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DI Andy Horton #7

The Chale Bay Murders

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Please note this was previously published as A Killing Coast

Meet DI Andy Horton. He’s a risk-taking Harley-Davidson-riding detective who doesn’t always play by the rules . . . which often lands him in trouble with his bosses.

Suspicious lights at sea, decomposing bodies and an old flame send Horton down a rabbit hole in this captivating crime thriller.

An elderly man obsessively watches the coast from his Victorian house high on the hill above Ventnor. When he observes mysterious lights out at sea, he reports them to the police.

The local police think he’s a bit of a nuisance. And when Horton interviews him he’s inclined to agree. A judgement he may bitterly regret.

Meanwhile a call comes through from Horton’s partner, DS Cantelli. A woman’s decomposing body is pulled out of the sea, wearing a Victorian-style dress. The post-mortem gives them a massive shock.

And when another body is found, Horton thinks he’s got a serial killer on his hands. At this point the last thing he needs is his old girlfriend showing up.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2012

425 people are currently reading
157 people want to read

About the author

Pauline Rowson

61 books154 followers
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.

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5 stars
1,144 (52%)
4 stars
713 (32%)
3 stars
256 (11%)
2 stars
56 (2%)
1 star
22 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Regina the Constant Reader.
396 reviews
June 19, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC Audiobook

“Meet DI Andy Horton. He’s a risk-taking Harley-Davidson-riding detective who doesn’t always play by the rules which often lands him in trouble with his bosses.
Suspicious lights at sea, decomposing bodies and an old flame send Horton down a rabbit hole in this captivating crime thriller.
An elderly man obsessively watches the coast from his Victorian house high on the hill above Ventnor. When he observes mysterious lights out at sea, he reports them to the police.
The local police think he’s a bit of a nuisance. And when Horton interviews him he’s inclined to agree. A judgement he may bitterly regret.
Meanwhile a call comes through from Horton’s partner, DS Cantelli. A woman’s decomposing body is pulled out of the sea, wearing a Victorian-style dress. The post-mortem gives them a massive shock.
And when another body is found, Horton thinks he’s got a serial killer on his hands.”

This is my first book by this author so I went into it with an open mind, especially since it’s book #7 of the DI Andy Horton series but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. I found myself bored and confused. I don’t mind a book with a lot of characters, but this not only had multiple characters but multiple story lines. I hate to disappoint the readers of this series that think they’ll finally get an answer about what happened to Horton’s mom-You don’t.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pauline Rowson for a chance to read and review this book. All thoughts are my own.
80 reviews1 follower
July 29, 2022
Getting bored

I've read every book in this series,and on the whole enjoyed them,they are however very repetitive,with the same situations affecting the main character. The storyline regarding his mother is now becoming boring,I've just finished book 7,and still don't know what happened to her,and I'm getting to the point where I don't really care anymore.
Profile Image for AllBookedUp.
913 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2023
This is book 7 out of 16, which is very hard to follow as it was my first novel in this series. There are a couple of cases DI Andy Horton (the protagonist) is working on and an ongoing back story. I strongly recommend reading the first book to perhaps better appreciate the series.

Okay, on with the review:
Once again, DI Andy Horton is still dealing with the mystery and trauma of his mother’s disappearance, DI Horton’s bitter divorce, his daughter is now at a boarding school, and a couple of ongoing cases going on at the same time, along with an ongoing back story. Do they have anything to do with one another?
His partner is still DS Cantelli and he’s got his own set of problems in his personal life. DI Horton is still dealing with DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Bliss, and the rest of the disgruntled characters around them.

The plot had too many twists and turns and was hard for me to follow although I did promise myself to hear it to the end. Too many unlikeable characters, in which I wanted to smack more than 90 percent of them. Even some of the victims' families were not the most likable. I found the politics of the police department aggravating as I’m sure it is everywhere but they were too consumed with making sure they had all the cards so that they could look good (yea, I’m calling you out, DCI Bliss), and they don’t play well together. If this is true to life, I’m grateful for people like DI Horton who may be disgruntled as a person, but he is a good detective.

