Written in a heroic laudatory style that resembles the way sports writers kiss up to the likes of Derek Jeter, Legends of Winter Hill is a biography of a tough MDC cop and private detective Joe McCain. Hagiographic snippets of McCain's life are alternated with the author's participatory journalism as he works for the detective agency McCain founded, now managed by Joe McCain, Jr. There is no journalistic objectivity here, although the biases are obvious from the start so Atkinson is not attempting to deceive. On one hand, such gushing praise may be appropriate; we hear it all the time for sports stars and celebrities, why not for real heroes in the police force? On the other hand it gets to be too much, and one wonders if Atkinson has been totally sucked in by the legend of Joe McCain at the expense of other cops. An interesting trend in the book is the conflict between both McCains and their fellow police. Atkinson would have us believe that corruption is rife in the police departments and even good cops are poisoned by competition and backstabbing. Although this is likely to be true, it's hard to believe that McCain is the only honest cop. The inter-police confrontations overshadow the stories involving criminals, and make this a intriguing look into the police force (and probably one that will get Atkinson into a lot of trouble), if a poorly written one. The timeline is iffy in the book as it jumps from story to the present to story with little in the way of chronological cues. Atkinson frequently tries to make things sound more dangerous than they are, especially describing Somerville neighborhoods as rough and tumble, which may be true for the 70's & 80's, but he uses the same descriptions for today in places that are gentrified by Yuppies and college students. He also makes it sound like it's still full of Irish families instead of the predominant Brazilian presence of today. One of the great things about McCain is his empathy, he wasn't quick to judge, and was willing to give anyone a second chance.

"But McCain, unlike folks in other parts of the country, had never used a man's family as a line of demarcation. In Somerville, and certainly on Winter Hill, a single family might include a "good" cop, a bad cop, a priest and a wiseguy -- with a lot of gray area even between them." p. 155 ( )

I don't normally read crime fiction/non-fiction so it's impossible for me to assess the relative merits of this book compared to that genre. However, if you're from Somerville (circa 1950-2000) you MUST read this book. You'll recognize the players and you'll understand the ethos. If you're from Revere (particularly), Medford, Everett, Charlestown, or any of the northern, rougher suburbs, you'll find an affinity as well. Interested in the MDC Police? This is certainly a good read for you also. Like crime stories set in the Boston area? You might not care for this as much since it's non-fiction and follows a career of an MDC cop rather than a tale of a crime/crime spree.

The story at times seems a bit herkey-jerkey and you're left wondering about several of those you've met along the way. Some of the characters (real-life heroes and villians) are introduced and reappear in a sometimes confusing manner. These things notwithstanding, if you grew up in Somerville and you haven't read this book, you're missing a LOT! ( )