The Gortin Paradox

The Gortin Paradox is the second in J P Hidcote's series of novels about British Security Services operative Phil Featherstonehaugh's torrid career as an undercover agent in the last two decades of the 20th Century. The first novel 'The Bowling Five' introduced Phil to the murky world of the Irish Troubles during the 1980s. The ensuing baptism of fire as he struggled with unreliable witnesses, cynical handlers and world weary cops culminated in the deaths of seven potentially innocent men. An outcome that left young Phil traumatized. The Gortin Paradox finds Phil in even more dangerous territory, transferred to Britain's north west frontier; County Tyrone in the autumn of 1984 with a highly dangerous job and a new identity. The book is a wild rollercoaster ride through the darkest days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and introduces a myriad of complex characters. Phil in his new incarnation as Edwin Coulter finds himself trapped in an Ulster version of the Clint Eastwood classic movie "A Fistful of Dollars". Its an action packed tale with many twists and numerous excellent insights into the rural Irish culture of the period.