My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Joffe Books, for letting me read and review an advanced copy of ‘The Tipner Lake Murders’, by Pauline Rowson.

This book has all of the hallmarks of a British procedural; suspicious death, a detective at odds with his bosses, a quaint setting, and suspects/witnesses that never tell the police the whole/correct story. DI Andy Horton, living on a yacht and riding a Harley-Davidson, has to wade through the facts, dive deeper into past events, and keep his bosses at bay, while trying to solve a murder (which will of course have additional victims).

The story was well-thought out and engaging while keeping the reader guessing as to who is the killer.

The first body was in Portsmouth harbor but there was a lot more to investigate, more bodies to find, and what was everyone afraid of. DI Andy Horton and team feel underwater themselves because of all the fear, secrets, and lies they uncover. Pleased that the series has not ended yet.
Pub Date Aug 14, 2025
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley.
#TheTipnerLakeMurders by @paulinerowson #SolentMurderMysteriesBk19 @joffebooks #NetGalley
#suspense #murderinvestigations #DIHorton #falseidentities #duediligence #crimefiction #secrets #unputdownable #smuggling #crimefiction #mysterybooks #procedural #Britishpolicemystery #lies

3* After a great intro to Horton, in what I realise now was book 1 (I'm late to the series), this felt too far-fetched.

Ugh, I hate to say it, but this book needs a brutal pass by an editor. It's so full of improbable stuff that I couldn't keep track of the 'beautiful Aimee' arc; of who was who; of which cops were okay and which were jobsworths; of whether Horton was still fully living on his boat or not; whether he was with a colleague or not, or just bumping hips. It all felt disjointed and as if too much was crammed in, with clarity being the victim, not Roxanne.

I'm sorry but the bullying storyline felt weak and unbelievable. Poor Roxanne got forgotten quite quickly, it felt like. There was too much focus on irrelevant characters to make the book tight and paced correctly for a murder investigation. The actual murderer wss absolutely not believable and to bring that person in when the author did, to reveal a contradicting M.O., was just too about face. I didn't believe that Horton saw anything, just that there was nowhere to go with all the weeds bogging down this too-long tale, that he had to go with something. Disappointing.

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

I've enjoyed the 19, now, books with DI Horton and it's good to see how he has developed, along with this team, over that time. This time the first body is a young woman whose character changed a few weeks before although no-one seemed to know why. As a juror on a new case she seem afraid, of the charged man or what? It all revolves around bullying at school many years before but it takes a long time for Horton to get there. It's a solid police procedural and well-written. My main issue was that we kept being reminded of the reasoning and logic to Horton's thoughts. First to himself, then to various members of the teams and this just got too repetitive. It felt like padding. Not up to previous standards for me. 3.5* but not quite enough to round-up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

3.5 ⭐
I foolishly thought "a brand new police procedural" meant the first of a series, not the 19th in the series!
Luckily, I didn't feel I'd missed out, there were enough hints at previous storyline to get you interested, but not enough to confuse.
That's quite a skill.
Enjoyable characters, decent pacing and good storyline, that I had no idea of the who's and whys often.
Pleasantly surprised by how stand alone this was, and I might be looking for previous books IF I ever read all my books 😁

Another episode in the Solent Murder Mysteries featuring DI Andy Horton.

The body of a young woman is found beside Tipner Lake and she has clearly been murdered. DI Horton and his team get involved, and find that the woman, Roxanne Keays, was on the jury of a high-profile smuggling case. She also worked at the marina so may well have known the person on trial, Justin Haslegrave.

Before they get much further, Justin’s body is found in similar circumstances. Could there be a link to teenage bullying some years ago? A tricky case for the team to put together, and a great read with plenty of twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Another great murder mystery to add to this series.
It has great characters.
Great storyline
Would recommend to others

The Tipner Lake Murders by Pauline Rowson is a book that had potential, but there were so many characters to keep track of that it was hard to keep focused. The premise of old friends harboring dark secrets and the unfolding mystery surrounding Detective Andy Horton was good.

The opening scene with Roxanne Keay’s body found by the lake sets a grim tone. While the idea of a connection between the murders and a high-profile trial is interesting, the plot felt a bit predictable. I did like Detective Horton. The unfolding mystery does have its moments, and there was some good tension and a few twists.

Overall, while The Tipner Lake Murders has a few engaging elements, it was a slow read for me. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5 (rounded to 4).

#TheTipnerLakeMurders #NetGalley @JoffeBooks

This is a solid murder mystery thriller. I picked this book up, not knowing that this is the newest book in a rather long series. I do love long crime thriller series, so I will maybe read book one to see if I want to read more of the series.
Not knowing the investigative team made it challenging getting into the book. Especially with all the names thrown at you. I am sure I missed a few things not knowing the previous books. References to older cases and previous books are the charm in long series, in my oppinion. But I enjoyed the investigation. The beginning was a little slow, the ending a little fast. The plot twist was satisfying.

Yet another amazing DI Horton book! Our tenacious DI is determined to find out why a seemingly unassuming lady is murdered for apparently no reason.
With issues within the team, Horton soon realises he will need all his wits about him to keep the upper hand. The dynamics within the team makes these books extra special, and this one had more personalities than ever.
The tension increases as the whole, sorry story unfolds, with Horton doggedly getting to the truth, leaving no stone unturned and relying on his copper's instinct.
If you like fast paced, in-depth, exciting, old school police procedurals then this will be right up your street.
My thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.

Keeping track of police staff and the people being investigated made the story tough to follow at times, especially because I hadn't read the earlier books. Once I got into the story, I enjoyed the subplots and the tiny details about the personal lives of the people. The author has the ability to make the characters come to life - highlighting their foibles and flaws, and how their circumstances make them what are. Loved the main character, Horton, and will definitely go back and check out his previous cases!

This book was absolutely brilliant! It was highly addictive from start to finish I just couldn’t put it down! It didn’t take long before just one more chapter turned into just surrendering and finishing it in one sitting. It was definitely worth the sleepless night and the lack of sleep!

A gripping page-turner that will make sure you will go through a thousand emotions per minute! The ENTIRE plot was superb- a fantastic police procedural!

I’d highly recommend this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

You can tell that this author has done her research and knows a lot about the inner workings of a police investigation! The opening scene was really cinematic and fast paced which I loved, but I would say that coming into this series without reading the others there were a lot of characters that appeared early on from the police force, that made it a bit confusing for me personally. So perhaps it may have been good to give them a little more of an introduction for newer readers. Overall the plot was really intriguing and I really enjoyed following the investigation. I didn't see the end coming either which was brilliant!

DI Andy Horton is called to a scene of a young woman's murder. She had been selected for a jury trying a man for smuggling. Did she know the defendant? She worked at a marina, and perhaps she knew something? Then there are several more murders and Andy is convinced that they are all related. Could the root of the problem go back to school days, when a group of young women were bullied by a sociopathic student? Despite his superiors being fairly clueless, Andy is determined to get justice for the victims. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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 stab wound to the chest. At first glance, the case seems straightforward a tragic, random act of violence. But DI Andy Horton knows better. Roxanne was on the jury of high profile trial that week. The trial of Justin Haslegrave, a man accused of smuggling illegal goods. Days later, Justin is murdered under similar circumstances, and the case takes a chilling turn!! Fantastic read!! I thoroughly enjoyed this chilling thriller! It had chilling suspense, gruesome murders, mystery, intriguing, action, fantastic characters and some shocking scenes! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Joffe books (my fave!) for sharing this book with me! Can’t wait for more!