Freedom's Detective

The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan and the Man Who Masterminded America's First War on Terror

By: Charles Lane

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

“This is a powerful, vitally important story, and Lane brings it to life with not only vast amounts of research but with a remarkable gift for storytelling that makes the pages fly by.” —Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt and Hero of the Empire

Freedom’s Detective reveals the untold story of the Reconstruction-era United States Secret Service and their battle against the Ku Klux Klan, through the career of its controversial chief, Hiram C. Whitley

In the years following the Civil War, a new battle began. Newly freed African American men had gained their voting rights and would soon have a chance to transform Southern politics. Former Confederates and other white supremacists mobilized to stop them. Thus, the KKK was born.

After the first political assassination carried out by the Klan, Washington power brokers looked for help in breaking the growing movement. They found it in Hiram C. Whitley. He became head of the Secret Service, which had previously focused on catching counterfeiters and was at the time the government’s only intelligence organization. Whitley and his agents led the covert war against the nascent KKK and were the first to use undercover work in mass crime—what we now call terrorism—investigations.

Like many spymasters before and since, Whitley also had a dark side. His penchant for skulduggery and dirty tricks ultimately led to his involvement in a conspiracy that would bring an end to his career and transform the Secret Service.

Populated by intriguing historical characters—from President Grant to brave Southerners, both black and white, who stood up to the Klan—and told in a brisk narrative style, Freedom’s Detective reveals the story of this complex hero and his central role in a long-lost chapter of American history.

Start of the service

The actual start of the Secret Service and Whitley’s beginning in Federal law is awesome to listen to and learn about, but also terrifying to hear the accounts of acts taken by KKK members. Very informative!

Evan Review

If you like US History of reconstruction and law enforcement you will enjoy this book of how the Serect Service came about during this period of history I always why the Serect Service name came about. I always thought it came from Pinkey Detective Agency but you find out different.

A decent read

Overall it was a good bio but it doesn’t focus as much in the KKK as the title suggests. It’s more a general purpose bio with some additional focus on those activities. The performance is one dimensional and made me feel like I was listening to an automated message the entire time. It made it difficult to stay focused at normal speed, but the cadence was so precise and unvarying i was able to listen to it sped up without missing much.

Interesting history

I'm glad I listened to this book. I wish it had been a little bit more in chronological order but I also realize at some points so much was going on it had to be told by following one story line and then the other even though we had to go back in time.

Right Does Wrong

My wife asked me to listen to this book, so I did. Hiram C. Whitley lived on situational ethics. What he was asked to do, if he agreed, he put himself fully into and did his best, even if his sense of ethics lapsed now and again. The book dragged a bit now and again while the author quoted diaries and court records. I recommend watching You Tube highlights of soccer while listening to the book. This makes the book listening go much faster. I learned a lot about the Bayern Munich soccer team and the Secret Service.