John DiNatale

Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of The Family Business!

John DiNatale's story, told with the help of veteran writer Roland Merullo, is, I am surprised to say, kind of a page turner. DiNatale details many of their early and recent cases in the book, but what is most fascinating to me is how, over 40 years of private investigation business, DiNatale has captured the changes in social, economic, legal, and penal systems, as well as in technology, from mobile and wireless to information technology. In addition, the stories are a great testimony to the way Boston used to be and how it has changed over the decades, from simple traffic flow changes that came about in surprising ways to gentrification of whole neighborhoods to, of course, the Big Dig.

All in all, reading The Family Business is like reading three accounts: the account of how the private investigation business, along with the policing and legal systems, work, the account of how Boston has changed over the years, and the account of how society and culture changed over the decades with significant impact on the major systems of a working civilization. There is also significant amount of personal opinion in the book, whether it be the wisdom nuggets from Phil DiNatale (the founder of the agency, and one of the cops who worked on the famous Boston Strangler case), or John DiNatale's personal musings about family, culture, Boston, lawyers, homosexuals, religious cults, and their landlady. There is a good mix of personal and professional in the book. Though some chapters read a bit like "I would like to also thank..." they do bring that personal flavor overall and make it less of a "here are the list of cases we worked on," which ultimately would have been forgettable.

Recommended for those who want to learn about Boston, private investigation, and the Last Detective (A British show, which like DiNatale's accounts, emphasizes that the largest part of any investigation is asking questions and taking good notes).… (más)