Whether working at the Vatican in Rome or consorting with a gunrunner in Haiti, private investigator Cici McNair has lived a life of international adventure.

Born and raised in Mississippi, she has worked as a researcher for “Connections,” CBC-TV’s award-winning documentary on organized crime. She has also served a news writer, on-air newscaster and producer of documentaries for Vatican radio.

 In her memoir “Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I.,” McNair talks about her life as a private detective and the events that led her to enter the field, giving detailed accounts of the hidden, tight-knit private investigation world and real life cases. McNair discusses her book on Nov. 5 at the Penn Bookstore.

 Being a private investigator is as exciting and liberating as McNair ever dreamed, from creating a false identity on the spot during her first case in the field to surviving adrenaline-rushing car chases. Working with law enforcement in New York City, she goes undercover, dealing with the ruthless Born to Kill gang in Chinatown and the Middle Eastern counterfeiters west of Broadway.

 McNair now resides 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.

 The event takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 215-898-7595 or visit www.upenn.edu/bookstore.