The Chidham Creek Murders

DI Andy Horton #18

by Pauline Rowson

Detective Inspector Andy Horton returns in a brand new British police procedural set in Portsmouth, the Great Waterfront City!

A celebrant with nothing to celebrate. A multimillionaire heir. A staged murder.

The small, seaside house smells of death. Not rotting flesh, but a mustiness that wraps itself around Detective Andy Horton as he enters. He makes his way to the living room and rapidly takes in the scene.

Juliette Croft, a professional celebrant, is dead in her living room, sprawled on an orange velvet sofa with empty bottles of champagne and medicine neatly arranged on the coffee table beside her.

Horton is immediately suspicious — it’s all too neat and tidy. The champagne glasses are dry, and there’s no smell of alcohol on the body.

When Horton tries to notify Juliette’s next of kin, he discovers the sole beneficiary of her will is one Rodney Pierce, a multimillionaire businessman.

But Rodney says he’s never heard of Juliette, and it’s not like he needs the money.

Then another body is discovered on the shores of Chidham Creek and the case takes a shocking turn . . .

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2024

About the author

Pauline Rowson is the author of thirty- one crime novels - nineteen featuring DI Andy Horton in the Solent Murder Mystery series; five in Art Marvik mystery thrillers series, six in the 1950s set historical mysteries with Scotland Yard's Inspector Ryga, who is sent out to solve baffling coastal crimes and two standalone thrillers. All her crime novels are set against the backdrop of the ever changing sea.

Reviews

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juliette, a funeral celebrant, is found dead in her home. It's been staged to look like a suicide, but the police are skeptical. Apparently, Juliette was very different from what she seemed, and had a rather shady past, which is gradually revealed as more people die in this somewhat slow-moving story line. I’ve enjoyed this author’s writing before, but didn’t realize that this novel was part of a different series—maybe I wouldn’t have had so much difficulty keeping track of the many characters if I had read the earlier DI Andy Horton novels. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Krys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a lot of issues with this one. To begin with when I requested this book, I did so not only because the synopsis sounded interesting, but because it was billed as a brand new crime thriller. It wasn't until I looked at GoodReads until I realized it is not actually a new series as Netgalley made it seem, but actually book number eighteen in an established series.

Of course, this made it hard for me to keep track of all of the different officers working alongside Horton, especially since there wasn't anything really identifiable about any of them that made one stand out from the rest which I thought odd for a series with this many books. There were also some references to other people and events that I assume happened in the prior novels, but which made no sense to me coming in this far in. Where it gets tricky though, is we also were introduced to a bevvy of other characters on top of the police force. I'm talking victims, members of the families Juliette had performed services for, and other characters that filled various other roles (including ones just on the periphery of the story). It all made for a jumble of names that meant more often than not I had no idea who was being spoken about, or what their role in the story was meant to be.

I also feel as though a good chunk of this novel could have been edited out as there were parts that dragged on and weighed the story down. Two examples of this that come to mind are during the investigation when the cops sit around speaking on what happened as though they are speaking facts, when it's only their suppositions without any facts to back it up. Another was at the very end when everything had wrapped up, and yet pages went on where Horton sat with one of his other colleagues (the normal medical examiner who had been on holiday) and she went on and on about how one of the deaths might have been accidental vitamin overdose. It was unnecessary as the story had already been wrapped, and nothing was gained by including it. There were also many other instances of there being just too many details (or story-lines that were happening on the periphery) that again added nothing to the overall story.

If you are a long-time fan of this series, I can see where you would enjoy this story. But if you're brand new like me, I highly suggest skipping it and maybe starting back at the beginning so you decide if the author's writing style is something you enjoy without the hinderance of everything already being so well established.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[jeff popple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pauline Rowson is a real stalwart of the British crime writing scene. With over thirty books to her credit she has been turning out reliable enjoyable mysteries, often with a maritime setting, for around twenty years.

Her latest book, The Chidham Creek Murders, is the eighteenth book in her series about policeman Andy Horton and is another fine tale.

