Crime author, Pauline Rowson paid a special visit to Condor Ferries at the weekend to celebrate the release of her latest novel, Lethal Waves, which features one of Condor's fleet, Commodore Clipper. 

Pauline visited the Captain and crew of Commodore Clipper in Portsmouth International Port, which included an exclusive trip up to the Captain's Bridge. 

Condor's conventional ferry, Commodore Clipper that sails from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands, plays a key role in the new crime thriller novel, acting as a scene for one of the books unfortunate bereavements, although this one is not thought to be suspicious.

Whilst penning the novel, Pauline visited Commodore Clipper in October 2015. The Condor team assisted with a behind-the-scenes tour and access to the cabins on Commodore Clipper for background research to inform and inspire Pauline's writing. 

Lethal Waves features Rowson's marine-series lead character, DI Andy Horton, whose travels between Portsmouth and Guernsey unearth a series of mysterious circumstances that require him to call upon all his skills and intuition in order to solve a complex case. 

Whilst visiting Commodore Clipper in Portsmouth, Pauline commented: “The Commodore Clipper ferry is very much an integral part of Portsmouth and the Solent, the setting for my DI Andy Horton crime novels, that it was inevitable I would feature it at some stage.  I love watching it sail out of Portsmouth and always feel a buzz when it glides through the narrow harbour entrance.

“All my crime novels are set against the backdrop of the sea and I particularly love that self-contained feel of island settings. Andy Horton’s patch is Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, both islands, but I fell in love with Guernsey when I visited it on holiday and decided that Andy Horton’s past and the mysterious disappearance of his mother over thirty years ago should have a Guernsey connection, hence his trip to Guernsey and being there when the body on the ferry is discovered.

“I’m very grateful to Condor and the Captain and crew for all their help while researching Lethal Waves.”

Alicia Andrews, Executive Director - Commercial at Condor Ferries, added: “We have been delighted to assist Pauline with her new novel, and now see the finished article going on sale. The book underpins our longstanding links with Portsmouth, from where Condor has been sailing for more than 50 years, and our Channel Islands heritage. Although the circumstances of Commodore Clipper's involvement in the novel is somewhat dark, we're pleased to report that Lethal Waves is completely fictitious - we wish Pauline every success with the novel.”

Pauline Rowson's Lethal Waves is published by Severn House in hardcover and is available from 28 February 2017 from all good booksellers and online . Visit www.rowmark.co.uk  for more information. 

Lethal Waves synopsis: 

DI Andy Horton’s meal with his old friend, Inspector John Guilbert of the States of Guernsey Police, is cut short when a smartly dressed, affluent woman is found dead in her cabin on the ferry from Portsmouth to Guernsey. There doesn’t appear to be any suspicious circumstances. 

As soon as Horton returns to Portsmouth, though, he's called to the scene where a vagrant’s body has been found lying partially covered under one of the rotting houseboats close to Horton’s boat in the 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 have led to such lethal waves of destruction.

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the sea in the Solent area of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight on the South Coast of England. Pauline Rowson has been hailed as "redefining the genre of the police drama”. Her cops are tough yet fallible.

DI Andy Horton is a flawed and rugged cop. A man very much defined by a tormented past, but with hopes for his future. Living on board his small yacht in Southsea Marina since his estrangement from his wife following a gross misconduct charge, the sailing detective is a man rarely at peace, unless he is on the sea. When fighting crime he is prepared to take risks and is fearless in his search for justice. He's been raised in children's homes and foster homes after his mother abandoned him as a child. He has a desperate need to belong and yet is always on the outside. Being alone is his greatest fear, yet he is alone.

Issued on behalf of Condor Ferries by McKenna Townsend

For further information please contact Angharad Tye-Reeve or Mel Bradley on 01425 472330 or email condor@mckennatownsend.com