The inspiration behind DI Andy Horton THE GUERNSEY FERRY MURDERS

The inspiration for Solent Murder Mystery 13, THE GUERNSEY FERRY MURDERS (formerly published as Lethal Waves) came from seeing one of the regular ferry services sail from Portsmouth - DI Andy Horton's patch - into the Solent and out around the Isle of Wight on its way to the Channel Islands, the Condor Commodore Clipper Ferry. The Commodore Clipper ferry is so much an integral part of Portsmouth and the Solent that it was inevitable I would feature it at some stage.

I started with the idea of a body on that ferry, that of a woman who is found dead in her locked cabin when the ferry docks at Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Of course I asked Condor for their permission to allow me to have a fictitious body on their ferry and I was delighted when they agreed and even more so when they offered to give me free reign of the boat and the opportunity to question their staff in aid of my research.

When the ferry docks in Guernsey Andy Horton is on the spot about to dine with his old friend, Inspector John Guilbert, who is mentioned in two of the DI Andy Horton crime novels, THE HORNSEA MARINA MURDERS and THE THORNEY ISLAND MURDERS (12).

Horton is there because he is on the trail of a fresh clue into his mother's disappearance, Jennifer Horton, over thirty years ago. Guilbert gets called to view the body and he asks Horton to accompany him because the ferry had sailed from Horton's patch, Portsmouth, earlier that morning. It looks to be natural causes or suicide. It's not Horton's case. He returns to Portsmouth after the clue he was following up regarding Jennifer seems to be a dead end.

But as soon as Horton returns to Portsmouth he's called in to investigate the death of a vagrant found lying partially covered under a rotting houseboat, close to where Horton lives on board his small yacht in Southsea Marina.

This time, it’s clearly murder. Troubled by the many unanswered questions surrounding both deaths, Horton must call upon all his skills and intuition to solve a complex case, uncovering dark secrets that lead to destruction.

I liked the contrast between the body on the commercial ferry and another under a rotting and stationary houseboat. I also liked the contrast between an affluent woman and a tramp.

But it's not as simple as that, (when is it?) Appearances can be very deceptive.

My thanks to Condor Ferries and Captain Steve Leake of the Commodore Condor Clipper for allowing me to disrupt and disturb his crew who assisted me with my research.