The story opens with Horton being called to investigate the discovery of a body. Juliette Croft, a professional celebrant, is dead in her living room, sprawled on an orange velvet sofa with empty bottles of champagne and medicine neatly arranged on the coffee table beside her. It looks like suicide, but Horton is suspicious. It is too neat and tidy. The champagne glasses are dry, and there’s no smell of alcohol on the body. When Horton tries to notify Juliette’s next of kin, he discovers the sole beneficiary of her will is one Rodney Pierce, a multimillionaire businessman. Pierce, however, says he has not heard of Juliette. Horton’s perplexed, but when other deaths occur he realises that he has a murder on his hands.

The Chidham Creek Murders is a solidly plotted and engaging mystery. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, but there are enough interesting developments to keep you reading. The central mystery around the nature of Juliette’s demise is well handled and the story gets a good kick along when the other deaths occur. The characters are simply sketched, but adequate, and Horton is an enjoyable central character.

There are no big twists or high concept plot lines, but instead The Chidham Creek Murders is a well written and entertaining crime story that builds to an unexpected conclusion. The final confession is probably a bit too neat, but I do not think that many readers will care. Fans of classic British murder mysteries will greatly enjoy this one.

See full review and more at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/n...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like a locked room murder. The impossible, wrapped up in the improbable. Only the back door had been unlocked. So when DI Andy Horton looked at the scene, why did it *look* like a suicide? His bosses kept telling him it was straightforward, close it and move on but there appeared to be more to this than met the eye. Everyone he spoke to just confirmed his thoughts that she didn’t seem to be the suicidal type and things were definitely not as they looked, all too neat and tidy. And then there was the matter of the man in a yellow shirt and the billionaire named in her will. A man who couldn’t be traced (despite an affinity for bright colours at funerals) and a man who needed no money and didn’t appear to know anything about a Juliet Croft.

So why, then, did the description of the man in the yellow shirt keep popping up in the strangest of places and seemingly leaving a trail of bodies? Whilst the billionaire claimed to be a virtual recluse but had also been seen in some of the same places. All was very much not as it seemed.

Well, I can honestly say this one had me guessing until the end and I don’t say that often. There’s a nice easy pace to this book, it’s unhurried and leads you through a tale that gathers detail and fleshes out as the team working with Horton locate more and more details of Juliet’s mysterious past including how she comes to be linked to the other individuals who meet an unfortunate end. It’s intriguing and thoughtful and teases out more questions than the police seem to be able to answer but eventually Horton gets there through determination (and ignoring his bosses) to a surprising end. All is most definitely not what it seems. This was actually my first introduction to DI Andy Horton and I didn’t feel left behind by starting the series so late so it shouldn’t put off any new readers and had enough for those fans of the DI who’ve read much more (I am going to go back to the start now though!)

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

DI Andy Horton, DS Barney Cantelli and DC Walters of Portsmouth CID investigate the death of a 70 year old woman who worked as both a celebrant for funerals and sung in care homes. The apparent suicide looks suspicious. Could it have been staged? With DCI Bliss away on holiday, it’s clear Supt Reine doesn’t think there’s anything to investigate but Horton thinks differently. Soon it becomes clear no one really knew much about the woman or her past. Was she naturally a private person or did she have something to hide? When the detectives finally trace the sole beneficiary of her will, a multi-millionaire businessman, he claims never to have heard of her. Is he lying? Who is the mysterious man in the yellow shirt seen to have attended three of her funerals lately? The post mortem reveals a strange twist and just as things start to make a little sense, the case becomes even more baffling when another body is discovered on the shore.
There’s lots of history in this series carried forward, including Horton’s recent discoveries about his father Viscount Ames and his mother’s death. The fate of Harriet’s father Lord Richard Ames is still unresolved. It’s a good solid police procedural with great well drawn characters. Despite so much back story in this series now after eighteen books, it still worked fine as a stand-alone as anything pertinent is explained, and presented an intriguing and gripping story with very likeable detectives, settings which will be familiar to lots of people and a clever plot to keep the reader guessing to the end!

[Roroblu'sMum · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* Sadly, this is full of irrelevant details, has detectives who assume loads but detect little, and it waffles a lot. It's just not believable, especially with the bad guy/s. This is the first disappointing Joffe Books book I've read.

This isn't horrible, but goodness does it bog you down in the weeds. There are too many irrelevant characters, too much irrelevant detail and tbh, it needs a good edit. It feels like the first draft of a novel that's not seen an editor.

