True Detective

You've read the novels by Hammett, Chandler, et al. So what does a private eye really to these days? This book tells of the actual cases from some detective agencies; they are as informative as they are interesting. A PI gathers information to sell to customers; most are former policemen. Most PIs work for lawyers. In criminal cases they find evidence the defense attorneys can use. Most cases are matrimonial: catching the erring spouse and documenting it for trial testimony. Page 12 tells what a "psychotherapist" means in NY. A "bounty hunter" captures fugitives as a representative of a bondsman. British Common Law and the Supreme Court case of Taylor vs Taintor establishes the right to arrest a fugitive anywhere, anytime, anyway. Its like rearresting an escaped prisoner (p.31).A private museum gets set up as a tax dodge. Rich people donate heirlooms and get a hefty tax deduction. They still get to visit the family treasures. But the museum has to be careful in hiring employees (Chapter 6). Is being born to money a blessing? Read page 75. Chapter 13 summarizes the 'data mining' techniques. Many people worry about their privacy, but often throw out all kinds of personal data in their trash (p.123). It is legal for the police, or anyone, to search people's garbage. The average American is recorded in about 39 government files, and 40 business files. Social Security numbers provide tracking numbers for all kinds of records. DMV records are used to find males who have not registered for the draft. The telephone company can provide a list of all local call (p.13). Want to get an unpublished telephone number? See page 131. One of the most common bugs is the infinity transmitter. You dial the victim's telephone, then blow a tuned whistle into the receiver. You can now listen to anything (p.190). If the target uses the phone, he hears a dead or hissing line. Page 197 gives an example of counter-intelligence: talk designed to mislead the foe.The book tells about four cases that are interwoven into 37 chapters. These cases would be easier to follow if kept contiguous. But this interweave may give a better idea of the multi-tasking that goes into detective work.The story about the pushcart peddlers reminds me of something I once witnessed in Manhattan. While walking to the train station, I saw a pistachio peddler whose cart was jostled, knocking these nuts into the street. The vendor was carefully picking them up for resale.

A surprisingly good account of the day-to-day operations of four private investigators, the book suffers very slightly from being researched in the late-'80s. Parkhurst followed three New York investigators and one DC bounty hunter from early 1986 to early 1988 and concentrates on one major case for each. One is a child gone missing, presumably kidnapped and possibly killed. There's a "matrimonial" in which an orthodox Jew suspects his business partner of cuckolding him and embezzling. Then there's the international search for a high-profile con artist. Finally, there's a couple looking for the husband's birth mother so they have a full family medical history for their sick child. As he follows these four major cases through alternating chapters, he also delves into the methods of psychology of the (mostly) men who pursue them. Here the book shows a bit of its age, as the Internet has dramatically changed how information is stored and retrieved, and the protection of personal information has become a hotbutton issue in recent years. In any event, there's also plenty of smaller side cases along the way to mix things up. My favorite of these is the vexing problem of street vendors who set up right outside a client's high rent storefronts. The solution to that "case" will make you shake your head! Still, the four main investigations drive the book and are flashy and captivating enough to do so. An excellent and compulsively readable glimpse into the world of private investigators.