On location with DI Andy Horton in FOOTSTEPS ON THE SHORE

Locations inspire me and so it was with FOOTSTEPS ON THE SHORE, number six in the DI Andy Horton mystery series now available in paperback, as an ebook, on Amazon Kindle, on Kobo and as an unabridged audio book.



This time my inspiration for the police procedural mystery Footsteps on the Shore came from a Roman castle at Portchester, at the north end of Portsmouth Harbour, the best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps!   Other locations used in this novel are the Hayling Coastal Path and the Hard at Portsmouth Harbour.


Portchester Castle in DI Andy Horton Footsteps on the Shore


Portchester Castle in DI Andy Horton Footsteps on the Shore


The Watergate, Portchester Castle in DI Ho Andy Horton, Footsteps on the Shore

Portchester Castle is owned and managed by English Heritage and is open to the public.   After the Norman Conquest a castle was built in one corner of the fort, which grew into an impressive royal residence. From 1665 Portchester was frequently used to house foreign prisoners of war, most notably during the wars with France between 1793 and 1815.

In Footsteps on the Shore Inspector Andy Horton is called to a house next to Portchester Castle, where a woman he’d only met the day before, Venetia Trotman, has been brutally murdered. Horton had been intending to buy a boat from her, which had belonged to her late husband to replace his small boat, which had been torched by a villain with Horton only just managing to escape with his life. Horton has been living on board his boat in Southsea Marina since his estrangement from his wife, Catherine.


Portsmouth Harbour in DI Andy Horton Footsteps on the Shore


 A convicted murderer, Luke Felton, released on licence, has been reported missing. Could he be Venetia Trotman’s killer? Or is the decomposed corpse washed up in Portsmouth harbour the missing Luke Felton? If so does Horton have two killers on his hands or one?  But what, if anything, connects an ex-criminal and a quiet unassuming lady?


Added to this is the return of Horton’s nit-picking boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, from her secondment at HQ and she’s intent on making Horton’s life as difficult as possible.  Someone else also seems set on troubling Horton when he finds a symbol scratched on his Harley Davidson.  Horton is under pressure to get results, but things are about to get much worse for the beleaguered detective …

 "The Harley Davidson–riding, boat-dwelling Horton is a fascinating man to get to know, and his thoughtful approach to detection is a pleasure to read." Publishers Weekly


There are many twists and turns in this novel with a hint of international crime behind it but I will say no more. I wouldn’t want to spoil your enjoyment of it.

'Procedural fans who haven’t already read Rowson should be encouraged to do so in the strongest possible terms.' Booklist, Starred Review







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