IF you were gripped by the thrilling saga of gritty hacker Lisbeth Salander, you’ll be impressed by the skills of real-life private eye Gina Negus.
While the heroine of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is constantly in the thick of gruesome violence, it’s all make believe. But, for Gina, 56, being shot at, having a knife held to her throat and hunting terrorists and drug dealers is all very real. “Women are very good at this business,” laughs single mum Gina, a former policewoman who worked undercover in Scotland Yard’s criminal intelligence unit for 13 years.
At only five foot three Gina has seen it all – often disguised in everything from spray jeans to a twin-set and pearls. “The secret is to blend in,” she says. “You never want to look different so wearing lots of neutral colours – never anything bright – and being instantly forgettable is what it’s all about. I always change my hair too.” “You also need to know how you’ll get out of a situation if there’s any risk of being spotted, and I have favourite getaway excuses I use – having a sudden asthma attack is a good one.” Gina is now the public face of her own team of private investigators, Alternative Solutions (www.altsolutions.co.uk), which was set up four years ago and employs mostly women. Gina says she left frontline action for her children.