Friday, January 17, 2014

Review: Pinkerton's Great Detective

Pinkerton's Great Detective
By Beau Riffenburgh
Viking November 2013
400 pages
From the library 

Pinkerton's Great Detective: The Amazing Life and Times of James McParland

James McParland was revered and vilified during his lifetime. He worked for the (in)famous Pinkerton's Detective Agency, where he was responsible for bringing down the Molly Maguires and other union ringleaders. He rose in the ranks of the detective agency and oversaw the successful investigations of major corporations, train robberies, and Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. In this book, Beau Riffenburgh attempts to sort out if McParland was really the greatest hero of his time or a mastermind who lied, cheated, and murdered to get his man and the fame that came with closing his case.

This book is billed as a book about James McParland and it is, to some extent. But more than that, it is a very extensive look at the birth of labor unions in the US and the early justice system. For someone who is praised as a great detective, we just don't get a lot of insight into McParland's methods or his cases. It feels, rather, like a very thorough overview of American labor during this time period as opposed to a straight biography. McParland is just one player in a much larger story. 

Riffenburgh really creates an atmosphere of a country grappling with lawlessness. The justice system is in it infancy and much of it is privatized. Men like McParland who were trying to do right in a world of violence sometimes must act in less than honorable ways to catch their man. The author states from the outset that his goal was to discover if the great detective was a hero or a villain. Through his research, he discovers that McParland, like most of us, was neither. While this may make James McParland more human, it doesn't necessarily make for better reading. This book, for all of its meticulous research, lacks a narrative or a driving force that compels you to keep reading.

Beau Riffenburgh is an impressive historian. He has closely researched the life of one of history's most controversial lawmen, along with the time in which he lived. But McParland's choice to keep the details of his life intentionally vague means that despite Riffenburgh's best efforts, we are left with an incomplete picture of his subject. While this is not a book that will keep you turning pages late into the night, it is our most comprehensive look at a tumultuous time in history and the man who attempted to keep order through it all. 

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I received this book for review but was not able to finish it. The same things you mentioned bugged me. Glad I was not the only one with the feeling.

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    1. I have a feeling we might not be the only two...

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  2. I am not even remotely familiar with this book, which made your review twice as interesting to read. Thanks for introducing me to something new.

    "really creates an atmosphere of a country grappling with lawlessness" <------ I love this.

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    1. I always think it's fun when someone introduces me to a book I haven't even heard of before!

      Thank you. Although I didn't love the book, I feel like I have a better understanding of the time period.

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  3. I've had this book on my radar for a bit, but I hate bait-and-switch titles. I guess it's not a really terrible bait-and-switch, but from your review, it seems like the subtitle is a little misleading, that the book places a lot more emphasis on "the times" than "the life". I think I'll keep it in the TBR pile, but perhaps it won't move up quite so quickly :).

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    1. I think that's a great way to put it, Cindie. It is interesting, but more about the state of the US than about McParland himself.

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  4. 400 pages...hmm... I set a goal to read more non-fiction books this year, but I'm not sure I'm up for this one. Especially considering your review of it wasn't exactly a rave. Still, good to know what this one is really about. Now I don't have to wonder whether or not I should check it out. (Hey, that rhymed!) Thanks for the review. :)

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    1. I'm glad I could help you make your decision! :)

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  5. Yep. I would totally love this book! Hooray for nonfiction! I'll definitely be looking for this one :D

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    1. I'm so glad to add to your wonderful nonfiction sprees! :)

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