Private Eye for the Bad Guy

By Kelly Luker

Review by Susa Silvamarie

Private Eye for the Bad Guy by Kelly Luker is a memoir that reads like exciting fiction. In prose that is clear, precise, understated, and fascinating, Luker describes her experience of the uneven and often contradictory relationship between law and justice. Her dryly humorous view can get a reader laughing out loud at situations that are not, in themselves, funny at all. 

As the author relates the inside stories of her work on various cases, she ties them all together with a narrative thread about her personal journey as a P.I. She reveals the moral challenges she encountered working for the defense of the accused. Little by little, the reader is exposed to the unfolding of her doubts, to her changes of viewpoint, and to the satisfaction of her growth. 

Private Eye for the Bad Guy subtly asks a reader the same deep questions about law and justice that the author has posed to herself. What makes the book resonate: the insider view from a woman PI, the slow reveal of her morphing beliefs, and the side-splitting wry humor. Here is thoughtful reading that is also a ton of fun. 

It’s available on Amazon, and, because the author happens to be a lakeside resident, you can even check it out in our own Lake Chapala Society Library!