Creating the Harlequin

Today sees the publication of the second part of ‘The Harlequin”. The story stretches over three separate crime sprees that take place over the course of two decades and run like a thread through Tom Russell’s career. I thought I would share a little of the creative process that has given birth to the book.

The idea came from two simple thoughts, what if someone killed from a distance and how would that be possible. The answer came with the idea of powerful hallucinogens and how they can affect how someone perceives the world. When I added it to the notion of making it appear like an April Fool’s Day prank the notion of the Harlequin began to take shape.

I had thought of giving the killer the moniker ‘Jester’ but I felt that it was too close to ‘Joker’ and thus the Harlequin was born. The books were originally going to be entitled 'Fooled' but when I was creating the cover I found the Harlequin mask and it was so perfect it became both the feature of the cover and the name of the book.

In the prologue of the first part of the book, as the cruelty and terror of the prank is exposed, I got to play with a genre I have never written in before, horror. The first three incidents on the first of April 1993 are described from the point of view of three people having a psychotic episode as a result of the drugs that were placed into cakes. What they believe they see is not normally the stuff of crime writing and it meant I was allowed to let my imagination run riot with demons, super criminals from comic books and a classic movie villain. 

The Harlequin isn’t responsible directly for those first deaths, indeed he is twice removed from the actual murders/suicide, but it is his sick mind that has created the circumstances. When he doesn’t get the reaction he was hoping for, he takes a more active role and two further deaths result. It is obvious that revenge is his motive, but revenge for what? Russell has recently qualified as a detective constable who is part of the team trying to discover what that motive might be.

In part two, that feeling that the Harlequin needs recognition for what he has done is at the forefront of the story, as he commits murder in broad daylight in the middle of George Square. I felt that he would be desperate for the press attention that had been denied him during part one. He wants to see his pseudonym in the newspapers and some acknowledgement of his intelligence. Tom Russell is now a detective inspector and is at the very heart of the investigation.

The second part starts on the first of April 2003, within days of the start of the invasion of Iraq by Allied Forces. I use the timing to add something different to the story as Special Branch becomes involved. It was something I hadn't originally intended, but it fitted perfectly.

I have started to write part three and have given myself a tough deadline of April Fool’s Day this year to complete it. It will see the acceleration of the Harlequin’s desire for recognition as he takes his crimes on to the Internet to broadcast his twisted brilliance to the world. Alex Menzies appears for the first time and she takes centre stage as Russell’s world begins to crumble around him. You’ll need wait until April to see how that unfolds.

This is the trailer I created for the book.

The Harlequin - Part 1 is available for FREE download until this Friday and Part 2 is published today.

I hope you enjoy it.