The Hero of Hucklebuck Drive: Death and Depravity in the World’s Most Livable City!

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and Paddy Pest is equally comfortable being described as a garrulous gumshoe, a shameful shamus or a lecherous lounge lizard. When the Melbourne community is rocked by the news of abduction and murder, Paddy can smell the prospect of a retainer in the wind. With the aid of his stunningly sublime companion Stormy Weathers, the discount detective follows the clues and is amazed where they take him. Drug lord Kelpie Sparrow and his henchman, Skull Murphy, are involved but what of the Italian connection? Does the lovely therapist Annabella Luciano and her parish priest, the Maserati driving Fr. Lothario, have something to hide? To make sense of it all, Paddy has to head back to his former neighborhood and renew acquaintances with old friends. Death and depravity in the worlds most livable city. Melbourne needs a hero like never before.

GERRY BURKE is now established in his third career. His writing credentials were formulated during his time as an advertising copywriter and Creative Director, and it was during this time that he first delved into the area of humor in order to enhance his communications. In an earlier life, Gerry was employed as an accountant for a mining company.

The authors career in advertising took him to Britain, America, Hong Kong, Singapore and a number of Australian cities, and he has previously called on his memories to provide locations for his short stories. However this, his first full length novel, is set in his home town of Melbourne and provides fans with an insightful observation of Paddy Pest in his formative tears.

The Hero of Hucklebuck Drive is Gerrys 7th published volume and is the fifth to feature the irascible discount detective, Paddy Pest (aka Patrick Pesticide). In 2011 and 2012, the author was a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards and in 2014 he won an IPPY bronze medal for best fiction in Australia and New Zealand.

Gerry is single and lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he is a prominent racehorse owner and breeder.