Shows
The Sound of Pursuit"No Man's Ghost": An Arson Thriller by a New York City FirefighterJason Powell is a New York City firefighter and a debut author. His first novel, No Man’s Ghost, is an arson thriller about a firefighter’s first week on the job. It's a crime novel, and it’s kind of a mystery – a whydunit, let's say. In this episode, Jason explains why he wanted to bring to life the culture of an FDNY firehouse, how natural it felt for him to write the fire scenes, and why he decided to let the arsonist be one of his POV characters. And don't miss our lightning round, where we learn about Ja...2025-07-2229 min
Appraisal BuzzcastWhat does the new UAD look like for appraisal software?We're diving into one of the biggest updates coming to the appraisal industry—Fannie Mae’s new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD). Jim Morrison and Hal Humphreys are joined by Kim Angellone, who’s been at the forefront of this major transition. With limited production set to begin in September, many appraisers are wondering what to expect—and how to prepare. Kim shares how she got involved in the project, what roadblocks the team faced, and what exciting changes appraisers can look forward to. Plus, we look ahead to how AI and evolving tech will reshape real estate valuation.At The...2025-07-0929 minThe Sound of PursuitHow to Advocate for Identity Theft VictimsYour wallet goes missing. You cancel everything, but the alerts just keep coming: New bank accounts and credit cards in your name. Big charges. Damage to your credit score. It can take months or years to untangle all this. You may never get paid back in full. And nobody seems to be able to help you. Not the police. Not your bank. Not the government. Our guest, Carrie Kerskie, CAN help. She' a PI and identity theft expert who helps people recover from these crimes. And she’s made it her mission to help consumers protect themselves and...2025-07-0823 minThe Sound of PursuitHow to Commit Mortgage Fraud: A Cautionary TaleHow does mortgage fraud even work? And how did these risky real estate schemes help fuel the 2008 mortgage meltdown?Tune in to this special crossover episode of the Appraisal Buzzcast and Sound of Pursuit podcast to hear a gripping morality play about greed, speculation, the fraud triangle, and the dangerous allure of easy credit. Our guest is a Utah mom who lost herself in a tangled Ponzi-style real estate scheme involving hard money loans based on inflated appraisals. She ended up underwater, scrambling to keep up with ballooning debt, and under federal investigation as the 2008 mortgage crisis...2025-07-0239 minThe Sound of PursuitSouthern Lies and HomicidesSusan Waller Lehmann is a private investigator, a criminal defense and capital mitigation specialist, a journalist, and an award-winning author. She’s written for Pursuit Magazine, and she’s got a new book coming out soon. It’s a collection of stories about her casework in the Deep South, from process service and bitter divorce cases to capital murder cases. Southern Lies and Homicides is an honest peek behind the curtain at what a private investigator’s work is really like: often tedious, sometimes alarming, occasionally heartbreaking, and always, the most rewarding work there is. This collection is part m...2025-06-2447 minThe Sound of PursuitReuniting Birth Families: The PI and the Client-AdopteeMeet Rachele’ Davis: a longtime colleague and friend, occasional contributor to Pursuit Magazine, and now, the author of a course for PI Education. called "Finding Birth Parents for Adoptees, Donor-Conceived, and NPEs."Rachele’ has a really interesting niche: She helps reunite birth families. Her clients are adoptees looking for biological parents or siblings, and sometimes, parents looking for the children they gave up for adoption. That process can be an emotional roller coaster for everybody involved. It requires diplomacy, ethics, and compassion to handle all that as an investigator.In t...2025-02-0457 minThe Sound of PursuitThe Cases That Haunt Us"People don't understand what a bad day at the office means for people like us." That's a quote by Ben Lopez, a Chicago private investigator and the author of a moving personal essay in Pursuit about a case that came to a tragic conclusion — and the emotional toll it took on Ben. Join host Hal Humphreys and Ben as they talk about Ben's essay, the cases that haunt all of us, and how we take care of ourselves in the face of trauma and tragedy. Read Ben's story in PursuitMag.2024-12-0432 minThe Sound of PursuitTrue Facts About Due DiligenceWhat IS due diligence, and what ISN'T it?To answer this, Hal turns to our longtime colleague and friend Marcy Phelps, a professional researcher, licensed private investigator, and Certified Fraud Examiner. She's the author of Research on Main Street, owner of Marcy Phelps & Associates, and an instructor at PI Education. In the episode, Hal and Marcy talk about the why and how of due diligence investigations and give us a sneak peek at her brand-new due diligence course. Keep an eye out for that — it'll be approved soon!While you wait, check out Ma...2024-07-1030 minThe Sound of PursuitA True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland1986, Northern Ireland. A British spy is found dead by a desolate country lane — murdered by the IRA. Decades later, his killing set in motion the largest murder investigation ever in Britain and provoked painful national soul-searching about what spies should be allowed to to while serving their countries.Join Hal and his guest, author and journalist Henry Hemming, to talk about Hemming's gripping new nonfiction spy thriller, FOUR SHOTS IN THE NIGHT: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland. Find it anywhere you buy books.