True Detectives [Hardcover]

William Parkhurst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 1988

Follows the trail of today's top private investigators and includes new information on the ""Fatal Attraction"" murder case to reveal how these super sleuths crack the cases the cops cannot handle. Reprint. K.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One private detective quoted here describes his work as "boring, boring, boring," but this entertaining volume gives the lie to that observation. Parkhurst ( How to Get Publicity ) concentrates on four agencies, three of them in the New York metropolitan area and the other, bounty hunters, in Virginia, and details their absorbing cases. One investigation involves the wife of a business executive who is having an affair with her husband's partner, another the search for a mother who gave her child up for adoption, yet another, theft from an art museum in Philadelphia. The PI's work is shown to be heavily dependent on the acquisition of information, whether from bugs or the assumption of false identities on the telephone, and the depiction of the ingenuity and dedication of these operatives makes for a gripping book. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Billed as an account of "the real world of today's private investigators," this book follows four practitioners as they investigate a few cases, including a matrimonial dispute, a bail jumper, an international con man, and the identity of an adoptee's mother. Along the way, the reader learns something about the work of private eyes as they gather information while skirting laws on privacy. Parkhurst's intent, however, is to entertain. The drudgery and the failures of his subjects' endeavors are barely mentioned. This is primarily a flattering, anecdotal look at individuals whom the author clearly admires. Taken in context, it is interesting, but not a necessary purchase.
- Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (February 13, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517565544
• ISBN-13: 978-0517565544
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,584,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsively Readable, August 15, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True Detectives (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Facts Stranger than Fiction, May 6, 2003

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Detectives (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsively Readable, August 15, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True Detectives (Hardcover)

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.