Friday's Forgotten Books

My choice today is "Missing Persons" by Fay Faron. Subtitled "A Writer's Guide to finding the lost, the abducted, and the escaped."

It's one of the Howdunit Series from Writer's Digest Books. And it's one of the best. (Right up there with Lee Lofland's Police Prodecures and Investigations.)

This little non-fiction gem certainly stands out an a shelf of writing reference books with it's bright blue cover. And the contents are good, too.

Inside, real life private investigator, Fay Faron, details the basics of being a private investigator. She does so with her own particular voice, which is amusing. I read this book from front to back like a novel, enjoying the tales Faron offered from her investigating days along with her wit.

She explained a lot of information, and it's almost a shame the book isn't longer because I would have loved it she'd gone on. Since the book was published in 1997, some of the information is dated, but most of it is still relavent. Not to mention, this is one of the most entertaining non-fiction books I ever read.

Though, it's a little spooky how easy it is to find information on a person if the seeker is so inclined.

This is a great book to for starting one's private investigator writings. I would love to see Faron update and expand the book. It's a good book. And a good reference. It actually has a home next to my dictionaries, thesaurasi, and baby names book. Within easy reach when I'm writing.

Check out Patti Abbot's site for more Forgotten Books today.