2015: Readers Favorite Posts at Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes

Since 2009, Guns, Gams and Gumshoes has been blogging about private investigations. At the end of each year we summarize readers’ favorite 10 posts. Sometimes posts from previous years crop up again in current favorites. For the first time since 2009, an old-time favorite, “Private vs. Public Investigators: What’s the Difference?,” fell off the top 10 annual list.

Below is our tally for 2015, starting with #10. Thank you to our readers for dropping by!

10. Private Detective Couples in Fiction and Real Life

The Thin Man movie trailer (image is in public domain)

9. No Cease and Desist Letters: Four Copyright-Free Image Sites

Photo by Ryan McGuire, Gratisography (image in public domain, attribution requested)

8. Private Eye Writers of America 2015 Shamus Award Finalists

Fedora (image licensed by Colleen Collins)

7. Realistically Portrayed Private Eye Characters in Books and Film

James Garner as Jim Rockford (L) in THE ROCKFORD FILES (image is in public domain)

6. History of the P.I. from Vidocq to Pinkerton

Eugene Francois Vidocq, Recognized as the First P.I. (image is in public domain)

5. International Women’s Day: Honoring Female Investigators

Female PI (image licensed by Colleen Collins)

4. When Is a Private Investigator’s Evidence Admissible in Court?

Theodore Levin US Courthouse, Detroit Federal Building, Detroit, MI by Carol Highsmith (image is in pubic domain)

3. Free Social Media Search Engines

Fedora and Magnifying Glass on Computer (image licensed by Colleen Collins)

2. How to Conduct a Trash Hit: A Private Investigator’s Dumpster Secrets

The Dirty Business of Trash Hits (image licensed by Colleen Collins)

1. Investigating Crime Scenes: Police vs. Private Investigators

Crime Scene Tape (image licensed by Colleen Collins

 

Have a great week, Writing PIs

All rights reserved by Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman. Any use of the content (including images owned by Colleen Collins and/or Shaun Kaufman) requires specific, written authority. Please do not copy or distribute any images noted as licensed; any images noted as being in the public domain are yours to steal.

Writing a Female Private Eye Character? This List Is for You!

Half of the Writing PIs, Colleen, learned recently that she’s ranked #3 on a list of 70 influential female private investigators in the industry and on Twitter. She’s honored for the mention.

Writing a Female PI Character?

Lists like these are also great resources for writers wanting to learn more about the real world of PIs, especially the work of women in the field. If you’re on Twitter, check out these Twitter accounts and read about the day-to-day work of female investigators, articles on the profession written by women PIs, and more:

Article link: 70 Influential Female Private Investigators on Twitter

Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Field

At times it makes a difference being a female in the profession. For example, a client might feel more comfortable working with a female PI, or the case demands a woman, such as the time Colleen took a pole-dancing class to surveil a class member for a case. (After spending a few days in bed with a heating pad, Colleen now has great respect for pole dancers.) Otherwise, Colleen says,”I’ve always been treated like an equal by my peers, be they male or female.”

Articles About Female Private Detectives

Below are a few articles about real-life female PIs:

What Is It Like Being a Female Private Investigator? (thezenman.com)

The Undercover World of the Female Private Investigator (Daily Record)

International Women’s Day: Honoring Female Investigators (Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes)

The First U.S. Female Private Eye: Kate Warne (thezenman.com)

“Women are much better private detectives” (The Guardian)

Article about a “modern Day Miss Marple” who runs an all-female detective agency (Daily Mail)

Have a great week, Writing PIs

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