The Bulldog Detective by Jeffrey D. Simon

William J. Flynn deserved a biography and author Jeffrey Simon has delivered on that need. A New Yorker, who worked his way up from detective to police commissioner to Chief of the US Secret Service and Chief of the Bureau of Investigation, Flynn arguably was one of the most influential investigators and intelligence operators in modern US history.

The Bulldog Detective also craved public attention, upset his superiors with public grandstanding and taking credit for others' successes. He wrote self-aggrandizing articles and semi-autobiographical, embellished accounts of his exploits, some of which turned into movies. The asserted interagency competition between the USSS and the Bureau of Investigation between 1914 and 1917 likely stemmed from Flynn's behavior alone. He was a complicated man, overly ambitious, and irreverent of established rules. His insubordination and overstepping of the legal bounds of the Secret Service’s mission caused damage to Justice Department investigations during the years leading up to the US entry into the First World War, and eventually got him fired in 1917. His subsequent stint as Chief of the Bureau of Investigation 1919 to 1921 ended in disgrace. Flynn's career never recovered after that.

Simon does a great job synthesizing Flynn’s career using a wide variety of mostly secondary sources, as well as Flynn's writings. He also worked with Flynn’s grandson, who related anecdotes, supplied letters, as well as photographs.

This is a worthy read, spellbindingly written, and an important biography that adds to our understanding of intelligence history in the 20th century. Five Stars!