Rest in Pieces

Allan J. Pinkerton
Created (well, fictionalized, anyway) by Eric Lerner

Of course, more than one student of history will be tempted to suggest that most of what ALLAN J. PINKERTON wrote about his exploits was fiction, anyway, but author Eric Lerner ups the ante considerably in Pinkerton's Secret (2008), the first in a proposed new series of "romantic fictions" detailing the exploits of the founder of the world's most famous detective agency and arguably the world's most famous real-life private eye.

In the book, narrated in first person by Pinkerton himself, the American Civil War is about to tear the country apart and Pinkerton -- a former political activist who was forced to flee his native Scotland -- allies himself with John Brown, the abolitionist cause and the Underground Railway.

Meanwhile, he's become romantically in a steamy but secret affair with pretty young Kate Warne, the Pinkerton's first female operative. Together they work both sides of the law, track down Rebel spies, save Lincoln's life and establish the Secret Service. Some of it, of course, is true; a matter of historical record.

But the affair? His secret alliance with Brown?

The blurb tags it as "a dazzling romp through the little-known life of an American icon," and there's no denying Lerner has crafted an entertaining and enjoyable book here -- or that Pinkerton led a colourful, adventurous life, full of plenty of unanswered questions and intriguing conflicts. But what really happened? How much of this book is based on fact? What did Lerner extrapolate, and what did he extrapolate from,and what did he just wing?

The author's memoir, Journey of Insight Meditation (1976) relates his experiences in Buddhist monasteries and communities in Asia and America, and he later served as an editor of the Buddhist journal, Zero. He went on to a lengthy career as a Hollywood screenwriter and producer and now lives and works with "culturally deprived" children in Boston. He's even cool enough to namedrop Leonard Cohen in the acknowledgements.

But nowhere does his CV mention "historian." I dunno. Maybe Max Allan Collins has spoiled historical mysteries for me.

But when you read any of Collins' historical mysteries, be it his acclaimed Nate Heller P.I. series, his Elliot Ness series, Black Hat (his Wyatt Earp novel), or any of his many other stabs at historical fiction, and it's clear Collins does his homewortk -- the books are inevitably followed by a lengthy afterword, detailing his research -- and his sources. He opens the lid and lets us look at the works, charting what is fact, what is supposition and what is good ol' -- and unapologetic -- poetic license. It adds a whole other dimension of enjoyment (and veracity) to his books; something that Lerner's book, alas, doesn't.

NOVELS.

• Pinkerton's Secret (2008) ...Buy this book...Read an excerpt