Essential Books for Aspiring Private Investigators

Private investigators can greatly benefit from essential books that enhance both technical skills and personal development.

### Essential Reads for Aspiring Private Investigators: 16 Book Recommendations
* 📚 In episode 108 of the Pride Investigator Vice podcast, Andrew Kidd discusses "**16 Must-Read Books for Private Investigators**," highlighting both **technical and soft skill resources** beneficial for various stages of a PI career.
* 📖 The first recommendation is Andrew's own book, "Want to Become a Private Investigator?" which offers insights into the investigator's life, including **challenges and tips for success** in the field.
* 👮 Another notable title is "**51 Dirty Tricks Bad Guys Really Hate**" by Larry K, which provides valuable tactics used by professionals in the **investigative community**.
* 🧠 Andrew emphasizes the importance of ego management with Ryan Holiday's **"Ego is the Enemy,"** a book that explores how **ego can negatively impact relationships and personal growth**.
* 📊 For foundational knowledge, he recommends "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating," which offers **essential information that new investigators may not receive through on-the-job training**.
* 🕵 "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M. R. Covey is highlighted for its insights on **building and maintaining trust**, a crucial aspect of **successful investigations and relationships**.
* 📜 The "**California Private Investigator Legal Manual**" by David D. Queen is presented as a comprehensive resource that covers **over 150 topics and 180 court cases**, making it **invaluable for investigators nationwide**.
* 📅 Lastly, Andrew encourages personal development through "The Five-Minute Journal," which promotes **gratitude and reflection**, essential for **maintaining a positive mindset** in the demanding world of private investigation.

[Music] Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Pride Investigator Vice podcast. My name is Andrew Kidd, and this is going to be episode 108. The title of this podcast is 16 Must-Read Books for Private Investigators. I'm going to break down books that are written by private investigators and some that aren't, so you'll learn. The books that we talk about have some sort of the technical side of investigations, some of it's starting a business stuff, and then the other stuff is the soft skills. They're both equally important, and I've come across some really good books that I've read over the years that would be a huge benefit for you in your career, whether you're just getting into the career, in the career, or maybe you're a business owner, and so they all be a benefit. Before I get into that, I want to ask a couple of favors from you. The first thing I want to ask from you is if you listen to this through your podcasting app or whatever it is, do me a

favor subscribe to the podcast. That sends a signal to these other, uh, you know, platforms that, uh, I need to be ranked up high enough for other people to find me. So, I would truly appreciate that. And, uh, if you would please give me a review on those podcasts, um, you know, if you really enjoy it, a five-star rating would be much appreciated. And so, also, if you're on YouTube and you're watching this podcast on YouTube, fantastic. I appreciate it. Uh, subscribe to the YouTube channel and, uh, give this video a thumbs up as you're watching this. All right, so let's jump into some books here. Now, uh, there's 16 books I'm going over. They're in no particular order, even though I'll kind of give you my top picks. And the first book that I'm going to get into is not the best book that I'm going to recommend to you, but it is a good book. And that is my book, of course. I'm going to put my book in here. Why wouldn't I? So, want to become a private investigator.

is the name of the book, uh, tips and things I wish I would have known, uh, before becoming a private investigator. I'm going to share some, uh, some insights that you should consider when you're jumping in. I'm gonna, it's gonna, it's a book for private investigators that are private investigators, or excuse me, people that are already private investigators, people that want to be proud of us, just everybody's gonna get a little bit from the book. Talks about investigator life, negative aspects. If you know me, I try to talk people out of this occupation because I know so many negative aspects of it. Dealing with surveillance pressures, investigator resume tips, uh, what, what to ask when you're, you know, interviewing for a position with an investigation company, where to find jobs, surveillance vehicle must-haves, things of that nature, so, and much, much more. So, definitely, uh, take a look at that book, and if you decide to buy it, and by the way, all the books I'm going to share

with you if you decide to pick it up. Uh, you know, give a positive review to those books. Uh, I want more people to find the books that I'm recommending to you because I think they're good, including my own. All right, all right. The next book I want to recommend to you is actually from a friend of mine. It's Larry K. I've reviewed this book before, but I want to make sure you know about it. It's 51 Dirty Tricks Bad Guys Really Hate: Sneaky Tactics Used by Police, Private Investigators, and Bounty Hunters, again written by Larry K. I read this book years ago. In fact, I read on the Kindle version, and uh, I didn't know what I was gonna, I didn't know what to expect from the book. And what I found out is, you know, some of the stuff that I did know in the book, but there's a lot, there's some nuggets in there. And I'm, I'm, I'm a firm believer in if I can get some nuggets.

