Detective Inspector Andy Horton arrives at Portsmouth CID to find a stinky, old metal box on his desk. It was found in the mud at Sinah Lake and contains a collection of rare and valuable gold and silver coins from the Carolean era and Queen Victoria’s reign. But why are there handcuffs attached to the box? Or more importantly, who was originally attached to it? Soon after, Horton is called out to an isolated stretch of Gosport shore where a body has been found in a burned-out car. But the vehicle and body are so badly charred that it’s almost impossible to identify the victim. Then Horton is dealt a double blow when Europol agent Harriet Ames drops a bombshell: she’s been transferred to a local team and they’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other. Horton can’t let Harriet distract him. Not now. Especially when another body has just been discovered. A great police procedural and a gripping story with an interesting main character. Highly recommend all in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this latest book from Pauline Rowson. Always a good read and I love them because they are all set in a location I know well. Go on give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

I have never read anything hung by this author and the cover and title caught my eye. It was a very good book and I would definitely recommend it to my coworkers in book club.

This is the 17th book in the series.
It is an entertaining book, that will suck you right in.
It can be read as a stand aline but it is better to read the series.
All books are available on kindle unlimited.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

I love reading these books especially as they are written from a author from my home town Portsmouth! The Hayling Island Murders was another excellent book in the DI Andy Horton series and this book is Wow Book seventeen..........I never get bored with them, especially as I can recognise where the stories are and brings back memories of the area.

This book was no different it was brilliant!

A box of treasure. A burned body and an old flame.

Detective Inspector Andy Horton arrives at Portsmouth CID to find a rusty, old metal box on his desk. It was found in the mud at Sinah Lake and contains a collection of rare gold and silver coins.

This box has locked handcuffs attached to it!

Very Strange! and who or what was attached to it?

Detective Inspector Andy Horton is called out to an isolated stretch of Gosport shore where a body has been found in a burned-out car. The vehicle and body are so badly charred that it’s almost impossible to identify the victim.

But, who are they?

Are they connected to the rusty, old metal box that was found in the mud at Sinah Lake?

Another body is found, are they apart of the rusty old box which contains rare gold and silver coins and the person found in the burn't out car?

This book can be read as a standalone but I do recommend to read the other books within this series. They do not disappoint especially as they are packed with lots of twists and turns throughout that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books and the author Pauline Rowan for my ARC of The Hayling Island Murders in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, I haven’t read any of the other books DI Andy Horton books written by Pauline Rowson before.

The Hayling Island Murders is the seventeenth book in the series. I did find myself wishing that I had read the earlier books as I was missing out on Horton’s back story with the Ames family. That said, I really enjoyed this book and loved the motorbiking Detective Inspector Andy Horton and his fellow officer Cantelli. They have a very close work relationship based on mutual respect and are also friends.

This book begins when an unusual box locked together with old handcuffs is literally unearthed from a fishing lake due to a drought in a particularly hot summer. It’s taken to Portsmouth CID and Horton and his team discover that it’s full of collectable coins. As they try to track down the owners and possible beneficiaries the body count rises.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Joffe Books, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Several cases are being investigated at Portsmouth CID. At an angling club, a metal box with handcuffs attached is discovered in the dried up Sinah Lake, inside are valuable old coins. But who was attached to the handcuffs. Also on Gosport seashore, a burnt-out car with a body inside is discovered. But this will not be the last body found.
An entertaining and well-written modern mystery with its diverse cast of characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series. Though there is a storyline from obviously a previous book which is a slight distraction to the main story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just finished this title. This is my first introduction to DI Horton. Very good story well written. The characters are believable and you can sympathise with them.. I thought I'd worked out what was going on and who the dead bodies were only to be only half right. I didn't see the direction the story was going in. I would recommend this book to lovers of Simon McCleave and others like him. With thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for this advanced copy.

England, local-law-enforcement, procedural, divorced, crime-fiction, thriller, suspense, investigations, arson, multiple-murder, friends, friendship, family, family-drama, grief, grieving, departmental-rivalry, department-politics, riveting, friction, due-diligence*****

The case began with a foul smelling locked box found in the Solent. Before he could get a decent handle on it there was the arson of a car with the first body found burned beyond all hope of recognition. And then there's the issues in his personal life.
DI Andy Horton lives on his boat, motors about on a Harley wearing black leather, and is a bit of an unconventional copper.
Another great read in an intriguing series.
I requested and received an EARC from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is perfectly possible to read as a stand alone although it is clear that the main character, DI Andy Horton, has history with someone who return to the local nick. Dry weather, low lake levels and a box is recovered complete with handcuffs attached to it. Once opened it contains mid 19th century silk pouches containing valuable jewels. People from the local golf course go missing, a skeleton is found and is determined to belong to a miscreant who was in Horton's class at school many years ago. Complicated threads for Andy and team to chase and unravel. Well rounded characters, easy to read, a bit repetitive at times with Andy reiterating his thought processes. Interesting story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Hayling Island Murders’ written by Pauline Rowson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

An old and pungent metal box is discovered by a man fishing in the dried-up Sinah Lake and when brought back to the police station it’s found to contain two hand-embroidered pouches each containing rare and valuable coins. Although DI Andy Horton wants to find out how and why there are handcuffs attached to the box, a burnt-out car left at Forton Lake with an unidentifiable body inside will take up his time.