🔔 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to wa...2024-06-2646 minThe Sound of PursuitLife & Death Journeys of a Miami DetectiveJoin host Hal Humphreys and his guest, Ramesh Nyberg, as they talk about Nyberg's experiences in Florida law enforcement, including 22 years as a Miami homicide detective. In his new book, Badge Tie, and Gun: Life and Death Journeys of a Miami Detective, Nyberg shares what he's learned from nearly three decades on the force. It's full of great stories for true crime fans—and investigative wisdom for gumshoes with and without a badge. Buy it here, and check out Nyberg's recent article in PursuitMag.🔔 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch these episodes: /pieducation✅ NEED INVE...2024-05-2919 minThe Sound of PursuitDocumenting Your InvestigationJoin host Hal Humphreys and his guest, Philip Becnel, as they talk about how and why to document your investigation. Becnel is managing partner of Dinolt, Becnel & Wells Investigative Group in the D.C. area and the author of two books: Introduction to Conducting Private Investigations and Principles of Investigative Documentation, first published in 2012.Becnel has written a new edition (of the latter) in his own voice, complete with war stories and biting commentary. It's an essential guide to any investigator who works complex litigation and criminal cases. Buy it here, and read an excerpt at PursuitMag.2024-01-1824 minThe Sound of PursuitSurveillance: Observe and DocumentSurveillance: a French loaner word derived from the verb, "surveiller" — "to oversee/watch."Thanks to a few terrible PI reality shows, most of the world thinks catching cheaters is all P.I.s do. In fact, some investigators do specialize in domestic surveillance. Others, including Hal and John, have taken occasional surveillance assignments over the years, often in cases involving custody disputes or personal injury claims.The surveillance operative's job is to observe and document and, occasionally, testify about what they saw. The job can seem deceptively easy. But doing it well without being "burned" is...2023-11-2223 minThe Sound of PursuitRules of the Game When Working with AttorneysWhat's attorney-client privilege and work product? When should you deliver written vs. oral reports? Should you document all witness interviews? What information is discoverable?Join Hal Humphreys and John Nardizzi with their guest, defense attorney Jennifer Sunderland, as they talk about what private investigators need to know about rules of professional conduct when they work with attorneys.🔔 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch these episodes: /pieducation✅ NEED INVESTIGATOR CE? We've got you covered: pieducation.com🔥 STAY INFORMED with articles by and for investigators: pursuitmag.comPursuit Magazine and PI Ed...2023-11-0826 minThe Sound of PursuitPre-Charge Criminal Defense InvestigationsWhat's the best way to keep your clients out of prison? Prevent them from being charged in the first place. Join Hal Humphreys and John Nardizzi with their guest, Steve Mason, as they talk about pre-charge investigations — and why it's ideal to start defending clients before they're even charged.🔔 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch these episodes: /pieducation✅ NEED INVESTIGATOR CE? We've got you covered: pieducation.com🔥 STAY INFORMED with articles by and for investigators: pursuitmag.comPursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education c...2023-09-1335 minThe Sound of PursuitP.I. Marketing 101: Be Your True Self.What's the best way to market yourself as a professional investigator? A well-executed website is a great place to start.Join hosts Hal Humphreys and John Nardizzi and their guest, Brian Willingham, for a frank conversation about how they have built strong brands online by writing well, being generous with information, and letting their true selves shine through on their company sites.Brian Willingham's site: https://diligentiagroup.com/John Nardizzi's company site: https://www.nardizzi.com/John Nardizzi's author site: https://www.johnnardizzi.com/🔔 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to...2023-05-3121 minThe Sound of PursuitThe Innocence Network ConferenceBoston area attorney and investigator John Nardizzi recaps a recent Innocence Network conference he attended and chats with Hal about the risks and rewards of innocence investigations.The Innocence Network Conference: https://innocencenetwork.org/subcategory/conference-2022Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") co-host The Sound of Pursuit podcast (almost) each week.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to...2023-05-1014 minThe Sound of PursuitWhen the Client Turns Out to Be a Foreign GovernmentA client offers you lots of money to surveil someone but not much detail on the subject or the reason for the investigation. Do you take the case?You might want to do a little more due diligence. In this episode, Hal and John talk about cases like these, in which government actors from Iran and China have hired unwitting private investigators to gather intel on dissidents living in the U.S.Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") co-host The Sound of Pursuit podcast (almost) each week.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *2023-03-2924 minThe Sound of PursuitAnthony Pellicano and the Stereotype of the Bare-Knuckles PIIn this episode, we'll explore how one man's outlaw behavior on behalf of his high-profile clients shaped the public's perception of private investigators as shady and unscrupulous operators. Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") host The Sound of Pursuit podcast (almost) each week.