This is the second book in the series and the first one I have read. A lot of personal and professional issues we see DI Andy Horton facing in this book are a direct result of whatever happened in the first book so I guess this series needs to be read in order. The mystery was decent enough and after all the developments and turns the investigation took, in the end it turned out to be a case of a 'crime of passion'.

I listened to the audiobook and had no issues with it. The book was well paced and the narration by Colin Mace was good and kept up with the pacing of the book.

I received an audio Arc of the book by the author and publisher Saga Egmont Audio via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

The narration
An excellent measured performance. A nice balance between authority and frustration with Horton and Cantelli is a perfect creation of steady and reliable.

My thoughts
The narration starts with an author’s note; the novel is set in the early 2000’s when technology was somewhat different. Despite this the story still feels quite fresh and is not obviously dated.

The story starts with the principal police officers, DI Andy Horton and BS Barney Cantelli, just completing a miserable night-time stake out on a gang of antique thieves, where they drew a blank. Preparing to end shift Horton gets a call that a body has been spotted on the sunken Mulberry Harbour. (These were pre-formed concrete harbour pieces that were used during the 1944 Normandy Landings, with a damaged one left in situ in Langstone Harbour.) Sleep not an option for Horton and Cantelli as they are immediately thrust into this case. For Horton the stakes are ramped up due to him being overlooked for a new position. Horton assumed that when his former friend Steve Upfield got the job of heading up the Major Crimes team, he would get the job of his number two. Upfield has other plans though and a different DI has the job and will join in a week. This works to spur Horton on, making him determined to solve the case before the new man comes in.

The plot centres on this murder, it turns out the victim was a well-respected Headmistress of a local school. In her knickers is found a roll of money which is smeared in honey, a clear nod to Edward Lear’s poem/nursery rhyme ‘The Owl and the Pussycat.’ This combined with the Mulberry Harbour (‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush’) and the twenty-year vintage immediately had me thinking oh no a serial killer who taunts the police with killings set to nursery rhymes, but thankfully this is much more subtle and sensible. Suspects are obvious but digging into dark pasts is needed before the pieces come together.

The novel is very much centred on DI Andy Horton, a complex, troubled man with significant baggage. Quite suitably for the investigation he lives on a boat, However this is no romantic idyll but necessity as he was kicked out of the family home by wife Kathryn after he was, wrongly, accused of rape in an earlier case. Horton is trying to rebuild a shattered life and career, desperate to see his daughter he still harbours hope of a marital reconciliation. All of which is doing little to improve his state of mind and temper. His support comes in the form of DS Barney Cantelli, a solid copper and all-round good guy, it is he who provides the jokes and light relief as he tempers Horton’s aggression.

There is plenty of extra colour provided by the other supporting characters; a police doctor with drink problems, grubby betting shop customers with a brassy manager, a dodgy club bar steward and schoolteachers who range from those with too high opinion of themselves to the downright prissy. All a world away from the posh yachts and marinas.

The motivations of the various suspects are varied with, revenge, power, and exploitation to the fore. But in the end, it boils down to one of the basic sins.

The pacing is well judged, never getting too far ahead of itself and Horton’s domestic problems provide a nice switch of emphasis and pace without reverting to misery. The storyline is entertaining, there’s enough going on, elements of jeopardy and more than one murder to keep the reader’s interest without getting too dark. It remains overall a police procedural.

I would like to thank Net Galley for access to this audiobook in exchange for a fair review.

Another book I am sure I have read before. Or was there a series on TV with the same construct? Although I the concept is good, i didn't really get into this book. I didn't warm to any of the characters and was bored by the story.

The first chapter made me apprehensive - it was a little over the top and over descriptive - definitely did not draw me in. Following that, I was intrigued, coming to like the main two detectives on the case. But ultimately, the investigation itself fell flat because it was just waaaay too much. Like I said, slowly came to like Horton; really liked his partner. But the victims and those surrounding said victims were just rather two dimensional. Narrator did a great job.

Rowson writes good who-dun-its that are quick listens with lots of interesting characters. Keeps you guessing until the very end with the character tie-ins.

My thanks to Net Galley and Saga Egmont audio for this arc to review.

Andy Horton is called upon to solve the murder Jessica Langley ,a headmistress at The Portsmouth School. This was not a bad listen. Lots of twists and turns. Though narrated well, found it stuffy at times and some terms I did not get. Lots of characters, a lot going on to follow.

This was my first read in The Solent Murder Mysteries and I liked it. I probably would have liked it more if I had started with #1 in the series, but the storyline in this one was really thought-provoking. A young girl is murdered and the MC needs to find out why, and who the murderer is. There are lots of red herrings and dead-end trails, but the final solution is a surprise. The narration was excellent so I do recommend getting it on audio. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

This is the first novel that I have read by author Pauline Rowson, but won’t be my last! In this crime thriller, DI Andy Horton investigates the murder of the headmistress of the local school. While this is the second book in the Solent Murder Mysteries series, I had no problem reading it as a stand-alone book. The audiobook is well narrated and kept my attention. I recommend checking it out and I plan to read more of Rowson’s crime novels in the future!

Thank you @sagaegmont and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.