P.I. Books Home

Amazon.com - Fay Faron first discovered her proclivity for detective work when the houseboat she'd just bought sank in Sausalito's Richardson Bay and it behooved her to track down the boat's elusive previous resident. She is the founder of the Rat Dog Dick Detective Agency (seriously!) in San Francisco, and a regular guest on Oprah!. She has written an informative, entertaining, nay, hilarious guide for anyone writing about detectives and missing persons (MPs). Missing Persons tells us who is most likely to become a private investigator (PI), who is likely to go missing (or merely misplaced), and who would want to find them (hint: "the working PI's motto often is 'The client is not always right and often is not even sane.'"). We learn how and why people hide their whereabouts, and how to go about locating them. While 95 percent of a PI's work is done sitting at a desk, says Faron, "sooner or later your detective has to actually get off his duff and go out into the real world and burn up some calories." This is called "gumshoeing," and includes such scintillating activities as surveillance ("newspaper reading, coffee drinking and bladder rending") and dumpster-diving ("although I'd sooner admit to wearing Tan- In-A-Bottle to my high school reunion, I will concede there are lots of treasures to be found in day-to-day debris"). The appendices list PI licensing requirements by state and state laws regarding taping telephone conversations and such, so you don't make a fool of yourself. Faron works in fabulous, unbelievable examples from her 15 years in the business and lines such as this, about one MP who was discovered to be alive, not dead: "Dr. Mort had not, in fact, taken a dirt nap."

Amazon.com - Private Investigator Norma Tillman has found more than 1,000 missing persons in her career, a result of her diligence, ingenuity, and insight into where to look. True, perseverance can't be taught, but it can be encouraged. Tillman is motivational in her belief that you can accomplish your goal, and the case histories of her successes are quite inspirational. The book is structured by types of searches, with one chapter devoted to finding your father, another to looking for your mother, and a third on adoption. There's a chapter on brothers and sisters, a chapter on best friends and first loves, and another on seeking individuals in the military, plus a chapter on tracking down people who owe you money, and a section on tracing your family tree.  There are a few basic chapters on how to gather information, and repetition and example finally drive the point home: it's not a matter of doing A, B, and then C, but more a pattern of following every lead till you hit the one that pays off. Of course, a good list of resources helps considerably, and the reference section is worth the cost of the book itself, with 50 pages of organizations, agencies, phone numbers, and addresses (street and Internet) to inform your quest. Tillman encourages you to read all the chapters, not just because she wrote them, but because she's teaching a procedure and a mindset as much as a particular type of search. Her premise is that if you strongly desire to find someone, and are willing to put the time and effort into it, it is highly likely that you will be successful in your endeavor. --Stephanie Gold

A handbook for private investigators to use when searching for missing persons.

From Library Journal - Private investigator and former FBI agent Gunderson and writer McGovern provide a logical step-by-step guide to locating missing persons by mail or telephone. After an initial section on organization and motivation, they cover "some 300 different, responsible, and usually cooperative sources of information." Discussed are a few basic reference works, local, state and federal records, and miscellaneous sources such as ads and insurance and religious records. There are sections on missing children and adoptee searches, some useful addresses, and suggested content for letters. Books in Print lists several books on this topic published in the past four years, none of which were obtainable locally. So, while this is not unique, it is recommended as a good, solid source of its kind. - Mary Jane Brustman, SUNY at Albany Libs. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Missing Person Book Review - The book provides simple investigative resources that can be used by skip tracers, amateur genealogists, and others. . .-Security Management
 

Missing Person Book Description - If you are among the millions of people who are looking for someone from your past, you are about to embark on an exciting journey. Perhaps your search is one of the "big five" most common search categories—adoptee, birth parent, lost love, old friend, or military buddy. Or you may be searching for a past co-worker, former neighbor, childhood friend. This book contains the strategies and information you will need to complete your search as quickly and simply as possible.

Missing Persons Book Description - Looking for someone? "Find Anyone" is a multimedia information software package on CD-ROM for PC and MAC that will put the power of a private investigator right in your computer. Authored by 30 year P.I. veteran, John Woods, this CD-ROM will put his expertise and information resources at your fingertips, including 120 online databases for people searching. Use your CD again and again to conduct your own investigations, rather than paying other services a fee per search!

A book that explains how to find lost family members and missing persons.