out of whatever I paid for, then it's worth it. You know, not everything. You know, I might take a course in something, and if I've taken twenty percent like new nuggets, the money that I spent on that was totally worth it because, you know, of course, there's some knowledge you're just gonna know. But I think Larry did a really great job with this book. It was one of his first books that he put out there, and I would highly recommend reading it. There are some nuggets in there for sure that you may not have thought of when it comes to being a private investigator. So check that out. By the way, just to give another plug for Larry, he's just a really good guy. He has been serving the investigative community for, I think, either just before I started doing it or right after. I can't remember. I'll have to double-check on that, but he's been doing this for a very long time, putting up YouTube videos, subscribing to his YouTube channel, buying his books.

and check him out. He's a great guy. All right, the next book I got for you. It's called Ego is the Enemy. We all have a little bit of ego, some more than others. In fact, the reason I picked up this book personally was because I felt like I had a little bit of an ego problem, and it was not even related to investigations. It was related to other things in my life, and I had always saw this book at the bookstore. I loved going to the bookstores. That's just, you would, if you would ask me that in high school, I would have laughed. I like never read any books, and of course, you know, I read books all the time now. But I kept seeing this book, and I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna wait till I hear some stuff about it. And um, I first, I can't remember how I actually ended up checking it out, but I ended up getting, buying it for myself and reading it. And I believe I listened to the Audible version first, and then I, like most books that I do, I'll do Audible, and I'm like

Oh my gosh, there's so much good stuff, information here. I'll buy the book and highlight a bunch of stuff in there as it speaks to me so I can quick reference it. A little bit harder to do that in an audiobook, but the author's name is Ryan Holiday. He also has written some other books, including another book that I really enjoy, The Obstacle Is the Way. I would recommend both books, even though that's not formally in this book review thing, but I think he does a great job at setting the tone about what ego is, what ego isn't, and sharing a lot of stories and history about people and their egos. So, I would definitely check that out. Definitely a good way. I think everybody, whether a private investigator or not, should read this book. It gives some insights about how ego can destroy relationships, and so it's definitely good to get ahead of it. If you don't have an ego problem, great, you know, pick up the book. If you do

and maybe you don't know, but read it, and you may find out that you didn't go, Oh man, I gotta change some stuff. Uh, that's what I did, and I really believe this book is very valuable, so definitely check that out on Amazon. Again, all the links to all the books that I'm going to share are going to be in the show notes. The next book I want to recommend is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating. Uh, you know, I was always skeptical of these books years ago. I mean, this series of Complete Idiots Guide has been around for a very long time, and uh, well, this book was one of the first couple books that I purchased as a private investigator. And what I found was this book provided more information for me as a new investigator than uh, hands-on training. I, you know, which is kind of uh, weird, right? But the company I work for, I learned stuff in here that I wasn't being taught in the field or by

the people that were teaching me, and so this filled in a lot of gaps for information and knowledge. And I would, if there's any first book to get as a private investigator, this is the one. Like, I can't rave about this book enough. I have this, I have the version, what is it, um, I'm sorry, uh, how, whatever the first version of it. There's the third version of it out now. It's just an updated version, so pick it up. Highly recommend it and give it a five-star rating, uh, because I just think it's a really great book for investigators. So definitely check that out. The next book I would recommend you guys pick up is called The Pretext Playbook: Instruction Manual for Intentional Misleading Fabrication by James O'Reilly. I read this book a couple of years ago during COVID. I had time on my hands, and I was looking for books on pre-texting. I was interested to see what was out there, uh, what was being shared, and this book

came up and I bought it, and I read through it, uh, cover to cover, actually, and uh, so here's what I'm gonna tell you. You're gonna find in here, you may see things in here where you're like, um, no, I can't find a, I guess they're not all gonna be home runs, right, probably these pretexts that you're going to read in this book, but the authors sourced these pre-pretext from other people in the investigative community. When I read it, there were some things in there, and like, oh, well, that's pretty good, that's a good one, and there were other things in there where I'm like, um, now this is, this doesn't feel right, I, you know, uh, this feels icky, and but anyways, if there's anything I want you to get from this book, I want you to read it, and uh, maybe, maybe you do use some of the pretext, isn't there, maybe it helps you come up with one that's specific to maybe an investigation you're working that you

could find some knowledge. Anyways, I wanted to ignite your imagination and, uh, you know, help you create your own pretext ideas in the field as needed. The next one I want to recommend to you is The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey. I read this book, uh, audible again when I'm in the field and I'm working surveillance. I can't sit there and look down at a book, so as I'd be following people, I'd be listening to audiobooks, and this was one of them. And I honestly, I can't remember, uh, I might have been on a podcast or something that someone recommended this book. Thank goodness I bought it. It fundamentally changed the way I looked at relationships and trust. I, I think I did not have a complete understanding of, of trust as it related to relationships and how that works. There is no better book written on trust, in my personal opinion, than this book right here. And, and anybody in, it doesn't even have to be investigation-related.

