The Headless Trilogy
3 primary works Complete
Book 1
Inspector Stuart Stranaghan investigates the attempted murder of the headmaster of a prestigious boarding school two years after the unsolved murder of his predecessor. Stranaghan has been chosen because of his literary background, which, it is felt, makes him better placed to deal with the motley collection of academics that make up the list of suspects. Stranaghan is not the standard fictional sleuth; he is intelligent certainly, but he is no mastermind in the mould of a Poirot or a Morse. The investigation plunges him into waters populated by intellectuals and ideas not encountered in routine cases. Stranaghan's interest in this world, for so long repressed by his dealings with the grubby end of the human spectrum, is suddenly reawakened. The hub of his fascination is the German teacher, Dr Greenfield, a charismatic figure who runs the Thinkers' Club and exerts great influence on the minds of his more gifted pupils. The relationship between the two men comes to form one of the central pillars of the story and sets the tone for the unconventional outcome.
Book 2
Everyone accepts that the law can on occasion be an ass, but there's something endearing about an ass; it may be stubborn and stupid, but it's still soft and cuddly and it's on our side, isn't it? The Barabbas Choice, although self-standing as a novel, brings together again Inspector Stranaghan, Robert Snoddy and Dr Greenfield, who in the earlier novel Headless became embroiled in intrigues revealing the inadequacies of modern leadership. Here a new set of characters share the stage and the focus shifts to the relationship of the law with justice and the psychological and philosophical problems that arise out of a refusal to accept the primacy of the former when it is deemed to fail in its duty towards the latter. The taboo on people taking the law into their own hands is explored, and as the story unfolds the perennial question of ends and means gets turned on its head.
Book 3
The narrative of the first two books in The Headless Trilogy has moved into the world of politics. The New Prometheans, the organisation dedicated to the restoration of the primacy of justice in our legal institutions, are presented with a chance to secure a parliamentary seat for Robert Snoddy. However, ghosts from the second novel, The Barabbas Choice, rise from the ashes and threaten to derail the political campaign. Graham Myles, Inspector Stranaghan's sergeant in Headless, is called in to investigate the undercover operation that forms the central action of The Barabbas Choice.
There is a distinct danger that the truth about Justin Wright's collusion with Robert Snoddy and the latter's involvement in the death of Dwayne Rodgers will come out. It is under this cloud that the selection procedures for the parliamentary seat are conducted. Derek Schinski, a character new to the trilogy, has been press ganged into serving the Promethean cause. It is due to his Machiavellian manoeuvrings that the campaign has remained on the road, but the question is: will his guile be enough to secure the seat?
There is a distinct danger that the truth about Justin Wright's collusion with Robert Snoddy and the latter's involvement in the death of Dwayne Rodgers will come out. It is under this cloud that the selection procedures for the parliamentary seat are conducted. Derek Schinski, a character new to the trilogy, has been press ganged into serving the Promethean cause. It is due to his Machiavellian manoeuvrings that the campaign has remained on the road, but the question is: will his guile be enough to secure the seat?