The plot is convoluted and requires suspension of disbelief. The bad guy/s came out of nowhere and sadly, didn't seem believable. I did like that the 70yo Juliette turned out to be a femme noire, but again, it didn't really feel believable. The Rodney stuff was dragged out and tedious, though he had a basic relevance to the plot. The attempt at red herrings with the funeral director was too transparent. I'm sorry, but this book needs quite a bit of editing before it's ready to be released. The Hallet guy and his partner could have been entirely removed from the tale without affecting it. The friend of Horton's who ran a PI agency wasn't relevant either. Sadly there was just too much filler in this.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Joffe Books for my reading pleasure.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chilham Creel Murders by Pauline Rowson is the 18th book in the DI Andy Horton Series. These are a cosy police-procedural series which is set in my home town Portsmouth or Pompey it is also known as.
I love the main character Detective Andy Horton and he is a likeable guy!

The small, seaside house smells of death. Not rotting flesh, but a mustiness that wraps itself around Detective Andy Horton as he enters the house. He makes his way to the living room and rapidly takes in the scene around him.

Juliette Croft, a professional celebrant, is dead in her living room, sprawled on an orange velvet sofa with empty bottles of champagne and medicine neatly arranged on the coffee table beside her.

Horton is immediately suspicious — it’s all too neat and tidy. The champagne glasses are dry, and there’s no smell of alcohol on the body.

When Horton tries to notify Juliette’s next of kin, he discovers the sole beneficiary of her will is one Rodney Pierce, a multimillionaire businessman.

But Rodney says he’s never heard of Juliette, and it’s not like he needs the money.

This book was a nice read but did not grab me from the very first few pages. But it was a lovely change to read a series about my home town.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is new this year but it is the current end to a long line of books centered on DI Andy Horton / Solent Murder Mystery Books. I have read a small assortment of the earlier books and thought they were great. But I am not one to get hung up on the backstories of the continuing characters. They add to the investigative aspects and provide a common thread in a series, but I come for the investigations an unraveling of the whole mess. And what a mess this turns out to be! The first body is that of a renowned celebrant. A what? Evidently it is common in this area for families to have a coordinator (akin to a wedding planner) or celebrant in charge of everything related to the funeral (for a hefty fee). That death turns out to be much more complicated than it seems, as do the next few. They appear unrelated at first but due diligence proves otherwise. What a Gordian Knot! Ingenious fact-finding, plot twists that totally blindsided me, and backed up by mystifying red herrings. Fantastic!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Diane Elizabeth Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy Horton is sent to investigate an apparent suicide. Juliette Croft is a celebrant whose death looks to be staged. It soon becomes clear that Juliette is not the person she portrayed and that she has a murky past. The more Andy delves into her life the more the mystery unfolds. Juliette's sole beneficiary clearly doesn't need the money so the team are left scratching their heads as to who could want her dead and why. After a few red herrings we begin to realise that there is so much more to Juliette's story. I really liked this book but there are many mentions of the previous books in the series and characters we don't meet in this one. I was well aware that it was the latest in a well established series and would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the earlier books, but that is on me.
This was a good read but not as a standalone. That is no fault of the author. I'd recommend reading the earlier books first to truly understand the team's dynamics and history but I did very much enjoy it.
Many thanks to Joffe Books for the ARC and allowing me to leave an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like police procedurals if they’re well-written and The Chidham Creek Murders kind of, sort of fit the bill. The writing itself is quite good, but with the number of characters that are introduced and an increasingly complex story, I found it difficult to follow. Not only that, I began to lose interest as well.

One of the biggest problems is that this book is number eighteen in the series. If I realized it was part of a series I probably wasn’t too concerned, since quite often that doesn’t create much of a problem. But, in this case it was distracting when characters and situations were mentioned, with little or no context. Not a problem if I was familiar with the series and its progression but I was not at all familiar with the backstories and the players. This handicap made it difficult to enjoy this book the way I expected to.

Because of these factors I can only give The Chidham Creek Murders 3 *s and this is simply because it’s a steady, well-written police procedural with several well-plotted twists. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

[Kena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read The Chesham Creek Murders by Pauline Rowson.

This is the eighteenth book in the Horton series of detective books by Pauline Rowson. I actually came to the series late, only reading the book before this one last year. I very quickly caught up with the backstory and relationships. Andy Horton is an interesting police officer, he has a complicated personal history. He rides a Harley and doesn’t look like your typical police officer.