Too much concentration on why the man was wearing a dress. They kept saying it over and over and I get it, they all thought the person washed ashore was a woman. It was later found the victim was a male, a recently retired postman who was supposed to meet his daughter but never showed. According to the coroner, he was bound, gagged, ungagged only to be thrown into the water to drown. Absolutely the markings of a great mystery. Unfortunately, the author’s story fell flat and was disappointing.
Not my favorite, which is sad because I love a good mystery and a good plot. I felt because I came in the middle of the series, I felt all the names of the characters felt nothing to me. I also felt, not only were there too many characters, there was very little character development, which is surprising, since it is the 7 out of 16 in the series.

I was also disappointed with the author's writing as she objectified one of the females. “Horton zoomed in on a shapely dark haired woman,”... “throwing a ball to a dark mongrel dog…nice figure, the girl, not the dog.” …”reluctantly he turned away from the gaze as she was ruffling the dog’s fur which made Horton jealous of the mongrel." Another scene is "body hugging tight dress.” Out of all the times she wrote, the author did not give any other characters, male or female, any descriptions, and this is what she came up with? Really?!?!

Writing Style: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Pace: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Intrigue: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
26 reviews1 follower
December 22, 2024
The Chale bay murders

© Pauline Rowson 2023

Luisterboek / audiobook Storytel
Narrated by Colin Mace
Verschenen: 27 jul 2023
Uitgever: SAGA Egmont
Profile Image for Susan Kinnevy.
649 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2022
convoluted crime

Too many characters and fragile plot twist mar this novel but I enjoyed the setting, well described and accompanied by interesting historical detail.
Profile Image for Annie.
4,734 reviews89 followers
July 31, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Chale Bay Murders is the 7th Solent murder mystery featuring DI Andy Horton written by Pauline Rowson. Originally released in 2012 as A Killing Coast, this reformat and re-release from Joffe books is 260 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.

This is a well written procedural thriller featuring an intelligent and flawed police detective inspector. Although it's the 7th book in the series, with some overarching plot threads from previous books, the author has included enough background that readers won't likely find themselves frustrated, despite the returning ensemble cast.

This installment includes a convoluted, multi-thread action driven plot which includes fraud, art and antiques theft, and glimpses into the lives of the super wealthy. Although some of the central plot is quite outrè (and will require a prodigious suspension of disbelief from the reader), it's well written and fast paced.

With 15/16 books extant in the series, and a 17th due out in 4th quarter 2023 from the same publisher, this would be a superlative choice for a very long binge/buddy read. It does work well enough as a standalone, and the books can be read in any order.

The unabridged audiobook version from Saga Egmont has a run time of 8 hours 19 minutes and is beautifully narrated by Colin Mace. He has a gravelly baritone natural voice and does a really remarkable job narrating a large cast of characters of both sexes and across a range of accents, from Pompey to East London and across a variety of social strata, from dockside rough to cut crystal posh.

Four stars for the book, five for Mr. Mace's virtuoso narration.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Profile Image for John Hardy.
729 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2025
Solent Murder Mysteries (DI Andy Horton #7). I have read several in this series, and it is not easy to find modern mysteries I like. This series contains a thread, with Horton distracted from work in a fruitless search for answers to the disappearance of his mother. This is vaguely connected with a security service investigation, and Horton is constantly monitored and sometimes blocked in his search. This thread intrudes from time to time and is never really resolved.
Horton has a problematic relationship with his boss, DCI Bliss (but life with her is anything but blissful). He keeps on doing stuff without approval, and pretends to himself he has some silly excuse not to phone her mobile to give an update. Some of his decisions lead to the death of a character, and if I was his boss I'd be putting him on a disciplinary charge.
He's sort of mates with the overboss, Supt. Uckfield, but maybe even he is getting a bit sick of Horton. I certainly am (see above)! I've said that before in other reviews, and I still keep borrowing an unread title in the series if available. Oh well!
I was undecided about the rating but in the end it's a close call at 3.4.
Profile Image for Barbara Schultz.
4,187 reviews304 followers
July 27, 2023
Book Title: The Chale Bay Murders ~ Originally published as “A Deadly Wake”
Series: DI Andy Horton Book #7
Author: Pauline Rawson
Narrator: Colin Mace
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller,
Pub Rerelease date: Date: July 27, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 289

This is my first book by this author and #7 in the series so I was pleased that the Prologue included a list of characters. It appears faithful readers have long been wanting to know the truth behind the disappearance of Andy's mother Jennifer who went missing thirty years ago when Andy was ten years olden At last it is revealed in this story.
Andy Horton is a Harley-Davidson-riding detective and doesn’t always play by the rules which typically have him at odds with his supervisor. However, he certainly is interesting!

