HOW DO PRIVATE EYES DO THAT?: New Ebook for Writers, Researchers, Investigators

Writing a sleuth character? Want to know how to locate a cell phone number? Curious how a private investigator might investigate a homicide or crime scene?

How Do Private Eyes Do That? is a compilation of articles about private investigations written by Colleen Collins, a professional private investigator (and one of the Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes blog authors). Its topics are geared to readers interested in the world of PIs, including fiction writers, researchers, investigators and those simply curious about the profession.

A supplement to the book is a chapter from How to Write a Dick: A Guide to Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths, co-authored by Colleen Collins. This chapter describes numerous specializations in the field of private investigations, including legal investigations, infidelity investigations, pet detection, insurance investigations, personal injury investigations, executive protection and more.

“If you’re looking for the lowdown on private investigations, this is it. Packed with details and insights. A must-have for anybody writing private-eye fiction and for anybody who’s curious about what being a private-eye is really like.”
– Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series and many other novels in multiple genres

“A must have for any writer serious about crafting authentic private eyes. Collins knows her stuff.”
– Lori Wilde, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

How Do Private Eyes Do That? on Kindle: Click here

How Do Private Eyes Do That? on Nook: Click here

Denver’s Nick and Nora: Real-Life Private Eyes in the News

You know us as the Writing PIs. In this week’s Westword, Denver’s weekly independent newspaper, we’re also “these married Denver detectives” in the paper’s cover story:

That cover is pretty cool (see above). They made it look like a beat-up dime novel with a tough, noir-ish private eye in a fedora and trenchcoat, holding a gun. The top right “page” corner is folded over, like you’re keeping your place in the paperback story. The reporter, Melanie Asmar, met with us between three and four times for interviews…toward the end she told us of her vision for the story (layering a writer’s PI story, based on one of our cases with us as the story’s protagonists, with interviews with us). She did a fantastic job.

To read about our cases, how we became PIs, and more than you probably ever wanted to know about a couple of married Denver detectives, click on the below link:

Westword: The Plot Thickens

Have a great week, Writing PIs AKA Denver’s Nick and Nora

Tips and Techniques for Interviewing Witnesses

A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths

Today we’re guests at mystery writer Pat Stoltey’s blog, where we offer a few tips and techniques for interviewing witnesses. Because so many readers of Pat’s blog are mystery writers, we slanted the blog toward writers writing fiction, but there’s handy info there for investigators and others.

We’re also giving away a free Kindle version of How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths to one of today’s visitors at Pat’s blog. We’ll pick a name at random from one of the comments/questions posted today at her blog — winner’s name will be announced later this evening.

To read the blog, click on below link:

Pat Stoltey’s blog: Tips and Techniques for Interviewing Witnesses

Have a great day, Writing PIs

 

 

 

From Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes: Three Nonfiction Books on Private Investigations

Hello readers,

Here at Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes we enjoy blogging about private investigations, many of our topics geared to writers writing sleuths/private investigators. We also walk the talk as we co-own a legal investigations firm. If in the near future one of us returns to also practicing law, we still plan for both of us to conduct investigative work, too.

How to Write a Dick

As our motto says, we also happen to be writers. A few months ago, we finally published an ebook that’s been in the works for years: How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths. This was truly, as they say, a labor of love. We’ve enjoyed answering writers’ questions over the years, presenting workshops at writers’ conferences, writing articles about investigations and crafting plausible PI scenarios…and all that and more went into How to Write a Dick.

Currently available on Kindle and Nook.

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How Do Private Eyes Do That?

As we’ve compiled dozens of articles here at Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes, we imagined it’d be kinda cool to put “the best of Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes” into a book, too.  But we’re not going to call it “The Best of…” because maybe some of those “best” ones are still to be written. After we pondered what the title should be, we decided something straight-forward and to the point was best…something like How Do Private Eyes Do That?

How Do Private Eyes Do That? Articles on the Art of Private Investigations, available October 2011 on Kindle.

How to Be a Lawyer’s Dick

We have a third book we’re working on, geared to legal investigations which is our field of expertise. What do legal investigators do? We specialize in cases involving the courts and we’re typically employed by law firms or lawyers.  We frequently assist in preparing criminal defenses, locating witnesses, gathering and reviewing evidence, collecting information on the parties to the litigation, taking photographs, testifying in court and assembling evidence and reports for trials.

When it came to a title, How to Be a Legal Investigator was too boring, Legal Investigations 101 was too obvious. Then we decided to follow-up our first Dick book with a second one: How to Be a Lawyer’s Dick.  Definitely eye-catching.

How to Be a Lawyer’s Dick: Legal Investigations 101 will be available spring 2012 on Kindle and Nook.

