The Theseus Paradox Jake Flannagan Analysis

David Videcette is a British detective mystery writer best known for writing the DI Jake Flannagan series of novels. He is a former Scotland Yard Detective with the London Metropolitan Police who specialized in organized crime and terrorism. During a career spanning more than two decades he has tracked down many dangerous criminals, interviewed numerous witnesses, and searched hundreds of properties. Today he puts that knowledge into use in writing the DI Jake Flannagan series of novels. The first novel of the series is The Theseus Paradox that was first published in 2016. He currently lives in London and works for high net worth individuals as a consultant in their security operations. He also loves to offer commentary on policing, terrorism …show more content…
As a detective, Jake always goes the extra mile in everything he wants to do even going undercover when he has been expressly forbidden from doing so by his superiors. While he is great at his job, his personal life is a shambles as he always seems to stumble from crisis to crisis. He once had a great family life with a great home, children and a lovely wife but lost it all after the death of his mother which had so affected him that he neglected his family. Since then things have been falling apart in his private life even as he redouble his commitment and passion to his job. DI Jake Flannagan is an intriguing character that most of his colleagues and even superiors deem to be a loose cannon. He is always taking unnecessary risks and may be considered a liability in certain situations. However, digging deeper into his character, one sees a man deeply scarred by his experiences which have made him stronger though he has his human …show more content…
Set in West Yorkshire, the novel tells the story of the 7/7 London bombings form the perspective of the detective inspector who investigates the perpetrators. Jake is something of a law unto himself as he often goes against the set out rules preferring to go with his gut. DI Jake lights up the novel as he offers insights into the workings of the police even as we get a look into Jakes world. Insights into his personal experiences, weight of knowledge, and obvious insight makes for a fascinating story. The author tells of the red tape and machinations that go on inside the intelligence services. Flannagan gets insider information from a secret agent who is also his girlfriend which he uses to operate outside the law that he later employs to prevent a planned attack. Through Jake, the author offers an insider look into how hard the intelligence services work, even though the red tape can be frustrating at