Sam Turner is a recovering alcoholic who keeps himself busy going to whatever meeting he can get into in the evenings. At a meeting for substance abusers the leader goes around the circle asking what each person does. Sam isn't doing anything but he doesn't want to look like a loser so he says he's a P.I. Later he gets a phone call from Terry Deacon, another man attending the class, and Terry wants Sam to do a job for him. Deacon thinks his wife is having an affair and wants proof. At that moment the Sam Turner detective agency is born.

The job tailing Deacon's wife becomes considerably more difficult when Deacon is murdered. Turner, trained by his favorite living writer Elmore Leonard (he only reads class stuff), gets a murder investigation and antagonizes the police that fast. It won't be long before Turner realizes a serial killer is on his inexperienced hands but that doesn't stop him.

This is the first book in the Sam Turner Mystery series but he's already at the top of my favorite P.I. list. When he hires help one of them is a "Hameless and Hungry" teen he's keeps seeing on the streets and can't forget. His office manager is an older woman he meets during his investigative interviews and she also takes on tutoring the homeless teen, so that he can write his own reports. There are others, and if this was a movie the reviews would say it has a great ensemble cast. ( )

Sam Turner is trying to reform. In order to keep away from bars and pubs he attends meetings. At his men’s meeting he tells them that he is a private eye, so much better than admitting he’s an unemployed alcoholic. Next thing he knows, one of the other men wants to hire him.

So starts The Poet In the Gutter by John Baker. Before you know it, Sam is investigating a series of murders. After a TV interview puts him in the public view, detective work offers are pouring in. Hiring a bartender, a retired school teacher and a homeless youth as assistants and modeling himself on American TV detectives, Sam is making it up as he goes.

This is a first book in a series. The word “quirky’ a little overused these days, but it does describe this book perfectly. I enjoyed this story, I liked how the author slowly revealed a little more to us, the audience, than to Sam, allowing us to see how or even if Sam will work it out . The character of Sam Turner is a welcome addition to the detective world and the book is peopled with a great cast. Fast moving and engaging, I can't wait to continue with this series. ( )

There are several reviews of Poet in the Gutter on my blog. ( )