This case centres on the discovery of Juliette Croft, a professional celebrant, who is found dead in her living room, in a possibly staged suicide.

Detective Andy Horton and his team including Cantelli investigate. It was a great read with twist and turns spanning the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth area.

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

[Michael Cordery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Pauline Rowson's books and I have particularly enjoyed the DI Andy Horton books. I rarely give 5 stars but I believe that the author always creates a great crime story and manages the police procedurals well. I do think that with this book that the author created perhaps 1/2 additional characters which may not be needed and could be a problem if you are not reading the book every day.

I did see some lower ratings for this book and most of those were written by readers who were offered the early opportunity to read books and then give their reviews. I can't understand this process! This book was #18 in the series and the reviewers would not enjoy or understand some parts of it because they have not read the earlier books. Perhaps Netgalley and the publisher should think about this when providing the opportunity for the advance review copy. The other problem with an ARC is the reviewer nearly always provides a full precis of the book i.e. the story is told. Why would any potential reader want to read such a review. Maybe this process should also be reviewed or kept in house!

[Hannah Paley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of a series. Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of this before starting as I think it would have helped establish some background to the main characters. There’s a pretty large cast or people who really seemed to merge into one. There wasn’t much to distinguish anyone which made it very hard to keep the interest. The victims weren’t interesting or likeable which again made it a bit of a struggle to really care what happened. I pushed through and finished but more because I don’t like to dnf rather than from any interest in the outcome. It seems like other books from this author have better reviews so I would consider reading more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Joffe books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of the series
I had not realised when I accepted this book for review that it was book 18 in a series. And so found that there was so much back story to the main characters that I probably needed to know that I was not able to flesh them out in my mind. This spoiled my enjoyment of the book.
The tale of three seemingly self-inflicted deaths all initially unconnected was stand alone, and threw up many possible scenarios for the team to investigate, but once again the author had the assumption the reader already knew the team, so as a newcomer to the series I was lost. It was very wordy with lots of facts and little story.
If you are already invested in this series then you will enjoy it, but if you have not read the earlier books I would not recommend.

[Sally Winsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder… or suicide? The death of a professional celebrant looks like suicide, but something feels off to DI Andy Horton. When more people die, his intuition tells him it is not a coincidence, but his boss wants him to write them off as suicide and/or natural causes, and get on with his other cases. Will detective Horton be proved correct? This is the 18th book in The Solent Murder Mysteries series. Although it can be read as a stand alone, if you haven’t read any of the previous books in the series you may get slightly bemused by the references to previous cases, but that should not detract from the overall reading pleasure. I definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of crime fiction.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The scene is Portsmouth and Juliette Croft a local celebrant is found dead in her home.
At first it looks like a simple suicide, empty champagne bottle, glass and medicine bottle beside her.
But for detective inspector Horton it's all too perfect and "staged."
Nothing about the scene actually suggests it's suicide.
The only beneficiary they can find is a computer tech multimillionaire called Rodney Pierce who denies all knowledge of Juliette.
Then another body is discovered and things take a drastic turn and it's upto Horton to try to piece together this baffling puzzle and if there are any connections.
This was a great detective procedural novel with so many twists and turns.
Haven't read this author before but really enjoyed this so would definitely read again.

[Regina Ulmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t guess the end which was nice. However, the story just plodded along; it wasn’t exciting where you can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen. There were so many characters with backgrounds that I wasn’t familiar with—I’m assuming they were fleshed out in previous books in the series. This was my first book by this author so I couldn’t keep straight who was who and felt no connection to them. There were some characters with similar names so next to impossible for me to keep track of who was who. All in all it was good, but felt sluggish to get through.

I want to thank Joffe Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we are already on the eighteenth book of the series. Juliette is found dead at her home in what initially looks like suicide but the surroundings seem a bit suspicious. Things become even more curiouser when the person to benefit from her will insists he is not her son and does not know her. A further death with links to Juliette's past complicates things even more.

This was a slow burn of a read but was intriguing nonetheless. I did enjoy the methodical investigation but it felt like it was lacking something. I also felt a bit let down by the ending.

