Great descriptions, delightful drawings. A slim little book you'll always wish you had handy.

This is a wonderful companion for a bibliophile or or just anyone who wants to discover NY. The illustrations by Tristana Maccio are just as witty as the writing.

Sam Turner was out and down on his luck. He recently divorced his second wife and is now trying to put his life back in order. He joins a men's group and lies to the group telling them that he is a private investigator. Shortly thereafter he is hired as one and someone from the group asks him to track his wife whom he suspects of cheating. Seems easy enough until Turner's client is found dead. Sam knows it could not have been the wife since he has been tracking her all day. It is not until he investigates the case a bit further and finds out that his client was a victim of a serial killer.

This book appears to be the beginning of a new series. The main character is trying to get back on his feet and he is helping everyone he can. He turns from a nobody into a somebody in a short time. He now runs a detective agency with the help of acquaintances he has made along the way. They help him as well as each other. Most of the supporting characters are looking for a meaning to their lives and Sam helps to provide it. POET IN THE GUTTER is an excellent start for a promising new author.

Sam Turner is adrift emotionally and financially when he tells his new men's group in York that he's a private investigator. Soon one of the members makes Sam's fantasy into reality when he hires Sam to follow his perhaps errant wife. When murder is part of the case Sam finds himself exchanging information with the York police. Gaining a bit of fame after a televised interview, Sam is inundated with work offers and must hire some assistants. Celia, a retired Quaker teacher becomes his motherly and intelligent office manager. Sam hires his pool shooting friend Gus, who also happens to be a whizz with electronics, to help. Little by little Sam befriends a homeless teen named Geordie and adds him to the team. Characterization is the strongest element of this book, although the mystery is good, too. The characters spring to life from the very first and keep the reader intrigued. This is the first book in a series of four, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves good crime fiction.

Not all books about literary agents are equal. This book is one of them and was a very disappointing resource. Up front you are told that "in depth" interviews are featured with the people who make it happen. I failed to find any in depth interviews but instead brief surveys of how each agent got started, their client list, their complaints and concerns regarding the publishing industry and the editors. All the above is great for nice chitter chatter but for those who have written a work and are looking for an agent another source would be more appropriate.

The best part of the book is the introduction which gives an author a good overview of the functions and services that an agent provides. Several parts of the introduction would have served as separate chapters of their ownand then the interviews of the agents could have followed.

I would caution new writers in purchasing this book if they want to know about agents and their role in electronic publishing. Not much if anything is said on the topic. Another danger is timeliness. By the time this book was published the addresses and phone numbers changed for the agents listed. I would highly recommend another book which would give you a more in depth look at literary agents. Even as an introductory level reference work this book doesn't do it. Purchase it if you like to know the stories and backgrounds of agents that have made it big over two or three decades but for current up to date information try another book.

Literary Agents A Writers Introduction by John Baker is a must read for anyone who is serious about writing, or for anyone considering taking the step into serious writing. This book consists of interviews with forty-four of the biggest name agents in publishing, I should know I've had rejections from a lot of them, but now I know why. Each interview is an easy 3-4 pages long but packed with information Of interest is the near universal opinion of the state of the publishing industry and the changing role of the agent, and the agent's reaction to this changing role and how it affects how they interact with authors and potential authors. You can also witness how close this community is, as people appear and reappear from interview to interview. The one drawback is that more agents weren't subjected to the interview, but then of course it would be a voluminous volume. Another item that would be of interest to a reader is number of people who claim to have discovered Stephen King and John Grisham.

Almost anyone can hang out a shingle with the title, "literary agent." How can you tell the legitimate agents from the vultures? Often publishers are overwhelmed with submissions and with the ever-changing market and movement of editors, agents play a more significant role in the marketplace. As Baker writes, "Agents, unlike authors or even editors and publishers, are seldom interviewed, and much of the material in this book is therefore unique. It is hoped that it will give its readers a much better idea than they have ever had before of how these most important players in the book world think and operate-and in the process, a better sense of who might or not be receptive to their work." While a writer's allegiance to a particular publisher or editor has often vanished, the chemistry between a writer and his literary agent often outlasts any change. This book covers about 70 agents from this industry insider, who is the editorial director at Publisher's Weekly. Also Baker asks each of them about their perspective on book publishing which provides some interesting insight. The end of each chapter includes the agent's contact information. According to Baker, a well-written letter or proposal remains the best way to catch an agent's attention. I recommend this book for writers who want to learn about the book marketplace and agents in particular. Some of the advice will help you in an ever-changing market.