The Private Detective Handbook

"The Private Detective Manual" is exactly what the title claims. It is a textbook for the PI student and a reference manual for the private detective. It is a handbook for the casual reader that is interested in learning about real life private detectives rather than the television or movie views most people have.

Each chapter contains an overview of the many areas of the private detective field with which a PI might be involved. Some may be as short as a page or two and others present a more extensive view. There are quick reviews and check lists in many of the chapters to help the student develop a sense of what must happen in each phase of the work. It provides a quick review for the experienced investigator to make sure some area of an operation is not missed.

There chapters on history and ethics that may not be practical in the day to day case work of the private detective, however, are essential in understanding the business, where it started, and how to operate a profitable and ethical business.

Some of the chapters contain elements of law with which a private detective must be familiar. Although Georgia law references are used in the book, most states have similar laws. Many of the state laws are patterned after federal laws so state law is just a reinforcement or restatement of federal law. For example: the expectation of the right to privacy is within the fabric of all laws and goes back to the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The book is not an in depth study of the private detective business, but is an overview of the subject. It opens up areas of the industry for which a student or professional might want to seek more specific information or training.