Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I. [Hardcover]

Cici McNair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2009

Growing up in Mississippi, Cici McNair was always more the tomboy her mother supported than the Southern belle her father demanded. She escaped her suffocating upbringing the first chance she had to travel the world. Whether working at the Vatican in Rome or consorting with a gunrunner in Haiti, she lived a life of international adventure. When Cici finds herself in New York, divorced, broke, and fashionably starving to death in a Madison Avenue apartment, she impulsively decides to become a private detective.

But, as Cici soon learns, the world of P.I.s is tight-knit and made up almost exclusively of former law enforcement officers. By nature, they are a highly suspicious group and are especially wary of a newcomer with an untraceable past. Diligently working her way through the Yellow Pages, doggedly pursuing the slightest lead, Cici is finally hired by a private investigator willing to take a chance. The next day she's working side by side with a pair of seasoned detectives and a skip tracer who is scary to meet but like silk on the phone. She quickly realizes she'll need all her energy and wits to succeed in this new world.

Being a private investigator is as exciting and liberating as Cici ever dreamed, from creating a false identity on the spot on her first case in the field to surviving adrenaline-rushing car chases. Working with law enforcement, she goes undercover, dealing with the ruthless Born to Kill gang in Chinatown and the Middle Eastern counterfeiters west of Broadway. A detailed account of the hidden world and real-life cases of a P.I., this action-packed memoir is as entertaining as any detective novel you've ever read. (2009)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts is a wonderful, wonderful read, an amazing true story told in the voice of a born story-teller. Come meet a rich and sometimes highly comic cast of detectives, clients, criminals, tough guys, and shady characters, and ride with Cici McNair as she learns her trade as a private investigator. She's funny, she's honest, and she's completely fascinating, as she helps us see why she loves the job. This is a memoir written by someone who made her own life into an adventure story, and who knows exactly how to grab your hand and pull you along." (Perri Klass, author of 'The Mercy Rule' 2009)

"This improper southern belle's memoir as a private detective combines the immediate impact of a newspaper column, with the ironic detachment of a fine novel. McNair's crafted vignettes of low-rent detectives are like chocolate truffles: dark, bittersweet, and addictive." (Bruce Schimmel, founder and columnist, Philadelphia City Paper 2009)

"One of the few female members of this hard-living, stained-tie fraternity, McNair declassifies the donkey work and dangers that are all part of the job description for those who would live for the chase." (Phoebe Eaton, novelist and screenwriter 2009)

"Detectives may not wear seat belts, but you definitely should hang onto your seat when you read Cici McNair's saucy, smart memoir about a hot female P.I. from the South. I always knew Cici was a pistol, but she really blew me away with this one!" (Lewis Burke Frumkes, author of "How To Raise Your I.Q. By Eating Gifted Children" 2009)

"Riding with Cici McNair would be a hair-raising experience. Can anyone have led such a zany, explosive, fun-filled, and inviting existence from Rome to Florida to Mississippi and from New York to Philadelphia? Reading is believing. And one suspects should McNair decide in one moment to become a brain surgeon, she would do so forthwith and with relish." (The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS Joseph L. White )

"Learn all about the gritty life of private investigators and how one tough woman broke into this largely male club. Stepping into one of its offices, Cici McNair found herself stuck in hanging fly paper. Anyone who picks up this book will be stuck in McNair's world, and is guaranteed to enjoy the experience-wackiness and all." (Andrew Nagorski, author of "The Greatest Battle" and "Last Stop Vienna" )

About the Author

Cici McNair, P.I., was born and raised in Mississippi. A graduate of Briarcliff College in New York, she worked as a researcher for CBC-TV's award winning documentary on organized crime called "Connections" in Toronto. She was also a news writer, on-air newscaster, and producer of documentaries for Vatican radio in Rome. She has set up households in Canada, England, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and Cyprus and has traveled all over the world.
Ms. McNair now lives in Philadelphia and heads her own private investigation firm, Green Star Investigations, which handles cases ranging from counterfeit pharmaceuticals to missing persons, stolen art recovery, and murder. She also works as a court-appointed Homicide Investigator handling both capital and non-capital cases. (2009)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; 1 edition (September 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599951878
• ISBN-13: 978-1599951874
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detectives Don't Wear Seatbelts-Cici McNair, September 22, 2009

By 

Lauren Kirk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I. (Hardcover)

Cici McNair weaves her memoir through the deep south of Mississippi and the streets of New York City. After traveling the world and trying her hand at a variety of careers, Cici decides to become a private investigator. Cici soon learns that becoming a P.I., especially a female one, is not as easy as she first thought. When the charismatic Vinny Pardo in New York City finally gives her a chance, for six dollars an hour, Cici is officially on her way. Discovering that this industry is primarily made up of retired homicide detectives and men, Cici learns the ropes and rules when being put into action almost immediately. Trailing adulteresses and breaking up counterfeit designer purse rings in New York's Chinatown, Cici begins to thrive in her new role and gains respect in the industry and on the streets.