The Narrator Colin Mace did a GREAT job performing the characters

Want to thank NetGalley and Saga Edmont Audio for this Audiobook.
Audiobook Publishing for Rerelease July 27, 2023.
Profile Image for Miranda YEUNG.
365 reviews16 followers
July 31, 2023

The Chale Bay Murders by Pauline Rowson
(Narrated by Colin Mace)

An old man who obsessed in watching the sea from his house. One night he observed some suspicious light out at the sea and decided to call the police.

While the local police reckoned he’s troublesome and no big deal, DI Andy Horton interviewed the old man but Horton agree his points to some degree.

Meanwhile, DI Andy Horton received a call from his team and there was a woman who w was wearing Victorian style dress found decomposing.

The autopsy shocked DI Andy Horton…

This is slow-burnt crime fiction in my opinion. Many storylines with lots of characters, which may create a bit of confusion. Yet I enjoyed the twisty ending but still would love to find out what happened to DI Andy Horton’s mother. A woman who was missing years and let Horton alone.

For the narration, as this story has lots of characters, it should be nice to have two or three narrators for this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Saga Egmont Audio and Pauline Rowson for this audiobook!

Format: Audiobook (8h19m)
Pub date: July 27, 2023

Profile Image for Paula.
1,321 reviews48 followers
June 12, 2023
I listened to the audio version of The Chale Bay Murders by Pauline Rowson over one weekend. This is the first book I have read in this series. I may go back and read the previous ones, as I liked the author's writing style.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book, especially DI Horton. Apparently, he has been trying to find out the truth about his mother's disappearance that occurred when he was 10 years old. And we find out what happened! There is a prologue so new readers to this series will understand this part of the story.

I enjoyed listening to the narrator. He had a smooth voice, and it was pleasant to listen to and kept my attention.

The story is full of action and plenty of bodies and suspects to make for a good mystery. A very good story and one I would recommend.

#TheChaleBayMurders #NetGalley @sagaegmont
Profile Image for Tamara.
577 reviews35 followers
June 14, 2023
A new author to me and I liked the writing style. Although this is #7 in the series, the salient points are recapped and easy to pick up.

DI Andy Horton likes to do things his own way and isn't keen on his boss' yearning for promotion and back-covering. He knows which colleagues like to get the job done and which want to be seen to be important.

Horton initially sets out to investigate the circumstances of his mother's disappearance by meeting a retired police officer who was involved with the case. His investigation gets sidetracked by the discovery of an unusual body in the sea and a visiting super yacht, which it transpires belongs to the husband of his ex.

With all the threads intermingling, Horton is determined to uncover what is really going on, putting himself in danger in the process.
Profile Image for Bodies in the Library.
871 reviews6 followers
June 21, 2023
I downloaded this audioARC from NetGalley and had it on in the background while I was doing some admin and then some housework.

It’s the first in the Andy Horton series I’ve read / listened to, and I definitely lacked any interest in what is clearly an ongoing quest to find out what happened to his mother when he was a child, so that he ended up in state care. In fact, I personally found that it interrupted the flow of the case Horton was investigating.

I suspect that those who have read the previous books would not find the flow interrupted in this way, so I’d say that it’s a good read if you like police procedurals (which I do), but probably best read from Book 1.

Three stars from me means I believe the author achieved their aims and that it’s a good book I would recommend to others. I just didn’t fall in love with it personally.

