Clifford Simon appreciates detective novels as much as the next gumshoe. And, like any good sleuth, he has a knack for unearthing the hidden value in the most seemingly innocuous details. In the process, he saves his clients time, aggravation, and, of course, money. “I love being a detective, especially when it comes to discovering difficult-to-find information that helps put deals over the edge—whatever kind of research that might be required by a tenant or landlord,” says Simon, president of Rye Brook-based CNS Real Estate. Simon, who favors author James Patterson and a character he features in many of his novels, Detective Alex Cross, thrives on dismantling details as a mechanic does a finicky engine. There’s just about no hood Simon wouldn’t pop if it meant making himself an indispensable member of a transaction team. “I find that I prove my value at transaction. I stay with my deals, from reading leases on. I’m all over the details.”