When she returns to her small hometown deep in Mississippi to be with her mother, she realizes that being a P.I. down South is massively different then working in the big city. While uncovering cases, Cici begins to uncover her past. Her career continues to flourish and with every new case and position, Cici peels away at her own exterior. In doing so, she lets her past all flow out little by little as her guard comes down. The reader is let into Cici's private life and a new viewpoint of the narrator is revealed. McNair feeds tidbits and anecdotes about herself while sitting in cars at stakeouts and her secrets and character come out in a slow and steady pace that McNair seems to feel comfortable with. Prior to this, little is known about Cici, the revelations make it easier to determine what is going on in her head as she speaks. By opening up as the book unfolds, a face and personal story forms for the before faceless, unseen P.I.

McNair is a great storyteller. The memoir is full of humor, action, suspense, and emotional moments, particularly when she describes her overbearing and unlovable father. McNair's cast of characters throughout the memoir and her life are a motley crew and McNair details their quirks and personalities with precision. Her conversational style puts the reader right in the action, on the stakeouts, in the office, and into Cici's life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Southern Belle at Her Finest, September 19, 2009

By 

Christine Fernandez - The IE Mommy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I. (Hardcover)

You have to read this book. I loved it. I really truly did. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have actually worked for a few Private Investigators in my lifetime, although none as colorful or adventurous as the groupsCici worked with...I could still relate to so much that she discovered within the P.I. world.

Cici McNair has lived more then one lifetime of adventures. I enjoyed her thoughts and reminiscing of her childhood, her adult life and her adventures as a P.I. She carefully reconstructs her life for you. You come to understand the person she is without be overwhelmed or discouraged. You can feel the joys, agonies,elation and defeats as you learn more and more about this non-Southern Belle.

As she works with three distinct P.I. firms you can clearly understand where she learns her resourcefulness, tact, street smarts and expertise. So much of what makes a great P.I. is natural andCici is a definite pro at creating the images necessary to make busts, stings and incriminate the right people.

More memoirs should be this delightful and insightful. Ms. McNair takes the time to create the scenery, background and personas of the individuals in her life without losing the reader in unwanted fluff or information.

I have only one warning for this book. There is some language that might shock you and is a bit colorful. It was not offensive to me because it is definitely the way some "characters" in the P.I. or Police world speak so it was an appropriate description of those individuals. Plus this is a memoir...the author must relay conversations as they were presented or else it becomes fiction. If you sensitive to colorful language regardless of the scenario...this book may not be your cup of tea.Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable memoir, September 22, 2009

By 

Debbie (Harrison, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I. (Hardcover)

Cici McNair is a good storyteller. I found the cases to be extremely interesting (just a warning, though, that this book isn't a how-to on detective work) and the humorous parts still have me shaking my head and laughing.

Since all the sections were mixed together, it's hard to tell, but about a third of the book was a rather serious look at her childhood (which included verbal abuse) and her adventurous adulthood before she decided to become a detective. About a third of the book covered various cases she worked: finding missing persons, doing background checks on people or businesses, surveillance, undercover investigations of counterfeit goods, etc. Another third described the people she worked with and gave often-humorous stories about their interactions at the office.

A couple of times, she gave all the information on a case or decision but didn't neatly spell everything out, probably assuming the conclusion was as obvious to the reader as it was to her. I had no problem following what was going on, but this book was a group "out loud" read and one of the three of us couldn't figure out what happened in these cases.

When other people in the story used bad language, the author left it in the dialogue, which means some sections had a great deal of cussing or were otherwise very crude.

Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable memoir to readers who are interested in detective work or who enjoy reading novels about detectives.


Reviewed by Debbie from Different Time, Different Place Book Reviews (differenttimedifferentplace. blogspot. com)