Although ‘The Hayling Island Murders’ is book 17 of the Solent Murder Mysteries it can be read as a standalone without prior knowledge of the characters. The story is of special interest to me as it’s based around Hayling Island, an area I know well, with Harley-Davidson-enthusiast DI Andy Horton and DS Harriet Ames now transferred to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police. This is a good solid well-written thriller with intrigue, likeable characters, and a sound plot that’s kept me guessing until the final pages.

This is #17 in the author’s Solent Murder Mysteries but It can easily be read as a standalone. I’ve now found a new series and will be going back for the first 16 books.

When DI Andy Horton arrives at his office one morning, he discovers an old tin box on his desk. It stinks. And it has a pair of handcuffs attached to it. Who had been on the other end of the handcuffs?

Andy then discovers that Europol agent Harriet has been assigned to a local team, and they have a back story.

A brilliant, gripping read with lots of twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller. as you would expect from this author, clever, tight plotting and writing with excellent character development throughout. It kept me guessing, and turning the pages. Although this is part of a. series, and I have only read one other book, I didn't feel it hindered my understanding of the plot. Highly recommend this book, and I will be reading more by this author.

The Silent Murder Mysteries #17

DI Andy Horton is a risk-taking Harley-Davidson-riding detective who doesn't always play by the rules. A missing person. A burned body. An old flame. When Detective Andy Horton arrived at Portsmouth CID to find a stinky, old metal box on his desk - it had been found at Sinah Lake, and contains a collection of rare and valuable gold and silver coins from the Carolean era and Queen Victoria's reign. But why are there handcuffs attached to the box? Or more importantly, who was attached to it? Then Horton is called out to a burnt-out car with a body inside.

Although this is book seventeen in the series, it can be read as a standalone. This story is action-packed, plot-driven, well-written with lots of twists. The pace is steady. The characters are well-developed and there's enough backstory that lets us know the characters a little better.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #Paulinerowan for my ARC of #ThehaylingIslandMurders in exchange for an honest review.

This book is from a series and I haven’t read the other books. That didn’t lessen my enjoyment as this is a good book. It does discuss the previous struggles and events in the detective’s life and it was harder to appreciate those having not read the other books.

The Hayling Island Murders is book 17 in the Solent Murder Mysteries. I don't believe I've read any other books in the series and while this didn't affect my reading or enjoyment of the mystery I would recommend not reading it like this as there are some relationship details and previous mysteries mentioned that I know nothing about. The mystery is a good one with a quite quirky Chief Inspector which is what attracted me to reading the story. Will be looking to read more in the series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Hayling Island Murders, the seventeenth novel to feature DI Andy Horton set in and around Portsmouth.

Horton arrives in the CID office to find an old metal box on his desk. It came to CID because it has handcuffs attached to it. When they get it open it contains a trove of old, rare coins, but Horton doesn’t have time to dwell on the mystery as he is called out to a burnt out car with a body in it.

I enjoyed The Hayling Island Murders, which is a plot driven police procedural with several twists and turns. This is a series that I haven’t read much of, so most of the references to Harriet Ames (and there are a lot) and more precisely Horton’s relationship to her father, Richard, are a mystery to me as there is not enough explanation to make sense of them. It’s frustrating.

The novel is a strange one. It has a strong plot with most of the disparate elements leading to one place/person via all sorts of people and events. There is plenty of action, but due to the tone of the narrative no tension or excitement. I like a plot driven narrative so I had no trouble turning the pages or getting immersed in the detail, even if it didn’t move me. I like the way the author builds her story with the strange box, the burnt out car, a missing person and the discovery of a set of bones. They are small acorns that become a disturbing story.

As it is a plot driven novel I don’t feel that the characters come to life. They fulfil their purpose and the reader is given snippets of supplementary information, like Horton living on a boat and seeking a house so that his daughter can visit, but it doesn’t make the reader identify with or root for them.

The Hayling Island Murders is a good read that I can recommend.

The Hayling Island Murders by Pauline Rowson is an okay crime thriller with some good twists. It's book 17 in the Solent Murder Mysteries. I don't believe I've read any other books in the series, but I didn't feel like I missed out on anything other than knowing the characters and their backstories better. However, the author did a good job of informing new readers of the characters.

I would check out more by this author. The Hayling Island Murders is an enjoyable read with good police procedural elements and a good mystery.

#THEHAYLINGISLANDMURDERS #NetGalley @joffeebooks

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, great police work, a great who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy of the book!