10 murder mysteries set mainly in Herefordshire England. Chief Inspector Worcester leads the experimental Special Police Unit based in Hereford, which reports direct to Chief Constable Newbelands and the Home Secretary. The Unit investigates sensitive murders in an unusual area of national and international financiers, industrialists and rich farmers living in the manor houses and sprawling family estates along the A49 highway in Herefordshire.

The Hairdressers’ Cut, number 1 in the series, involves Lauren Canning a hair stylist from Mirror Images in Ross on Wye who is on holiday in Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. As a result of her coincidental involvement in a Cayman Island murder she meets Chief Inspector Jack Worcester leader of the Special Police Unit called in to help the local Cayman police. He sees Lauren as an excellent source of useful information and contacts. During this case Lauren has an impressive lucky rise in fortune and evolves into a fashionable socialite when she returns to Herefordshire. She becomes the main heroine in the series along with her friends, and colleagues at Mirror Images who form part of the Herefordshire party scene. As is the nature of the locality, some characters in one novel appear in the successive novels in the series.

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The Special Police Unit is a trial operation with its members picked for their special expertise. Chief Inspector Jack Worcester is 50 and has served with the London Met Police on national and international crimes all his career. Inspector Brian Kirby is 29 and has served with the City’s Fraud Squad. Constable Ursula Cunningham is known for her outstanding perception and communication skills. There are non-police specialists in the team too. Hadley Bradly is their IT expert, JJ is their technical electronics expert, Owen Jenkins is their legal expert, Sean O’Brien is an engineering expert, Debra Vere is an accountant and finance expert, David Henderson investigative journalist, and Tim Jamison is a crack shot and ex racing driver. The Unit works on highly sensitive murder cases outside the gaze of the public and media. Many of their cases are referred to them by the Home Secretary because of their national sensitivity involving the great and the good of finance, business and politics.

 

The victims and suspects are often people of great influence and media interest both nationally and on the global scene. Therefore, the Unit is expected to work fast and solve the crime within a few days to justify the trust placed in them. They often use unconventional  techniques but always identify the murderer. No news of the murders investigated by the Unit hits the Press until the Unit passes the investigation over to the local police as a solved case. The breadth of the investigations range from Caribbean high finance to Hereford manor houses, FBI and the CIA, Russian Intelligence Services, the French Riviera, blackmail, incest and ‘me too’, film stars, slavery, romance, Nazi loot.

 

The Hairdresser Murder Series published volumes are: - 1. The Hairdressers’ Cut,  2. Murder in Hope, 3. Curled up Dead, 4. The Colour of her Hair, 5. Fringes, 6. No Short Cuts, 7. I Want Him Dead Straight - adult content, 8. Short Cut to Murder, 9. Lola’s Hair, 10. A Hair’s Breadth

The stories are all self-contained and are set over a few months in the life of the Special Unit. It is therefore recommended but not necessary, that they are read in their number order. Although each book is a complete story in itself,  there is a developing  theme for the main characters meaning it is best to start at the beginning with The Hairdressers’ Cut.

Average length of each book in the series is 72, 000 words.

 

What readers enjoy

• Fast-Paced, Witty Dialogue: Readers frequently point out the snappy, rhythmic conversation styles. O'Sullivan relies heavily on his Irish heritage to write quick-witted, fast-paced dialogue that keeps the plot moving at a rapid clip.

• Genuinely Modern Themes:, the books are praised for tackling incredibly up-to-date, real-world issues. For example, readers of Fringes (Book 5) appreciated how the plot directly mirrored current events, tracking young women actively outing modern sex pests, corporate blackmailers, and international money launderers on the streets.

• Charming Local Settings: For readers who enjoy British regional mysteries, the heavy focus on real-world locations—predominantly around Herefordshire, Hereford, and Ross-on-Wye - sometimes with a slip over the border to Cheltenham and Gloucester - adds a layer of highly authentic local atmosphere.

• Relatable "Everyday" Protagonist: Readers enjoy that the central character, Lauren Canning, is an ordinary hair stylist who uses the natural mood-detecting skills honed from working in a salon to help Chief Inspector Worcester solve sensitive crimes.