but you will see if you read between the lines. You can look through the lens of this book through an investigator, but it fundamentally changed the way I looked at it, and it has made me better as a result because I understand trust, and I understand when I lose it, and I understand I'm ahead of the game at not losing it because I've read this book. So, trust isn't always what you think it is, so definitely have this in your library, get it on Audible, a fantastic book for anybody really. The next book I want to recommend to you is the California Private Investigator Legal Manual by David D. Queen. So, this book truly is a hidden gem and is very well written for private investigators. Though, you know, it says California in the title, I think it can apply to any investigator in the United States because, you know, it talks about court cases and things of that nature. I just think it's invaluable. In the description, it states this book covers more than 150 topics.

analyzes more than 180 court cases and federal and state statutes. This book needs to be in your library as a private investigator. Again, I talk about those nuggets. I mean, there have been things, and there were things in there. I'm like, Oh, that's what I was looking for. That's what I needed to read. And I'm so thankful that I have it in my library. I need to actually go through it again. All right, all right. So, we've been having, you know, we're talking about a little bit of private investigator books, a little bit of personal development books, the soft skill stuff. And this one's going to be more of a sales book for you. This book was recommended to me by a good friend of mine who is a CEO of a very large company. And he said, You got to read this book. You got to read this book. So, I did. In fact, again, the audible version. But this wasn't that long ago. I only read this a couple of years ago. And it's Go for No.

Yes, is the destination. No, is how you get there. By Richard Fenton. It's in story form, right? There's, I don't know if you've ever read books where it's like, you know, they're teaching you, but you're listening to the story. It's, you know, a fictional story. That's how this book goes. I think the audible version is very well done. But the main idea of this, and I do want you to read this book, it's a short read, by the way. So, it basically says, like, in order to get to the yeses, you got to get to the noes. You know, you really need to embrace the noes. When I say noes, it's the rejections, right? So, you need to be okay with the rejections. And guys, when we're doing investigative work, we're gonna get rejected a lot, and people aren't gonna cooperate, and things of that nature. And that's not where I'm coming from, but really when it comes to building a clientele and going out there and meeting people.

and being turned down for work. We need to be okay with that because the more no's you go through, the more yeses you're gonna find. And that's, you know, in short, that's the nugget of this book. But the book articulates it so much better, so definitely pick that one up. I'll have the link in there for you. All right, the next recommendation I have for you is How to Start a Private Investigation Business: A Proven Blueprint for Success. Um, you know, I've written some stuff on starting a PI business, and I think this author really narrows it down. Like, starting the private investigation business doesn't have to be complicated, and he lays out the things that you need to cover, uh, and so there's really good information. The one thing about this book is, though, it doesn't get all meta into every little topic, so it's going to make you aware of, it's going to bring it to your attention, uh, you know, because every state's a little bit different. So, but hey, you need to pay

attention just you need to do this uh you're aware you're aware of it. Sometimes being aware of things is half the battle, and that's what this book's going to be good for. The author's name is Edward Pansino. He brings 16 years of experience to this book, not just as a private investigator, but also from an intelligence field and security matters, as he's worked for the US military and U.S. State Department. So, what again wouldn't be a bad book to have on your shelf, especially if you're just starting a business, to make sure you have all the things you need covered that you need covered. But if you want, if you aspire to start your own business, you're in, you know, aspire, just want to just jump right in, or you were already a private investigator, definitely check this book out. So, the next book I want you guys to check out, see if it's a good fit for you, is Sleuthing 101: Background Checks and the Law. Now, this book was written back in the day in 2005.

and it was really written for like just a regular business, not necessarily an investigator, but you know, it's packed with some things that can give you that you should know about doing background checks and the law. So, the book's dense in a good way. It's, you know, it's thick. It's kind of meta in regards to background checks, but I think you'll find some value from it now. And it's probably not going to be very expensive because it's an older book, but definitely check it out. You know, this will always be a theme with me as I talk to you guys. Knowing a lot of the laws is going to be incredibly important in the investigation world. You don't want to break the law unknowingly, right? You don't want to be caught off guard. You want to be kind of aware of that because, you know, you just don't want to be caught in a bad situation because you didn't know. So, again, this will help you with that now.

