Pinkerton's Secret: A Novel

by Eric Lerner

This romantic adventure conjures up the passionate life story of the Civil War era's legendary private eye, recounting dramatic exploits and his clandestine love affair with his partner

 
Allan Pinkerton's story opens in Chicago on the eve of the American Civil War. After battling con men, train robbers, and vicious gunmen, Pinkerton senses that change is in the air. Already committed to the abolitionist cause and the Underground Railroad, he allies himself with John Brown's radical antislavery crusade. Upholding the law with one hand, he unapologetically breaks it with the other.
 
Kate Warne joins the Pinkerton Agency--its first female detective-- and quickly takes her place as Allan's closest confidante. He asks Kate to join him, and she embraces his cause in all its contradictions and extremes. Comrades-in-arms, their romantic passion becomes the most combustible and irresistible kind, the mutual affirmation of a world of two. Together they save the life of Abraham Lincoln on his inaugural journey to Washington, root out Confederate spies within the Union government, and establish the nation's first Secret Service, sending their agents deep behind enemy lines. Blind to all consequences, the secret lovers learn too late that some battles, no matter how right the cause, cannot be won.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jeanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alright. I admit, I didn't get past the first chapter. I have a problem with the F word. The rest was reflective of the first chapter and was obviously a very shallow book. I flipped through it and the writing was shallow, the plot was see-through and I pretty much didn't bother with it after leafing through it. Also, I was pretty disappointed when I realized it wasn't factually based. Blech!

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am the greatest criminal detective of the age.” Possibly a real quote from the founder of possibly the first private detective agency in the nation. Alan Pinkerton certainly had the ego to allow such a statement from his lips. There are other outrageous self-serving quotes on the dust jacket of this fine and enjoyable novel. Yes, it is fiction.
The fictional account of the life and career of Alan Pinkerton from his birth in Scotland to his modeling of the Secret Service and strike-breaking activities for business tycoons in the nineteenth century, is cleverly written, historically illuminating and hard to put down.
Here in accurately described surroundings, Pinkerton aids the Underground Railroad riders, tracks the Jesse James and Younger gangs, and supports some radical religious fanatics. But the secret revealed in this novel is based on fact. In the early nineteenth century, Alan Pinkerton interviewed a young woman for a job. His agency was doing all right and he had a few agents on call. He assumed the woman was looking for work as a cook, a maid or perhaps as a nanny.
Wrong. Kate Warne believed she could be as good or better an undercover agent as any of those who then worked for Pinkerton or any other detective agency. And this was Pinkerton’s secret. For some reason, Alan Pinkerton was persuaded and in turn persuaded his small staff that a female detective, likely first in the nation, could be an invaluable addition to his company.
Warne was right and her story with the Pinkerton agency is the stuff of legends, especially because her full story is still clouded in mystery and obscurity. In the end, Pinkerton ascribes much of his agency’s considerable success to this female undercover agent.
The novel is enlightening, well-paced and well-rooted in the known facts of the era. Anyone interested in an enjoyable detective novel filled with historical activities will find this story worthwhile.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the local library returning a book on CD for my mother (I hadn't been to the library in almost a decade), and I saw this novel near the checkout line. I've always found the Wild West interesting (HBO's Deadwood was a favorite of mine), so I picked it up and took it out.

I looked here on Goodreads and saw that the reviews were not flattering, and almost didn't read it. But it was not a long book, and I didn't want to return it without reading it, so I started it anyway, fearing it would be terrible.

Well perhaps it was my lowered expectations, or the fact that I do not normally read the genre and hence wouldn't recognize a great historical fiction, or my scant knowledge of the actual history, but I really enjoyed this book.

As a side note, I rarely find comments on the book flap to be helpful, but the comment by Kirkus Reviews on the back cover, calling Pinkerton's Secret "a novel of wonderful historical possibilities" was spot on.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable fictional account, narrated in the first person by Pinkerton, of the beginning of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. It's an adventure story, a love story, and offers interesting looks into the times of the Civil War and most especially, a very different take on Abraham Lincoln and his role in the emancipation of the slaves.

[Sue Coome · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued with the historical aspects of this novel.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really entertaining until the last 50 pages; the weird ending knocked the whole story down

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was nothing like what I imagined, I found it to be very interesting and engaging. I was a refreshing contrast to another book that I am reading in small spurts. I know that I am going counter to the average opinion, but I think this is worth at least a "3.5" if not a full "4.0".

Here we get to see the life of the first organized and effective detecive force. Although I knew that Pinkerton had been around for the Civil War, I did not know much about him or his organization. (Except, of course, that Dashiell Hammet worked for them for a couple of years and that they were involved in strikes.)

Although this is fiction, I assume that much of the broader strokes are taken from historical fact. If even half of the "missions" told here are true, then reading a histry of Pinkerton's would be quite enjoyable.

In this book we see how the organization was formed and the kind of people that were hired to be operatives. While there is techinical details on how they might assume disguises (or more deeply craft personae, the bulk of this book is character-driven. From Pinkerton's own point-of-view we get a look at his world, family, organization, and the "War of Rebellion". The bulk of the book covers the years 1860 thru 1865 during which Pinkerton worked with and for the Union.

Again, how factual all this is, I don't know right now, but the writing is crisp, fresh and the story moves briskly. Mr. Lerner has been a screenwriter, so the emphasis on character and human interactions is not surprising, but the book is fully-fleshed as well.

