Monterey Noir

"The elusive Barker is a deserving member of an exclusive society; that of the great detective. He uses his intellect in a way that most people fail to do and cuts through to the heart of the mystery with precision." -Billierosie Not every hero lives in a mansion or works from a smoky, hard-boiled office. Enter Barker, a mysterious man with no memory of his past. Ferociously handsome and acutely observant, Barker makes his home under the soggy planks of Old Fisherman's Wharf along California's foggy Central Coast. His closest friends are an assortment of stray dogs, ranging from a large Rottweiler to a tiny Shih-Tzu, who live with him. Adventure and intrigue have an uncanny knack for crossing Barker's path. In the first entry of the series; Nickel, Barker's sole human friend, bestows his makeshift home upon the man and his dogs just before dropping dead. It's up to Barker to honor Nickel's last wish, to atone for his sins, which doesn't prove an easy task. Meanwhile, forces are at work in other parts of the fog-swept city, which will lead the homeless detective and his dogs to a deadly confrontation in the heart of Monterey Bay itself. "If the hidden strata of humanity makes you feel uncomfortable, so it should, and this book will make you feel uneasy as it focuses on those many of us chose to pretend don't exist; the homeless and disenfranchised that live among us. This section of society is used to great effect in this novel, which could be ranked up there with the likes of Wilkie Collins in its ability to keep the reader guessing until the final page. I would recommend this novel to those readers who enjoy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries and to those wanting to read a detective novel with a different view on life. " Cate's Book Nut Hut"A homeless hero with the crime-solving skills of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes? A pack of loyal dogs who accompany the sleuth on his adventures along the streets and beaches of Monterey? Turns out, this book really works. The good-looking, green-eyed, homeless detective quickly won me over. The book consists of a half dozen short stories, each with a simple or complex mystery to solve, followed by one novella-length story in which our hero must rescue the city's mayor. The characters cross over between stories and create a world that is dangerous, believable, thought-provoking ... and often quite humorous. (Note, there are some PG-13 sexual situations.) Despite his dark circumstances and mysterious past, the hero has the ability to make us laugh. And the dogs? The dogs are awesome. There are five or more of them, and each has its own personality. They are true characters in this book, not just adorable props. Whitehurst is a good writer. And he clearly knows Monterey like the back of his hand. Reading this book was a lot of fun. I highly recommend it to both mystery lovers and dog lovers." -Michael Blevins, Goodreads 5-star review"Excited to read this writer's words, feeling as I know his characters with the minute details that makes the reader lost in the story from page two. A rare gift this writer, Patrick Whitehurst has and I look forward to his continued Barker series. Highly recommend for a rip roaring adventure that leaves the reader thinking about the characters and wanting to know more. " -Mary W. Black, Amazon 5-star reviewPatrick Whitehurst, born on the Monterey Peninsula, currently lives in Ariz. As a journalist, he's written hundreds of stories for newspapers across the Grand Canyon State, as well as two regional non-fiction books.