Barker

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Created by Patrick Whitehurst

What if Sherlock Holmes was one of the Baker Street Irregulars?

Or Philip Marlowe was a bum living under a pier on California’s Central Coast?

With a bunch of stray dogs?

And his “clients” are almost invariably his fellow down-and-outers?

That’s the world of BARKER, (his first name’s apparently Victor, but everyone calls him “Barker”).

So his digs aren’t some swanky flat on Baker Street in London or some LA apartment–nope, he lives in a makeshift shelter hidden under the soggy planks at the end of the Old Fisherman’s Wharf on Monterey Bay, with a motley (but loyal) crew of mutts. They include Zero (a teeny tiny Shih-Tzu), Dangler (a large Rottweiler), Destiny (a young Mastiff), Griz (part Collie, part coyote), and Conner (a Border Collie).

So perhaps it’s unfair to call Barker “homeless” since his damp little hideaway actually seems quite homey, even cozy. It features a couple of bookshelves filled with Barker’s favorite books, a small gas stove, a teapot, some tins of coffee and tea bags, an old truck seat which doubles as Barker’s bed and all the rest of his meager possessions (two pairs of pants, two shorts, a pair of black boots, two pairs of socks, and a big blue coat).

Nor is Barker your stereotypical bum. Sure, his past is never really explained, but he’s also a voracious reader, with a shrewd eye, a knack for detective work and a compulsion to help others. And so he functions as a sort of self-styled vigilante, he and his pack heading out on various “adventures,” usually seeking payment in the form of barter. But mostly just wanting to help.

Women (especially Detective Natalie Mary and local dog catcher Pearl) find him rather attractive, with his short red hair, grassy green eyes and a tanned, fit body kept in shape by regular ocean swims.

The first two books, Monterey Noir (2020) and Monterey Pulp (2022), were actually collections of interlocking short stories, while Monterey Lies (2023) is a complete novel. Those looking for an unconventional detective, some clever plotting and dry wit, some PG-13 canoodling or with a love for dogs could do worse than checking these boys out.

UNDER OATH

  • “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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Whitehurst was born on the Monterey Peninsula, although he currently hangs his hat in Arizona, where as a journalist, he’s written hundreds of stories for newspapers across the state. His non-fiction books include Haunted Monterey County, Murder and Mayhem in Tucson and Eerie Arizona, while his short fiction has appeared in Punk Noir, Shotgun Honey, Hoosier Noir, Mystery Tribune, Pulp Modern, Guilty Crime Story Flash, Dark Dossier, Bitter Chills, Wild Violence and  Trouble in Tucson.

NOVELS

THE SHORT STORIES

  • “Nickel’s Inheritance” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “A Foggy Day’s Problem” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “The Surprise in the Sea” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “Sharkness” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “The Suspicious Fourth Fiancee” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “The Wet Hundreds” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “Wicked Joe” (2020, Monterey Noir)
  • “Terror in the Highlands” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “The Angry old Man Above” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “Poison Could Do It Better” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “A Man and His Dogs” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “The Cats of Fourth Street” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “The Surfer Goes Down” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “Deadrent Kingdom” (2022, Monterey Pulp)
  • “Hunting in the State” (2022, Monterey Pulp)

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.

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