A 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the murder of one of his teachers.

His lawyers - the guarded veteran, Judith Burton, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance Lamb - begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, revealing uncomfortable secrets about the teacher and the school. But Judith has her own secrets which she risks exposing when it is announced that a new lie-detecting device, nicknamed Pinocchio, will be used during the trial. And is the accused, a troubled boy who loves challenges, trying to help them or not?The Pinocchio Brief is a gripping, very human thriller which confronts our assumptions about truth and reliance on technology.