Have a great weekend, Writing PIs

PIs Talk About Mistakes in Private Eye and Crime Fiction

Below are a few blogs over the last few days where PIs talk about mistakes they’ve encountered in private eye and crime fiction.

Steven Kerry Brown (former FBI, current PI), author of Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating talked about “Mistakes Crime Fiction Writers Make” at Jungle Red Writers: Click here to read

Today the Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes PIs talk about “Avoiding Mistakes in Private Eye Fiction” at Poe’s Deadly Daughters where we talk about mistakes we’ve encountered in recent private eye books and suggest fixes: Click here to read

Have a great week, Writing PIs

Health Care Fraud and Organized Crime

This article now available in How Do Private Eyes Do That? available on Kindle and Nook.

Infidelity Investigations: Tips for Writers Writing Sleuths

Article is now available in How Do Private Eyes Do That?

 

Answering Writers’ Questions: How Long Does an Area Remain a Crime Scene?

Writer’s Question: Is there a time frame that an area remains a crime scene? I’m picturing the yellow caution tape in a public place and wondering how long that remains up.  What kind of time frame might apply to a crime scene in a residence (for example, if someone is found dead in a family room, how long do the residents of the house need to stay out of the room?) I’m thinking that from the time the police leave to when a PI shows up, a lot could happen in that room if a family member so desires.

Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes’s Answer: A police crime scene excludes all but those who are trained to respect procedures for preservation and collection of evidence.  Generally speaking, after a period of approximately 1-24 hours, the area is returned to normal use.

Regarding a crime scene in a residence, specifically (per your question) a dead body found therein: Be mindful that police will remove those parts of the family room that they consider important evidence (for example, blood-stained carpeting and drywall spattered with blood).  Also, police will photograph/videotape the family room in the exact state in which they found it.  In other words, by the time the family returns and changes anything, the PI will have copies of police photographs as well as access to physical evidence that’s within police custody.  There are certainly instances where PIs would still seek access to the home (for example, to photograph the layout, measurements, etc.) but that is accomplished through court order or consent of the victim’s family.

Writing PIs

Expectation of Privacy: Why Is It So Important for Private Investigators?

This article now available in How Do Private Eyes Do That? available on Kindle and Nook.

Is the Private Eye Going the Way of the Dinosaur?

In today’s world where everyone Googles, tweets, posts, emails, YouTubes, webcams and more, when nanny cams capture illegal activities, and downloaded videos on YouTube reveal undercover scams…what’s the purpose of hiring a private investigator?  Has the private eye gone the way of the Stegosaurus?

No.

Actually, the private eye has evolved right along with our fast-paced, electro-digital world. Even some of those tried-and-true techniques that Sam Space employed on the silver screen — following someone on foot, tailing in a car — are still “tools of the trade” best left to a professional private eye.  Let’s look at a few reasons why private eyes are needed today more than ever.

1. Private eyes understand the court system. You’re dating someone, want to know if something dark is lurking in his or her background? You want to hire someone, but want to make sure the candidate isn’t a felon?  You can go down to the courthouse yourself, but do you know what to look for?  Do you even know which courthouse to go to?  Private eyes do. They understand which municipality, county, federal district or state a person’s criminal records might be housed. And when they get there, they know how to order records, how to read them…and better yet, how to read between the lines. You say you can order these same records for $19.95 from one of those snazzy online databases?  Can I sell you a bridge?  The most accurate, relevant criminal histories are at courthouses, period.

2. Private eyes are specialists. Gone are the days of the generalist.  Oh, a few private eyes advertise they do general investigations, but most specialize in a field. You want to know if someone’s downloaded spyware onto your cell phone? There’s private eyes who specialize in cell phone forensics. You’ve just hired an attorney to represent your case for trial — there’s private eyes who specialize in legal investigations and understand how to prepare evidence, interview witnesses, and other tasks for trial. You lost your dog?  There’s private eyes who’re pet detectives.

3. Private eyes understand what’s legal, what’s not. All but 5 states require a private eye to be licensed, and licensure involves private eyes passing exams that prove their knowledge of the statutes affecting their work. Just because you think it’s cheaper and easier to hire your buddy to conduct surveillance on your almost-ex-wife, doesn’t mean your buddy understands which surveillance activities constitute eavesdropping, trespassing, harassment, or other legal no-nos. In our state, a husband was up on felony charges for surveilling his own wife — he didn’t understand he was breaking the law. In the long run, it’s cheaper, easier and smarter to hire a professional private eye.

Dinosaurs may have gone extinct, but the private eye is here to stay, baby.

Have a great weekend, Writing PIs