I offer one quote from page 144:

"She then retrieved her pearl-handled pistol. I watched, hypontized as she checked the action and inserted five bullets into the chambers.

Danties and a gun. Oh, she was irresistible!"

You'll have to read the preceeding paragraph to understand the "danties" reference, though.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictionalized account of the relationship between Allan Pinkerton, who founded the Pinkerton Agency, and Kate Warne, the agency's first female detective. The action of the novel is set right before the Civil War, when the Pinkerton Agency really started to take off, conducting undercover work to root out Confederate spies. The story is told from Allan Pinkerton's point of view. I don't know enough about Allan Pinkerton to say how much of his personality is the author's conjecture and how much of it is based on fact, but it felt real. Pinkerton was an honorable man, but a very flawed man. He could be very impatient, and hated sitting still when an operative was in trouble (in fact, once this leads to trouble). I thought one of the more interesting relationships was between Pinkerton and President Abraham Lincoln. Lerner strikes a nice balance here -- we obviously see quickly that Pinkerton does not think highly of the president, and we do see where Lincoln may have made mistakes. But -- we also see where Pinkerton errs as well. Warne also is a very interesting character, who often provides the coolant to Pinkerton's hit-headedness. My one nit was the use of the "F-bomb." Not so much because it was used, but because too often it didn't seem necessary and just detracted from the story. Otherwise, a good read. I learned a lot from this book, and a little cursory reading on Pinkerton, that I never knew before.

[El · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purposely read an entire book before glancing at the author's bio at the back of the book. Had I looked at Eric Lerner's bio first before reading this book I probably would not have read the book - the man wrote Bird On a Wire... you know, with Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn? Now, I have fond memories of watching that movie on TBS back in the day, more than once, but let's face it - it's a ridiculous movie.

That said, this book (Lerner's first novel), was equally ridiculous. As one can determine from the title, the story is about Allan Pinkerton and the beginnings of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. That's a period of time that I can totally get into. But oh my god, there are not even enough words to describe how horribly this book was written. It read as if Lerner had all this great information about Abraham Lincoln and the beginnings of the Civil War and he was just busting at the seams to be able to put it all into a fictional account. But then he just took that information and put it down and didn't really make a story out of it. What's with that?

It took me longer than it should have to read this book - partly because we were moving and I had other things to do besides read (gasp!) but also mostly because it just plain sucked. What a disappointment.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I randomly picked up this book at the library and (unfortunately) read some very negative reviews on goodreads about 1/3 of the way through. Nevertheless, I did like the book, even the ending, from the point of view of the story. I do like historical fiction to generally stay true to the known facts, however, and this book does not at the end. A brief review of Wikipedia indicates that much of the stories are true, but not the various endings, which is disappointing. So I might rate it more of a 3 1/2. The book is very readable, although those objecting to strong opinions on religion, history, and the f-word should steer clear. An interesting view of the civil war period and human nature.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and especially the historical aspect of how pinkerton detective agency came into being. The book started to drag about two thirds of the way through. I thought the author spent too much time on the civil war and the development of the relationship between Allen Pinkerton and Kate Warne. It was almost as if the author suddenly remembered that he had to end the book and you were left hanging. Still it was a good read and enjoyable and for someone who likes historical fiction they will not be disappointed.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've long been interested in the Pinkerton Agency, but this book was something of a disappointment. It focuses on the agency's founding & early years & on the role of its first female agent. Told in first person with the narrator's superior attituted, Pinkerton comes across as an idealistic, heroic, if self-centered & self-important figure who played key roles in the Underground Railroad, protecting Lincoln, & rooting out traitors & corrupt businessmen during the Civil War

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the overall premise of this book, I found the narrator (and the author) a bit too smug. The book focuses on the beginnings of the Pinkerton Agency, shown through the eyes of Allen Pinkerton, and the story of his female detective. Historically, the book was interesting, but by the end of the story, I had decided that I really didn't care what happened to Pinkerton himself.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled between a 3 and a 4 in rating this book... I think the ending made it more of a 3 for me. It was fascinating and thrilling until about 3/4 of the way to the end, then I felt that the author wasn't sure how to conclude. However... it did make me rethink Civil War times (like how history has written history in Lincoln's favor?) and dream of a little adventure.

[J]

minus five stars.

A very crude book.

It is unknown what Mr. Lerner has against Mr. Pinkerton to write such a crude book about him. Or maybe, it is the influence of all those years spent in Hollywood.

Do not waste your time on this book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinkerton's Secret is a love story that conjures up the passionate life of the Civil War's legendary private eye. He recounts his dramatic exploits and his affair with his partner, the first female detective.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dont really recommend this book. I didnt like it. I'm not sure why I finished it. Maybe I figured out 1/2 way through I didnt like it, but just wanted to finish?

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The good thing about this book is that it taught me I want to read a biography of Pinkerton. Otherwise, it dragged.

[Sue Hara]

Includes interesting bits of Civil War history and the Pinkerton Detective Agency's role.

[Gretchen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't love this book. It could have been a very interesting book except for all the gratuitous language (That I am sure was not really used in those days) and the sex. It was a little much.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good novel, slightly choppy, but fun to imagine a woman in a man's world who fit so adeptly. Plus I missed my calling as a private eye.

[Rebecca]

ok; not literature