Killing Coast

By Pauline Rowson

Detective Inspector Horton returns and is feeling the heat . . . - When a body is found floating in the sea off Portsmouth harbour, Detective Inspector Horton judges it to be an accidental death, but soon discovers he’s got it very wrong. Under pressure from his superiors, Horton wonders if his ongoing investigation into the disappearance of his mother over thirty years ago has clouded his judgement. Against all the odds, he must now not only find a brutal killer, but also prove to himself, and others, that he is still up to the job.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Severn House Digital
• Release date: Oct 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781780102276

Pauline Rowson

Pauline Rowson is the author of the critically-acclaimed marine mystery series featuring DI Andy Horton, as well as several stand-alone thrillers and two previous Art Marvik thrillers, Silent Running and Dangerous Cargo. Pauline’s novels are set in the area in which she lives, Hayling Island and Portsmouth. Before becoming a full-time writer she ran a Marketing and Training company.

Reviews for Killing Coast

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Several things are happening at once at the beginning of this novel: Andy Horton is interviewing a retiree who was the young PC investigating Jennifer Horton's disappearance thirty years before, a local reports seeing lights out at sea at night, and the body of a woman is washed up on the coastline. DCI Bliss's pet Project Neptune, aimed at detecting terrorism attempts, means any unusual lights have to be investigated, and while drownings are not uncommon, each needs careful scrutiny.The plot rapidly becomes more complex as Andy Horton is put under pressure by senior officers and colleagues and more events compete for his time. The complexity is intensified by the number of red herrings floating about. These are largely generated by Horton and his offsider Cantelli who constantly come up with possible explanations for the cases they are involved in, only to discard those that don't accommodate all the facts.By the end of the novel I felt that there had been far too many of these possible solutions and the effect was almost like wading through pea soup. Finally it is with some relief to see Horton charging his way to the final answer.Nevertheless a satisfying read. Andy Horton's own story, which runs like a thread through all the novels is just a little furthered, and most of the loose ends are tidied away.