Illustrator Colin King
Author Anne Civardi, Judy Hindley and Angela Wilkes
Year 1979
Publisher Usborne
ISBN 0 86020 279 8
Detective work is very difficult—but very exciting. A good detective must be patient, watchful and well-trained. He must know how to build the whole story of a crime from tiny clues. Yet he must be ready to spring into action at any time—to outrun and outwit even the craftiest criminal.
That is what this book is all about. It shows you the special skills detectives use, like identifying fingerprints and handwriting, examining witnesses, and reading clues. It tells you what information you need in order to act fast in emergencies.
There are games, puzzles and training courses to help you practice. And there are lots of stories about the kind of tricks crooks play—so that you will be prepared for them when you meet them.
Detective’s Handbook available on Amazon
fantastic book blog 
A personal favourite here – where I learnt all my skills of detection! =D
I love this book! I learnt quite a few tricks of the trade! 😀
Yes, coupled with Usborne’s Spycraft (https://fantasticbookblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/the-knowhow-book-of-spycraft/) it was a great combination! =)
Oh wow! I remember this book, such a blast from the past, if only I wasn’t too lazy to actually do anything the book mentioned.
Yes, I recall spending a lot of time reading and re-reading this book more than actively ‘detecting’! And I also remember spending as much time simply studying those great illustrations…
I know it’s a long shot but I’ve been looking for a first edition 1979 hardcover of this book for a gift to my boyfriend. The book has fond childhood memories for him and his father reading it to him who has since passed. I have looked for a solid year and the only one I found was taken right from under me on eBay. This would be a cherished gift. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi Kelly, I can find various versions at AbeBooks. There are similarly titled books in the search results but you can narrow them down by author/artist if you want. The Usborne one is there, though from what I can see not the first edition. You can sign up with them for free and they will notify you of new listings if the right one does eventually show up. I’ll keep an eye out for you too! 😉 Here is the link: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=&tn=Detective%92s+Handbook&kn=&isbn=