Tips from a Private Investigator: Skip Tracing, The Basics
Today I’m sharing some slides from a presentation my PI-lawyer-husband and I gave last April at the Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For this presentation, we gave a “big picture” view of skip tracing to help writers craft scenes where their private investigators/sleuths need to track someone.
Below are a few of the slides we used in the skip tracking presentation, starting with who “skip traces” in their line of work, and followed by an overview of how a PI might work with an attorney to conduct a skip trace (something we’ve done hundreds of times at our agency).
Hopefully these will give you some ideas for your stories, or help clarify how a PI might work with an attorney to locate a witness. I’ll be posting more slides from our workshops in the near future.





Have a great week.
Click Cover to Purchase
5 Stars for The Zen Man
"A fantastic read from start to finish. Reminded me a great deal of the works of Robert Crais and Robert B Parker." ~MacKenzie Brown
2011 – 2012 Book Blog Tour Articles
December 6, 2011: Beth Groundwater's Blog: "When Writing a Whodunit, Think of Dear ol’ MOM (Motive, Opportunity and Means)"
December 18, 2011: The Thrilling Detective: "Props and Peeves! Private Eye Stories from a Real-Life Private Eye"
January 14, 2012: Interview w/ Colleen at Chatterrific
February 3, 2012: Coffee Time Romance: The Zen Man-Read It, Wear It
February 14, 2012 Terry's Place: Lust, Ethics, and the Private Eye
February 17, 2012 Savvy Authors: Tips from a PI-Tracking the Bad Guys in Stories
February 27, 2012 Elizabeth A White blog: Do Private Eyes Solve Murders?
February 28, 2012 Book Reviews by Elizabeth A White: The Zen Man
March 8, 2012: Coffee Time Romance: 13 Private Detective Couples in Books and Film
March 10, 2012 StoreyBook Reviews: Interview and Review
March 22, 2012 Minding Spot: Book Review
April 17, 2012 Fresh Fiction: 5 Hot Private Eye Heroes
April 24, 2012 Savvy Authors: Tips from a PI: Writing a Sleuth Who Finds Missing Persons
May 18, 2012 Novel Rocket: Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make at a Crime Scene
May 2012 Mrs. Mommy's Booknerd's Reviews: Book Review
June 18, 2012 Jersey Girl Book Reviews: Be Your Own Investigator: Four Free Online Resources
Enter Colleen’s May Giveaway Contest!
Blog Roll
- Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine
- Delores Fossen, USA Today Best-selling Author
- Donnell Ann Bell, suspense author
- Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes
- H.P. Oliver's Mysteries in History
- My Life Called So: Gerald So's Blogspot
- Nancy Wood, mystery author
- Noir and Chick Flicks
- Shaun Kaufman Law
- The Rap Sheet
- The Thrilling Detective Web Site
Recent Posts from Colleen Collins Books









