Legends of Winter Hill: Cops, Con Men, and Joe McCain, the Last Real Detective

This book is a fantastic story of a Met Cop and his family on the North Shore/Boston Metro North area. I really enjoyed Mr. Atkinson's novel. He did a good job of telling the stories of Joe McCain as a Met Cop and P.I. Joe McCain was a shining example of a good cop and an example of the character that can only be developed in Boston. It was interesting all the rogues he would run into that we have come to know through the case of Whitey Bulger. I don't want to give away too much about the story because I highly encourage any true crime fan to read this book. I have reccomended this book to friends and no one was disapointed. One friend admitted he was brought to tears by the touching story. Buy this book, you will not regret it

I could not disagree more with the review by Publisher's Weekly! I thought that Atkinson did an outstanding job in depicting the Boston area and some of its most important members of the law enforcement community. Atkinson's vivid depictions of setting and his uncanny ear for authentic dialogue help to create a mesmerizing and hypnotic narrative about cop life and private investigation. In today's society, in which we find organized crime figures to be charming and endearing, and our heroes are limited to vapid low life reality television stars, Atkinsons tale of Joe McCain, a police officer to be truly admired, is a breath of fresh air.

Okay, the title is a bit much. But I enjoyed this book tremendously. Some of the criticisms point to the elements I liked best. The routine cases, how they were approached, and the results were a revelation to someone who has no real idea of police work except what I've seen on "Cops" (constant action and crisis!). There was a new story on every page, and I wound up reading until 1 a.m. on a work day because I just couldn't help reading "one more page". The descriptions of the surroundings, the characters, the sounds and smells of the settings, conjured up a real sense of being there. I was fascinated by the character faults and virtues of the people in the book, as Atkinson tried to remain true to McCain's philosophy that most people aren't entirely good or bad. As a resident of the area, I finally understand the gang wars that were taking place when I was growing up (I remember the old Boston Record American newpaper with the crime scene photos splashed across the front). I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who lives in the Northeast, and to others who'd like a glimpse into how Boston politics are practiced in every profession!