The Modern Detective: How Corporate Intelligence Is Reshaping the World

Private investigator Maroney explains the role that detectives play in modern society—they aren’t the gumshoes of novels but rather professional investigators with backgrounds in law enforcement, law, research, union organizing, librarianship, and investigative journalism. They sift through mounds of publicly available information, from financial filings to trial transcripts, and cultivate relationships with people affiliated with potential lawbreakers. Maroney covers the ethics and techniques of his profession while unraveling an absorbing mystery in each chapter—from debunking sweatshop allegations in a BBC documentary (the filmmaker faked some of the footage) to conducting pre-impeachment investigatory work that helped bring down Connecticut governor John G. Rowland to finding the assets hidden by an expatriate real estate developer hiding from creditors while living in France.