Three Word Review: Murky antique deals.
Profile Image for Mike Collins.
330 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2025
Another formulaic story set on the south coast of England. it's not that the stories are bad, but by Book #7, you pretty much know what will happen:

Someone will get murdered;
Horton will moan on about his childhood and his lost mother (I REALLY wish that that would get sorted out);
Horton will keep asking questions of himself and his far-fetched stories;
Uckfield will grunt, shout and disbelieve Horton;
Horton will get beaten up (only very mildly in this one!);
They'll catch the murderer, but there'll be a loose end;
It'll all get sorted out in the final chapter.

I'd like a bit of variation in the storyline, but I'm not optimistic.

This book had more grammatical errors, too, which is irritating.
Profile Image for Jules Poet.
1,121 reviews6 followers
June 19, 2023
The Chale Bay Murders
by Pauline Rowson
Narrated by Colin Mace

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this audiobook through Netgalley.

The first 40 minutes I was lost. I haven’t read any other books in this series….so the names meant nothing to me.

Once I got into the meat of the book…that was it. I was a goner. I was hooked.

My only advice for the author: be kinder to those of us newcomers, pretty please.

The narration was solidly done - beautifully recorded from start to finish.

I highly recommend this book to others! This is definitely a mystery author I could read again! Kudos!
645 reviews2 followers
June 1, 2022
Another action packed DI Andy Horton thriller. Once again there is no shortage off bodies and cases to investigate. This time three elderly men are killed and at first glance there doesn't seem to be a connection but appearances can be deceiving. Andy is also still trying to find out why his mother disappeared when he was 10, leaving him alone. I do hope we will find out by the end of the series. Another good read and I shall be sorry when we come to the end.
Profile Image for Roo.
673 reviews9 followers
June 20, 2023
I listened to the audio version of this book, the narrator had a great voice and read the story well. He was good at changing his voices for the characters and was clear with every chapter.

DI Andy Horton is on another murder mystery, when he finds a body in the sea and another body later, he needs to find the killer. A great mystery/murder with a great location and great characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.
72 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2022
Outstanding

This is without doubt one of the most absorbing books I have read in a long time. In fact the complete series has been well crafted and I thoroughly recommend the seven books to any avid crime series readers.




1,018 reviews6 followers
June 4, 2022
Cleverly crafted

The way this was woven together was very clever. Each strand of the case is cleverly entangled and then deftly threaded back in to form and complete the pattern. It keeps you turning the pages.
107 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2024
Another good book by Pauline Rowson

I am really enjoying this series.
Each book has a different murder for the police to solve, but alongside runs the story of Andy Horton's personal life and his struggle for answers regarding the disappearance of his mother when he was a bit
Profile Image for Susan.
7,275 reviews69 followers
June 29, 2024
Mysterious lights, security alerts and now a dead body, that of a female or is it. Soon there will be another and a missing person. What is the connection between the three. As Horton is still chasing information concerning his mother.
An enjoyable modern mystery
3 reviews
June 28, 2025
Another well written book.



Although there are several facets to the storyline,it keeps the readers guessing until the least few pages. I personally idn't guess the identity of the murderer.
44 reviews
June 7, 2022
Another great read. Andy Horton is one great detectivs. More books please.
67 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2022
loved it.

Great read as always. kept me guessing all
the way through lots of twists and turns. would definitely recommended as a good read
Profile Image for Lynn Bennett.
183 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2022
A tale of greed and deceit

Andy gets mixed up in the trail of a killer(s) who were greedy and deceitful. But he puzzles things out and gets the truth in the end.
2 reviews
August 2, 2022
Not wonderful

Too many characters making it. Too hard to follow. Main character was not interesting. The whole book was too long and had too many twists to.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,140 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2023
An intriguing mystery with a sister mystery along for the ride, and a moment in which I gasped out loud in surprise. Interesting characters, fast pace, dark and gritty, and I will follow the series.
705 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2023
Brilliant

Another cracking story unfolds slowly drawing you in keeping you guessing and making you turn the pages to the very end
315 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2023
Good story set on the Isle of Wight and around Portsmouth. Andy Horton does get into some serious scrapes doesn't he? Looking forward to no. 8.
Julian Tremayne, Pocklington, East Yorkshire
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

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