The Tipner Lake Murders

By Pauline Rowson

What it’s about?

Old friends. Dark secrets. Vicious murders. Could this be the case that finally breaks Detective Andy Horton?

Roxanne Keay is found on the shore of Tipner Lake. Her long dark hair plastered over her grey, lifeless face. Her blue coat open to reveal a single stab wound to the chest. At first, it looks like a senseless act of violence.

But DI Andy Horton isn’t convinced.
Roxanne wasn’t a random victim. She’d been serving on the jury of a high-profile smuggling trial. Justin Haslegrave is the man in the dock. If convicted, he’s facing a long stretch in prison.

But days later, Justin is found dead. Stabbed — just like Roxanne. Horton soon uncovers a chilling link: Roxanne and Justin shared a dangerous secret — one they took to the grave. But someone else knows
the truth . . . Horton’s on the trail of a ruthless killer, one who’s determined to silence anyone who gets in their way.

What I think:

The Tipner Lake Murders is the 19th book in the Solent Murder Mysteries series. I have read any of the series and this definitely worked as a standalone. There were a few mentions of previous investigations but these did not require prior knowledge.

This is a classic British police procedural crime investigation.

The body of Roxanne Keay is found on the shore of the lake. She has been stabbed. She was last seen leaving the leisure centre after an exercise class. Initial investigations reveal that Roxanne is on the jury for a local smuggling case so Horton’s first suspect is dependent, Justin Haslegrave. But the police can’t find any connections between Roxanne and Justin. And then Justin is also found dead.

DI Andy Horton is haunted by the sad and lonely woman and determined to dig deeper. The investigation takes the team in unexpected places as they try to unravel if and how the two murders are connected.

This is a fairly fast-paced investigation. There are lots of scraps of information being revealed that need to be pieces together. There’s plenty of red herrings and potential suspects to keep readers guessing. The ending is cleverly done and satisfying.

Andy Horton is a likeable detective. He is calm and thoughtful. He shows empathy for both his victims and witnesses and asks the right questions to get the information he needs.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely go back and pick up more of the series. It was a quick and satisfying read.

About the author:

Adventure, mystery and heroes have always fascinated and thrilled Pauline, that and her love of the sea has led her to create her exciting and
gripping range of crime novels.

Born and raised in the coastal city of Portsmouth in the UK, Pauline Rowson draws her inspiration for her crime novels from the area. When she isn’t writing (which isn’t often) she can be found walking the coastal paths on the Isle of Wight and around Langstone and Chichester Harbours looking for a good place to put a body!

Pauline is the author of twenty-four crime novels — sixteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective, Inspector Andy Horton; four 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); two standalone thrillers, the award-winning In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill, and the 1950 set mystery series featuring Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga, who makes his debut in Death in the Cove with his second investigation Death in the Harbour.

Her crime novels have been highly acclaimed in the UK, USA and Commonwealth and they have been translated into several languages. Multi-layered, fast-paced, and compelling, they are full of twists and turns and are played out against the dramatic and powerfully evocative British marine landscape of the south coast of England.

Pauline is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Authors. Before becoming a full-time writer, she was a renowned marketing and training guru, with a collection of ‘how to’ business books and a successful marketing, media and training career behind her.

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Website: https://www.rowmark.co.uk/

Thank you to Joffe Books for my gifted digital copy of The Tipner Lake Murders, and to ZooLoo’s Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this intriguing blog tour.