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Good Series

A welcome return to DI Andy Horton. A woman is found dead in her home and although it doesn’t look suspicious, DI Andy Horton is not so sure. She seems to have no family and has left her estate to a rich business man who does not even admit to knowing her. Then the businessman himself dies and Andy is convinced the deaths are connected despite being told by his boss not to spend more time on the deaths, but is he onto something? I really like this series and hope there are plenty more to come.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Juliette Croft is found dead in her home, Detective Andy Horton first believes that she committed suicide since empty pill and champagne bottles are found near her. It’s not that simple. Juliette was a professional celebrant and singer and her local services had been attended by a man in a yellow shirt, unknown to the grieving families. Things become stranger when her will has only one beneficiary. It’s Rodney Pierce, a multi millionaire inventor who is now dabbling in AI. He claims to know nothing about Juliette but curiously, both were from the Isle of Wight. Horton must unravel a truly twisted plot involving concerts, cruise ships, confusing identities and another unexpected death before he can understand the motive for Juliette’s murder.

Pauline Rowson has delivered another captivating mystery with The Chidham Creek Murders. This deliberately slow paced police procedural brings the past to meet the present. There are realistic characters, many suspects, and a well described location in southern England. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Pauline Rowson for this ARC.

[Omie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having enjoyed the rest of the serious and thinking book 17 was the last in the series. I was pleasantly surprised to find another one in the series and what an intriguing new mystery for DI Andy Horton. Having been local to the areas featured in the book it was interesting to see how they were described and as per the other books in the series this mystery keeps you twisting to the end I thought I had figured out the ending and was actually caught out as i wasn’t quite right. Definitely a good read even if you haven’t read the others in the series

[Christine Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latest installment of the Solent Murder series. This time the task is to find if the celebrant died of natural causes or was murdered. Another well written enjoyable book by Pauline Rowson. The characters have developed well over time and, even if you haven't read other books in the series, they feel like old friends. Lots of possible villains but the ending was unexpected. I would recommend this book to my friends and acquaintances. With thanks to the author, Netgalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read this book.

[Narniz💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic couldn't put the book down, my second book from this author and with these characters. A murder made to look like suicide - a little bit of investigating by Inspector Andy Horton and his team. A few more deaths and finally the whole story comes together with a nice twist at the end. The characters are well written and believable. It's great when you get a sense of the main characters without a huge amount of time being spent on side issues not related to the mystery, Pauline Rowson does this very well.
5 stars from me.
Thanks to Joffe Books for the ARC.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series, not recommended as a stand alone. I was totally confused at times with all the events and characters in the book and I felt it just dragged on a bit too long, with too much unnecessary detail throughout. I did find the characterisation quite interesting but a bit unbelievable too. The ending left me disappointed and sadly, I never really enjoyed the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Jenny Kinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A celebrant is found dead in her home . Initially it appears to be a suicide but Horton has his doubts and sets about to solve the case . As the investigation continues , it appears Juliette Croft held past secrets and Horton is kept on his toes trying to unravel all the puzzles as he comes across characters from her past . It was a captivating read with lost of twist and turns and the plot was well planned out . This is the first book I have read by Pauline Rowson and it won`t be the last

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is one in a series, it can be read as a standalone. DI Horton and his team are faced with three deaths, the first looks like suicide, the other two appear to be natural causes, but Horton is not convinced. The suicide setting is not right, with no fingerprints, no note and no mess. On further investigation other anomalies appear.
Horton investigates against his Superintendent’s advice and gets there in the end.
Well written and although a bit slow in places an enjoyable read.

[John Barberio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting UK police procedural. Starts with suspicious death, seemingly suicide. Followed by 2 more. Linked, by police DI Horton together to first death. Woman was a celebrant at funerals, but what was link? And who was she? It all comes out. It's worth persevering though can be hard work for some expecting thrills.
.

[A.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex, well-written, a "thinker's mystery" - and I dare you to figure it out before the final chapter!

If you like a realistic police procedural with a wide array of suspects - one that will make you think - this book is for you. I may need to read it again, to note the clues that I missed on my first reading. Bravo!

[Avril Hemingway · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chidham Creek Murders is a well plotted and an interesting mystery. However there are no big twists or thrills but instead it's more solid police work that builds slowly to an unexpected conclusion that I didn't guess at. It was an entertaining story that kept my interest despite the steady progress. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chidham Creek Murders is the 18th book in the DI Andy Horton series by Pauline Rowson, this was a new author for me. Overall I found this to be a good read, and one that guess me guessing about the outcome. I would recommend it to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and I am leaving my review voluntarily.