On that note, the next book that I'm going to recommend to you is incredibly inexpensive and small. It's called The Private Investigator Legal Pocket Guide. It could literally fit in your pocket. Now, this pocket guide is a really quick reference guide for laws related to the private investigation industry. But in fact, the author has actually written a more extensive version of this book with over 300 court cases that have been researched, and I would also recommend that book. Again, I'll put the links in there, but again, laws are incredibly important. The quick reference guide is good to have on hand. You may come across, maybe you're a new investigator, you may come up, maybe you're an old investigator, but you may come across some larger, like in the states, you're like, Oh, oh, I didn't know that. I wasn't supposed to be doing that. Again, we want to make sure that we're aware of these things. And so, all right, the next one, the next one is called Building the Brand. Excuse me, Building a Story Brand by

Donald Miller. Now, this is more of kind of like a marketing book for you as an investigator, and I want you to read this book through the lens of a private investigator as you're marketing your business. And when I read this, I mean, I can't get too much to do is I'll never be able to articulate it like he did, he does in the book, but it's basically where we make our clients the hero in the story. And it's important. It's going to be an important factor in acquiring more clients and getting referrals and things of that nature. So, again, it's called Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. I think the Audible book is good. I would definitely listen to it that way. And he's got some other free resources for you too. Definitely check that out. It's stuff that Cindy and I are doing in our other businesses, leveraging some of this knowledge. I've actually talked to my graphic designer about this author, and they're

like oh my gosh, yes, we love this author, and it helps you change the way you look at selling and marketing. I'm a big advocate of not, you know, you always want to go with things that work, of course, but don't be afraid of trying things, you know, and other types of things to help market yourself as a private investigator. The next book I recommend for you guys is called The Five Levels of Leadership. I read this book, oh boy, I want to say about four or five years ago, and it has had a huge impact on my own life. Leaders aren't born; they are definitely developed. I think the younger version of myself heard people's, you know, would say that all the time, right? Like, you know, I was born a leader. No, you might have, you know, some skills that you grew up with, maybe watched your parents or leaders around you, but I don't think leaders are born. So, I would recommend this to private investigators who own a business with

employees or people who manage an investigation company or investigators who aspire to be leaders. It's a big eye-opener as to the different, basically types of leaders there are and why people follow them. And um, and you want to, if you read it, you'll understand, but you want to work up the different level. You want to be on level five. That's like the highest level of leadership that you could have with folks. So definitely check that book out. I can't rave about John Maxwell enough and uh, his books, especially this one. With that being said, my next book recommendation is Developing the Leader Within You 2.0. I wrapped up a book club with some other coaches and this book opens up even my eyes even more. And the great thing about John Maxwell is he integrates, he'll take a topic and he'll narrow it down and he'll break it up. So he'll take a big topic and then make like six books out of it. And and and so in this book, you know, being a good

leader will not only change your. You want to be a good leader in your family. You want to be a good leader in your business. Uh, and, and, and any of those. It'll change the dir, the trajectory for in a positive way if you're a good leader. So there's no finish line. You know, you're not going to arrive. I think that's the biggest downfall in developing personally is you think you arrive. Even John Maxwell himself has been teaching leadership for ages. Still knows that he hasn't arrived. He's not the person he wants to be in leadership or just in general. So, uh, developing the leader within you 2.0 by John Maxwell. Definitely check that out. I love that book. Love it. Love it. Love it. My next one. Uh, I'm gonna preface this by saying, uh, early on in my career, I was fortunate to love enough to take a, uh, interview and interrogation course by Wicklander Zulowski. I don't even know if they're together anymore, this partnership, but it's about really

excellent interviewing, and oh my gosh, it was the most fascinating course that I've ever taken. I'll never forget it. But with that being said, there is a book that they wrote. It's called Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation, and then The Practical Aspects of Criminal Forensic Investigations. I won't get too much into this, but you know, maybe it's a book that you need to check out. It's an older book. Maybe you can pick up. I'll have an Amazon link for you. But if you want to take your interviewing skills to the next level, this may be a book you want to take a look at and see if it's a good fit for you. All right, we've come to the end, and at the end here, I have one book remaining for you, and it is The Five-Minute Journal. It's not even a book, but I am a big believer in personal development and gratitude. With the five-minute journal, it gives you a chance at the end of the

day to just take moments, just a little bit of time to go, What am I thankful for? and some of the best seasons in my business with my wife has been when I took the time to be thankful. And so, that's what I would ask you guys to take a look at, take a look at this five-minute journal and just pick it up. I can't remember how much it is, but it's totally worth it, where you can just write down what you accomplished that day, what you're thankful for, and even consider this. A friend of mine who's also another health coach had brought this to my attention because it never occurred to me to have a gratitude journal, but she would say things like, You know, I'm thankful for my eyes that I can see, and my hands and my fingertips that I can grab things. How lucky am I to be able to do that? Some people can't do that. Some people can't see. I'm thankful for every breath that I get.

