Lincoln's Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America's First Private Eye - Hardcover

Seiple, Samantha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545708974 ISBN 13: 9780545708975

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2015

Synopsis

From Samantha Seiple, the award winning author of Ghosts in the Fog, comes the first book for young adults to tell the story of Allan Pinkerton, America's first private eye.

Lincoln's Spymaster tells the dangerous and action-packed adventures of Allan Pinkerton, America's first private eye and Lincoln's most trusted spymaster.
Pinkerton was just a poor immigrant barrel-maker in Illinois when he stumbled across his first case just miles from his home. His reputation grew and people began approaching Pinkerton with their cases, leading him to open the first-of-its-kind private detective agency. Pinkerton assembled a team of undercover agents, and together they caught train robbers, counterfeiters, and other outlaws. Soon these outlaws, including Jesse James, became their nemeses. Danger didn't stop the agency! The team even uncovered and stopped an assassination plot against president-elect Abraham Lincoln! Seeing firsthand the value of Pinkerton's service, Lincoln funded Pinkerton's spy network, a precursor to the Secret Service. Allan Pinkerton is known as the father of modern day espionage, and this is the first book for young adults to tell his story!

About this title

About the Author:

Samantha Seiple is the author of Ghosts in the Fog, which tells the tale of the invasion of Alaska during World War II. She has worked as a competitive intelligence specialist for a Fortune 500 company, as a librarian, and as a production editor and copy editor. Her education includes degrees in English, journalism, and library and information science. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5–8—This serviceable biography sheds light on Allan Pinkerton, America's most famous detective. Readers learn how Pinkerton, a wanted man, fled a life of poverty as a labor dissenter in Scotland for America, where he became a cooper in Illinois. He used his keen observation skills to uncover several counterfeiters and was promptly deputized. This small start in law enforcement grew into employment with the fledgling (and very corrupt) Chicago Police Department. Unable to stomach the corruption, the principled man left after a few years to open Pinkerton's National Detective Agency. The agency's motto: "We never sleep." The agency pioneered many techniques commonly used today, such as working undercover and shadowing suspects. Pinkerton also employed male and female detectives, a practice that was highly unusual at the time. He and his detectives served their country during the Civil War as spies for the Union, occasionally corresponding with Abraham Lincoln himself. After a personal disagreement regarding Union leadership, Pinkerton returned to private detective work. The detailed descriptions of his pursuit of famous outlaws, including Jesse James and Frank Younger, are quite interesting. The overall writing is effective, though not riveting. The photographs and documents are clear, and the bibliography is highly detailed. VERDICT A welcome but not essential addition.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at the Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0545708974
• ISBN 13: 9780545708975
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224