John Meskell

What makes a great detective? What is the insatiable passion that drives them onward, patiently, analytically and meticulously examining all alternatives before arriving at sensible conclusions, displaying exceptional loyalty to one another is all depicted within these writings, with the anxieties, visions and fierce determination for truth and justice? Brian Reginald Kelso known to all who knew him as ‘The Gentle Giant’ became a successful and well-known private investigator operating from an office in the city of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.Formerly, he had been a Detective Sergeant with the Queensland Police Service and reputed without doubt as being the most active detective in Queensland. Likewise he was well and favorably known in all States of Australia and New Zealand by their respective Police Services, as honest, fearless, competent, strong and loyal to his workmates, gifted with a certain amount of ‘know how’ in his makeup, now being frowned on in most states of Australia. A new academic push was being implemented into the fight against crime by alleged experts, people who had never sat in a witness box to give evidence in any complex matters and had never met an angry man in their life. Maybe it was this lack of experience which gave them an inferiority complex when comparing themselves to ‘The Big Fella’, who boasted over twenty-six citations for outstanding investigations and had an outstanding network of informants. Did matters he achieved cause many others to resent his obvious influence with hardened criminals? Did petty jealousies consequently surface? Did it appear there was no one able to emulate his brilliance? During the course of events, he was transferred to Toowoomba as O.C. of the C.I.Branch. About six months later and unknown to him, one of his past investigations raised its ugly head much to his detriment, being critical of the manner in which he obtained information concerning a jewel robbery and identity of culprits. His enemies within the hierarchy of the police department seized on information they obtained with fiendish glee, and whether it was right or wrong, were hell bent on using it as a means of ostracizing him from the new system being implemented, as a perfect ploy to achieve their purposes.
In this regard Kelso had been instrumental in apprehending two offenders responsible for what turned out to be the biggest jewel robbery in Queensland’s history. However, the person who supplied him with the information was murdered in the Northern Rivers of N.S.W. With information supplied by the criminal responsible for murdering Kelso’s informant, his enemies saw it as a perfect ploy to get rid of him and to eradicate his methods of solving crime, hoping it would display a message loud and clear to all concerned, everything in the future had to be seen to be done according to departmental instructions. He was crushed with the decision forcing him to resign and it became impossible to avoid the extraordinary inevitability facing him so, with a heavy heart he capitulated and succumbed to pressure brought upon him. However, a whole new world opened for Kelso in his field of Private Investigations. This is a tale of his new found activities and adventures and of the people he assisted and helped in what seemed impossible situations, culminating with his ultimate revenge, on a hierarchy that had set out to destroy him.