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.

DI Andy Horton is tasked with an apparent suicide of a local celebrant but who is also a singer. Her will has a single beneficiary but he claims he doesn't know her. She is clearly not what she seems. And then there is the mysterious man in a yellow jumper lurking at the various funerals she's celebrating. Horton almost plods along and we are given a lot of his thought processes - too much repetition. There are plenty of twists and red herrings and there a lot of characters. These make it a bit slow to start as the reader is trying to remember their relationships, relevance and so on. This might have been easier had I read the previous 17 books in the series, a fact I only found out after I had read it, It's an ok read, and the descriptions of place and context are well written, jut not that riveting to me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

For some reason NetGalley had this a standalone. So I spent a long time confused. It wasn’t written badly but due to it being far into a series I couldn’t figure out why certain things were relevant. Technically it was. 3.5 but since there’s only full stars I gave it 4

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.

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.

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.

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!

*The Childham Creek Murders* is a captivating mystery that draws you into a small town filled with secrets and intrigue. The story follows a determined detective working to solve a string of unsettling murders that disrupt the peaceful community of Childham Creek. The author builds suspense with clever twists and turns, keeping readers guessing right up to the final reveal. The setting is vividly described, creating an eerie atmosphere that adds to the tension and makes the story even more engaging.

What makes *The Childham Creek Murders* stand out are its well-developed characters and the complex relationships between them. From the dedicated detective to the mysterious townspeople, each character has their own hidden layers and motives. The story explores themes of trust and betrayal, showing that even in a small town, not everything is as it seems. The pacing keeps you hooked, blending action with moments that dive deeper into the characters' lives. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys a good mystery with relatable characters and a plot full of surprises.

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Pauline Rowson. A dead body of a woman is found on a sofa with empty champagne bottle and empty bottle of pills on table beside her. Looks like suicide until Detective Andy Horton investigates and finds out that the person who inherits is a billionaire who doesn't need the money and has never heard of her. I could not put the book down and it twisted and turned to the final pages.

Another great collection to this fantastic series. The book was full of great twists and turns. It's not recommended as a standalone book so to understand it you need to read the others

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dubious Threads..
The eighteenth in the Solent Murder Mystery series and what a tangled web is weaved... It will be for Detective Andy Horton to untangle the veritable mess of dubious threads when a local professional celebrant is discovered dead in her home. Not only does the scene appear horribly staged but the next of kind is a mystery in himself. Then.. another body makes an appearance. Another intriguing instalment to this long running series with a compelling plot, a cast of credible and well drawn characters and a well imagined setting,

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.

suspense, thriller, investigations, computer-programmer, computer-science, local-law-enforcement, Norwich, cultural-differences, singer, false-identities, false-information, due-diligence, crime-fiction, criminal-acts, procedural, unpleasant-suspect, unpleasant-victims, unputdownable, riveting, friends, friendship, family-drama, family-history, grieving, staged-discovery, England*****

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!

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.

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.

This is the first book I have read from this author and did not realise it was apart of a series. . I found that the backstory throughout was difficult to fathom
asI had no clue of its bearing. There were plenty of twists in the storyline to keep me reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it