Customer Reviews

Gumshoe: Reflections in a Private Eye

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Imagine the talents of the late John Gardner, The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers and Brad Solomon THE OPEN SHADOW By BRAD SOLOMON 1978 FIRST EDITION combined and you'll get just a hint of the style of Josiah Thompson. This is non-fiction excellence. Although this is a true story, I've had this image of Michael Z. Lewin's--Albert Samson The Silent Salesman a Novel of Suspense in my head since reading it for the first time many years ago.

Josiah is a philosopher, and as such his style is to take in great deal of detail in the telling. Martin Heidegger's reference to a 'world worlding' comes to mind. And by that I don't mean that this is so intellectual that it will lose readers, but that it so rich that the world herein surely comes alive. So much so that even more sophisticated readers may in fact be seduced into wanting to try the adventure that Thompson took a sabbatical to try.

This is an adventure on a par with Fatu-Hiva Back to Nature. If you ever even thought you might like to try the life of a private detective this is the book to read. And based on the number of internet schools advertising careers as a 'Private Detective' I think this superior book can expect new readership.

A very interesting and informative read about one of the most misunderstood professions ever. Thompson takes us through some typical days of a modern private detective and soon we realize the old stereotype of a seedy office, bottle of bourbon, fast fists, and a Colt .45 belongs strictly in a '40's detective movie. Thompson points out that the computer is the "weapon" of choice now and it is the staple of the profession. Information gathering is what a detective is paid for and by networking with other computer users and agencies they carve out a living. If you want glamour and excitement, watch an old Bogie black and white. But if you want a true and factual account of what a private eye does and how they work then read this.

Josiah Thompson taught philosophy at Yale and Haverford. Unhappy, he turned to a new career as a private investigator in San Francisco. The `Prologue' tells of his first assignment in shadowing some union leaders during a strike. Somebody had damaged equipment of a cable company, so the leaders were followed. There is a typical divorce case. A rich man's younger wife is straying, and they want photographs. Then Thompson write of his experiences as a philosophy professor, and his extra-curricular activities (Chapter 2). [That quote by Stimson is taken out of context; an off-the-books operation was shut down (Chapter 3).] Thompson is on a mission that "Sam Spade" never knew. Chapter 4 tells of a business trip to New England. Thompson got valuable information for a client.

Chapter 5 tells of investigating a swindle. Thompson investigated a murder conviction of a wrong man. He located a new witness to the shooting (Chapter 6). This witness had his memory recovered through hypnotism (Chapter 7). The conviction was reversed. [Writing down what was seen at the time is better than delaying testimony.] Chapter 8 explains the action to recover a child from a foreign country. This crossed a moral boundary. The events of the recovery are in Chapter 9. Could astrology affect an operation? Or luck? Chapter 10 concludes this investigation, so different from classic private eye stories.[The `Bay Guardian' named Thompson as the "Best Detective of 1987". Was this some kind of a joke?]

When I saw this title, I thought, WOW! However, once I started reading, I realized I had made a mistake. It took me three weeks to read (do to falling asleep from the constant droning of the author). If you can avoid reading this, good for you. If you want to read about detectives, realize that this profession is mostly dull (this is from experience) and spend your money on something else.