Publisher's Synopsis
Describes the origins of the private investigator (PI) - as professional bounty hunters in the US, and as thieftakers on "blood money" in the UK in the 18th century. This book shows how the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, set up by a Glaswegian exile in Chicago in 1851, gave birth to the "private eye" proper. Through first-hand interviews, he reveals the cases and lifestyles of many of today's top practitioners including Jay J. Armes of El Paso who has worn alloy hooks ever since his hands were blown off at the age of 11; Logan Clarke, LA actor and private eye, known as the "King of Sting"; and Peter Clark of Essex, Europe's foremost boat detective.;The author talks to women detectives, discusses the PI in fantasy and fiction, and visits speciality outfits such as the Lease Police who track down tenants who illegally sub-let apartments. Commercial fraud, child abduction, blackmail, counterfeiting, homicide, drugs, computer crime - the PI is forced to constantly adapt to a changing environment.