to take or my heart's beating or my wife. I'm so thankful for her or my spouse or my kids or the roof over my head. The simple things, right? That your stomach's full every day because you know we're blessed enough to live in this country. And you know, you know, best country in the world in my opinion, right? The United States. If you're listening from another country, I'm sorry, I'm a little biased, but I think you get the idea, right? Wherever you're from listening to this, just being thankful for what you have. If you have other books that you would recommend, definitely let me know about it. I do believe there's that technical side, you know, the skill set side, and there's the soft skill side. Both are very important in this business, especially if you want to grow. I hope you found this podcast valuable to you. I hope you found some nuggets in here, and I hope you pick up some of these books. And again, I'm going to have links, and I'm, by the way, I'm an affiliate for

amazon. So, if you buy the book through my link, I will get a little small commission for that. Um, but again, I'll have the links on the podcast. Thank you guys for listening. The last thing I'll leave you with is my little ad for the private investigator advice templates. Definitely take a look at that. We've got the surveillance report template, the video walkthrough there, we got the retainer agreement, we have the intake sheet, we have all kinds of stuff in there. Anyways, take a look at it, see if it's a good fit for you. The bundle's cheaper than doing them individually. You can definitely do them individually if you want, but that's it, guys. All right, have a good rest of your day, and we'll see you on the next podcast. See you later. [Music]

16 Must-Have Books for Private Investigators

Private Investigator Advice

16 Must-Read Books for Private Investigators

The podcast episode discusses 16 essential books for private investigators, covering technical aspects, business startup guidance, and soft skills.

The host, Andrew Kidd, shares insights from his own book and recommends works by others in the field, including Larry K.

's "51 Dirty Tricks Bad Guys Really Hate.

" The episode emphasizes the importance of these books for both aspiring and current private investigators, as well as business owners.

Recommended Books for Personal and Professional Growth

The speaker highlights the value of learning from courses and books, emphasizing that even a small percentage of new knowledge can make the investment worthwhile.

Larry's book on private investigating is highly recommended for its valuable insights.

The speaker also suggests "Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday for its impactful lessons on managing ego and its effects on relationships, and praises "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating" for providing essential information for new investigators.

Recommended Books for Private Investigators

The first book recommended is an essential read for private investigators, with an updated third version available.

The second book, "The Pretext Playbook" by James O'Reilly, offers various pretexting strategies sourced from the investigative community, aiming to ignite creativity for unique pretext ideas.

The third recommendation, "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M.

Covey, provides valuable insights on building relationships and understanding trust, making it relevant for anyone, not just in the investigation field.

The first book recommended is about understanding trust and its importance, making it a valuable read for anyone.

The second book, the California Private Investigator Legal Manual, covers over 150 topics and analyzes more than 180 court cases, making it essential for private investigators.

The third book, Go for No by Richard Fenton, emphasizes the importance of embracing rejections to achieve success, making it a great read for building clientele in any profession.

Recommended Books for Starting a Private Investigation Business

The book emphasizes the importance of embracing rejection in the journey to success.

"How to Start a Private Investigation Business" by Edward Pansino offers a clear blueprint for starting a PI business, drawing on the author's 16 years of experience.

"Sleuthing 101: Background Checks and the Law" provides valuable insights into the legal aspects of background checks, making it a useful resource for anyone in the investigation field.

The Private Investigator Legal Pocket Guide is a small, inexpensive reference for laws related to the private investigation industry, with a more extensive version available.

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller offers marketing insights for private investigators, emphasizing the importance of making clients the hero in the story.

The Five Levels of Leadership provides valuable lessons on developing leadership skills, challenging the notion that leaders are born.

Recommended Leadership and Interviewing Books

John Maxwell's books on leadership, especially "The 5 Levels of Leadership" and "Developing the Leader Within You 2.

0," emphasize the importance of continuous personal development and the positive impact of good leadership.

The author's experience with Wicklander Zulowski's interview and interrogation course led to recommending their books, "Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation" and "The Practical Aspects of Criminal Forensic Investigations," for those looking to enhance their interviewing skills.

The Five-Minute Journal is also suggested for personal development and practicing gratitude.

Taking a moment to reflect on what we are thankful for can have a positive impact on our lives and businesses.

A gratitude journal can help us appreciate the simple things, like our health, family, and basic needs.

The podcast host encourages listeners to be grateful for what they have and offers links to recommended books and templates for private investigator advice.