How to Find Almost Anyone, Anywhere, Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

~ Norma Tillman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Private Investigator Norma Tillman has found more than 1,000 missing persons in her career, a result of her diligence, ingenuity, and insight into where to look. True, perseverance can't be taught, but it can be encouraged. Tillman is motivational in her belief that you can accomplish your goal, and the case histories of her successes are quite inspirational. The book is structured by types of searches, with one chapter devoted to finding your father, another to looking for your mother, and a third on adoption. There's a chapter on brothers and sisters, a chapter on best friends and first loves, and another on seeking individuals in the military, plus a chapter on tracking down people who owe you money, and a section on tracing your family tree.

There are a few basic chapters on how to gather information, and repetition and example finally drive the point home: it's not a matter of doing A, B, and then C, but more a pattern of following every lead till you hit the one that pays off. Of course, a good list of resources helps considerably, and the reference section is worth the cost of the book itself, with 50 pages of organizations, agencies, phone numbers, and addresses (street and Internet) to inform your quest. Tillman encourages you to read all the chapters, not just because she wrote them, but because she's teaching a procedure and a mindset as much as a particular type of search. Her premise is that if you strongly desire to find someone, and are willing to put the time and effort into it, it is highly likely that you will be successful in your endeavor. --Stephanie Gold

Review

P. I. Tillman imparts the basics on how to locate missing birth parents, siblings and loved ones, how to access military and government files, and how to use many of the techniques of private investigators in conducting a personal search. These are legal techniques accessible to any investigator, and are easily used. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Rev Upd edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558536574
• ISBN-13: 978-1558536579
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #429,240 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Useless, July 6, 2001

By	Marie Myers (Ohio) - See all my reviews

If you are completely unfamiliar with the internet, you may find this book useful. Otherwise, it is a waste of money. There is quite a bit of preaching in this book such as "When these needs [of a mother AND father] aren't met, development is thwarted..." While this may be true, that should be an entirely different book from this one. Advice such as, learn her date of birth (to find mother) or register at a fee based reunion site (of course to the financial benefit of the author!!) is offered and all I thought was that I could have thought of any of her advice without ever having bought the book. Several letters with happy ending responses are also a part of the book, but no step-by-step assistance is in this book anywhere. As a matter of fact, in the first paragraph, the author says we should all buy a different book on finding people...I wish I had never spent the money!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Usefulness is quite overstated., December 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Find Almost Anyone, Anywhere (Hardcover)

Novice searchers who believe they will find extensive help within the covers of this book will be quite disappointed. Although Ms. Tillman does provide some lists of federal and state offices that maintain various information useful to experienced researchers, she gives little direction in how to access the databases. She suggests you go to your local library and ask the reference librarian for assistance. She suggests you might gain information about the person you are seeking through friends or relatives of that person without explaining how you might find those friends and relatives. Her case studies indicate that she has been successful in finding some people by using their Social Security number, but she doesn't tell how to find that number if it is unknown nor does she tell how to use it if it is known. Also contributing to the book's lack of utility is the fact that it has no index. Ms. Tillman's basic summary is that there is a lot of information "out there" that you can use (somehow) to find people, but if you aren't successful, you can always hire a professional search firm (like hers!) to find the person for you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guidebook, October 28, 2001

By A Customer

This is the third (How To Find) book written by this author to help a novice searcher and is a follow up to the original hardback book (which is found in most libraries and bookstores). The original hardback book is referred to often by many professional investigators and has the basics needed to find almost anyone (providing the searcher has good information to work with) and will remain a great source of information. Those who are familiar with the internet know that information on the web changes rapidly and of course there is no way a book written in 1998 can include all the current information available in 2001, however this book can be used as a tool or guide to provide information and insight that will lead to more information. These books are intended to help the searcher using many techniques. The comments and "preachings" by the author are intended to encourage the reader and hopefully suggest ways that will successfully reunite long lost families and friends. This author believes in sharing her knowledge and experience to help others.