library

Tickets are  on sale for my talk at Fareham Library on 17 May as part of the Crime Writers' Association National Crime Reading Month. I will be talking about the secrets of successful crime writing and explaining how I plot, research and write my crime novels set on the South Coast of England.  Hope some of you can join me.

Tickets

Fareham Library on 17 May 2019 at 2pm. Tickets from, Fareham Library, Osborn Road, Fareham PO16 7EN Telephone: 0300 555 1387 or book on line

Other library talks

 I'll also be giving a talk at  Totton Library, Southampton on Thursday 20 June at 2pm and Woolston Library, Southampton on 9 July.

What's on in May 2019 for crime author Pauline Rowson

I'm delighted to announce that on 1 May SHROUD OF EVIL, a DI Andy Horton crime novel will be released as an unabridged audio book narrated by Gordon Griffin MBE and published by Soundings.

Shroud of Evil is number 11 in the Inspector Andy Horton series of 14. It is already published in paperback and as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo.

Ten of the DI Andy Horton crime novels are available as audio books and two in the Art Marvik mystery thriller series.

 Publishers Weekly says of Shroud of Evil, "A compelling protagonist and mounting suspense make the book hard to put down." Here's a brief summary of the story-line.

When Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator, the formidable Eunice Swallows, Kenton’s business partner, seems unwilling to give Horton any useful information, and Horton – irritated at being assigned such a low-ranking investigation – suspects the disappearance has a mundane explanation. Either Kenton is 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, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information. As he struggles to crack the case, he knows it is only a question of time before someone discovers he’s kept silent, and when that’s revealed, his part in hindering a major investigation will end his career .

Forthcoming talk

On 17 May I will be talking about the inspiration behind my crime novels and how I research, plot and write them at Fareham Library, Osborn Road, Fareham PO16 7EN Telephone: 0300 555 1387 or book online.

Writing

 I'll be working on DI Andy Horton number 15 in the series in which Andy has a new investigation to undertake and one that leads him to discovering the truth behind his mother's disappearance over thirty years go. It might be the final DI Andy Horton.   Meanwhile if you haven't tried the DI Andy Horton crime novels then there are plenty to catch up on. DEAD PASSAGE, (number 14) was published in October 2018.

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.

"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

Inspector Alun Ryga 1950 set crime novel

Also in May I'll be progressing the forthcoming publication of the first in my new historical crime series set in 1950 featuring a Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga, who is sent to the Island of Portland, Dorset to investigate the body of a man wearing a pinstriped suit found on a deserted cove.

Publication date 26 September 2019.

I'll also be working on revisions to the second in the Inspector Ryga series for publication in 2020.

Once again lots to keep this crime writer fully occupied.