Town’s river the base for new crime thriller

The river front in Littlehampton plays a key in a new novel

Author Pauline Rowson has used the town’s harbour and library as ‘key settings’ for her latest crime novel, Silent Running.

The story was released this week across the nation and follows in the wake of Rowson’s popular detective series featuring DI Andy Horton – a character which is tipped for a debut on the small screen in the not-too-distant future.

The book is also scheduled for release over in the USA, in July, where Rowson has gathered a dedicated following, with many of her crime novels proving must-reads in many of the states’ libraries.

“My books are really popular in America,” Rowson said. “The Americans love tales about British detectives.

“My books are in nearly every library in the USA.”

The latest story follows the tale of former Marine commando-turned-detective, Art Marvik, as he ventures into a dangerous world of death and deception.

Adrift after leaving the Marines, Marvik finds himself being used as bait to catch a ruthless killer whose slaying spree spans decades.

The new crime thriller, Silent Running, by Pauline Rowson

Rowson admitted that when she was scouting locations for the story, she was captivated by the town’s harbour, which features in two scenes of the whodunnit.

“A lot of the stories I write are based at sea and I just loved Littlehampton’s harbour,” she said. “When I go to an area I love to soak up the atmosphere. It helps give me inspiration and more ideas for where the story will go.”

She would not reveal the exact details of how the story unfurls in Littlehampton, but did say that it played a gruesome and ‘key’ role in the tale.

She added that, following her visit last year, she was considering using other popular areas of the town to feature in future novels.

“I walked down to the West Beach nature reserve and it was a cloudy and bleak day when I visited, it had a really great atmosphere,” she said.

Rowson lives in Hayling Island and has been an author for almost a decade, having her books published worldwide and translated into several languages.

Silent Running was released officially on Tuesday and is available in hardcover at £19.99 and published by Severn House.

This is her 14th book. For more details, see here.