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its s...2023-03-2320 minThe Sound of PursuitInvestigating Civil CasesLawsuits are war. There's a lot of money at stake. These are often big, complex cases with a lot of moving parts, involving far-flung witnesses and deep-dive research. Pursuit editor Hal Humphreys and Boston PI John Nardizzi talk about how to work cases like toxic torts, harassment cases, medical malpractice, and wrongful death suits. Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") host The Sound of Pursuit podcast each week. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free on...2023-02-1428 minThe Sound of PursuitP.I. Origin StoriesHal Humphreys and John Nardizzi share their origin stories — of how they found their calling as private investigators. Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") host The Sound of Pursuit podcast each week. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides high-quality online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and...2023-01-2630 minThe Sound of PursuitJunk ScienceBoston PI and author John Nardizzi and Pursuit editor Hal Humphreys chat about junk science — so-called forensic techniques that are based on little more than faith and hokum. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hal Humphreys and John Nardizzi host The Sound of Pursuit podcast each week. Join us for the live broadcast on YouTube, or drop by any time and check out the recorded version.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques an...2023-01-1833 minThe Sound of Pursuit"The Menu" & the JoyHal Humphreys and John Nardizzi, a Boston-area investigator and author, reflect on work, joy, and the movie "The Menu." Sometimes the pressures to "succeed" in a career can make us forget the love that carried us into a calling in the first place. How can we find the joy again?* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its...2023-01-1223 minThe Sound of PursuitLessons from 2022This week, in the void between holidays, Hal slows it down a notch and sums up a few takeaways from the year.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and...2022-12-2805 minThe Sound of PursuitGilbert King's "Bone Valley"Hal hosts author Gilbert King, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Devil in the Grove, led to the exonerations of four Black men falsely accused of rape in 1949. King is also writer, producer, and host of "Bone Valley," a new true-crime podcast that uncovers astonishing details of the wrongful murder conviction of Leo Schofield — and evidence pointing to the real killer. It's riveting storytelling and dogged reporting — a powerful combination.King spoke with Hal about reinvestigating cold cases and what it means to him to illuminate injustice — on behalf of Schofield and many others.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursui...2022-12-1432 minThe Sound of PursuitMike Spencer's Creative ObsessionsHal talks with Bay-Area PI Mike Spencer about his podcast, “The Gary Murphy Assassination: A San Francisco Cold Case,” and how obsession fuels his creative work.Mike Spencer is a former crime-beat journalist who rinsed off the ink and turned his skills to private investigation in the 1990s. He’s also a writer, colleague, friend, and longtime contributor to Pursuit. In this episode, we’re asking him about obsession — how it can fuel good work but also erode your sanity. For Spencer, obsession drives his creative endeavors, as a writer and recently...2021-02-1617 minThe Sound of PursuitSpencer for HireAs PIs, we all have our greatest hits—tales we tell over and over. Mike Spencer's craziest go-to story has all the elements: Paranoia. Porn. Aliases. Bodily fluids. You get the picture.Pursuit editor Kim Green met Spencer, an ex-journo veteran Bay-Area investigator, in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2014. He kindly agreed to share a few tales from his “Best Of” list.2014-08-1109 minThe Sound of PursuitCell Phone Pinging and TriangulationIn the summer of 2008, the original editor of Pursuit Magazine posted an article with the following headline: “Locating Mobile Phones Through Pinging and Triangulation.” That is, finding someone you’re looking for by turning that person’s cell phone into a kind of homing device.Over the years, that article set a record for the most hits of any PursuitMag story ever...and it's still getting lots of hits to this day—apparently, because a whole lot of people type "cell phone pinging" into Google search. People really want to know if this is possible, and if so, how to...2014-07-2125 minThe Sound of PursuitLand of the LostIn sxn 1 ep 3, we explore how to find people who've gone missing. Sponsored by TransUnion | TLO* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.In this...2014-06-1629 minThe Sound of PursuitRight and WrongIn sxn 1 ep 2, we profile Norma Tillman, a private investigator who specializes in finding people—without resorting to lies or trickery.When Norma Tillman started her career in law enforcement, she had to learn fast how to play up her advantages. At 5’2″, she’d never be as physically strong as most of her male colleagues. But she had mad skills: Diplomacy. Tenacity. Smarts. And a healthy self-esteem that valued team play over competition. In a word, she knew how to make allies.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and educatio...2014-06-0806 minThe Sound of PursuitPI PerceptionsIn our first-ever Sound of Pursuit podcast, we dig into the myths and misconceptions surrounding private eyes, then peel back the curtain to offer a glimpse into the real lives of professional investigators. Our team: Jim McLeod, Hal Humphreys, Kim Green, Stephanie Mitchell, Doug Hayes, Ruben RoelThanks to Brian Willingham, Kelly Paxton, Eli Rosenblatt, and Joe Stiles.Music provided by Jason White (who composed our theme) and Financier.Special thanks to radio producer Daniel Potter and...2014-03-1923 min