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Gutter Punk
Gutter a suspect out of police Lieutenant Liz Jordan's past threatens to expose a devastating secret. When he demands that Liz find his daughter who is missing among the street kids, known as gutter punks, Liz knows that to refuse could be the end of her career. Enlisting help from Youth Advocate Quinn Hadley, a former gutter punk, Liz is thrown into a world where survival depends on keeping your head down, never trusting adults, and hiding your true identity—even from your friends. Gutter Punk is the third novel in the City Streets Trilogy.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 23, 2022
The third story featuring cop Liz Jordan and focusing on the vulnerable in society, specifically the 'gutter punks', young kids who end up on the street. Another exciting blend of crime thriller with a social conscience that holds your interest throughout and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
October 1, 2024
Another winner!
Gutter Punk is the gripping third installment of the City Streets Trilogy. All three books can be read as a standalone, so don’t let it being the final story deter you from giving it a try. That being said, the first two books are equally as good and well worth the read. Each book addresses a different tangent of homeless society, with a caring team of law enforcement officers and social workers doing all they can to keep them safe. Gutter Punk’s focus is on teens and the many dangers they not only face being homeless, but also faced in the homes they ran away from. At once gritty and heartbreaking, Perry has created a painfully realistic portrayal.
Gutter Punk is the gripping third installment of the City Streets Trilogy. All three books can be read as a standalone, so don’t let it being the final story deter you from giving it a try. That being said, the first two books are equally as good and well worth the read. Each book addresses a different tangent of homeless society, with a caring team of law enforcement officers and social workers doing all they can to keep them safe. Gutter Punk’s focus is on teens and the many dangers they not only face being homeless, but also faced in the homes they ran away from. At once gritty and heartbreaking, Perry has created a painfully realistic portrayal.
January 7, 2023
Exciting adventures wrap a gritty street series!
As the author tells us through the narrative: “There is always a story. Some end happily and others just end.” Once again, author Susanne Perry takes us into the rough streets to continue the story of Lieutenant Liz and her best friend Mike as they deal with a mystery surrounding gutter punks, the long-term youths lost on the edges of our society.
Many of the heroine’s decisions are driven by her personal creed, summed up by the author as “Liz was a cop. It was her job to protect people. In her mind, it was simple.” The story addresses lingering doubts and loose ends from the previous books in the series and it explains and concludes Liz’s haunting backstory. Characters from the previous books are here, Ty the Gulf Veteran, Quinn the social worker with a street punk past, Dr. Myers the Chief Medical Examiner and Liz’s nemesis, plus a few new characters from Liz’s past, Sara Mallory and Gabriel Chapin. And of course, a grand assortment of street people.
Perry depicts the people on the edge of our society with depth and empathy, “There’re poets on the street, in the park.” The characters of Sage, Lyric and Eli are nuanced and interesting. The book is easy to read, adventurous and realistic when Liz goes off the grid and chases her own resolution to learn the “The difference between feeling sadness that a thing happened and taking blame for it.”
This story was about the plight of homeless children and the main character’s learning that “The reality of what might-have-been will always be out of our reach.” In my opinion the villains of the story were a bit unidimensional, kind of a mockery of the idea that a lust for money drives one to thuggery and murder. There was also an undercurrent of personal addiction issues that Liz’s partner Mike raised in the second book which I felt were never resolved in the third book. But these issues were truly secondary to the main character’s journey and the rescue of teens in trouble.
Overall, this was a solid conclusion to a great series that highlights difficult issues on the edges of our society while solving police mysteries. It is full of action, adventure and I recommend it.
As the author tells us through the narrative: “There is always a story. Some end happily and others just end.” Once again, author Susanne Perry takes us into the rough streets to continue the story of Lieutenant Liz and her best friend Mike as they deal with a mystery surrounding gutter punks, the long-term youths lost on the edges of our society.
Many of the heroine’s decisions are driven by her personal creed, summed up by the author as “Liz was a cop. It was her job to protect people. In her mind, it was simple.” The story addresses lingering doubts and loose ends from the previous books in the series and it explains and concludes Liz’s haunting backstory. Characters from the previous books are here, Ty the Gulf Veteran, Quinn the social worker with a street punk past, Dr. Myers the Chief Medical Examiner and Liz’s nemesis, plus a few new characters from Liz’s past, Sara Mallory and Gabriel Chapin. And of course, a grand assortment of street people.
Perry depicts the people on the edge of our society with depth and empathy, “There’re poets on the street, in the park.” The characters of Sage, Lyric and Eli are nuanced and interesting. The book is easy to read, adventurous and realistic when Liz goes off the grid and chases her own resolution to learn the “The difference between feeling sadness that a thing happened and taking blame for it.”
This story was about the plight of homeless children and the main character’s learning that “The reality of what might-have-been will always be out of our reach.” In my opinion the villains of the story were a bit unidimensional, kind of a mockery of the idea that a lust for money drives one to thuggery and murder. There was also an undercurrent of personal addiction issues that Liz’s partner Mike raised in the second book which I felt were never resolved in the third book. But these issues were truly secondary to the main character’s journey and the rescue of teens in trouble.
Overall, this was a solid conclusion to a great series that highlights difficult issues on the edges of our society while solving police mysteries. It is full of action, adventure and I recommend it.
November 17, 2022
Liz Jordan’s years on the force have given her plenty of insight into the criminal world. This time, however, she becomes completely indoctrinated into the world of homeless kids, or Gutterpunks, as they are known in the lingo. She’s been on the force many years, and by this point, has even made Lieutenant in the Homicide Division. In spite of her extensive knowledge, she soon discovers how little she understands about this secretive world.
Fortunately, she has friends on the inside, both new and old. The final book of the series, Gutterpunk is a smooth continuity of the series, with all the essential ingredients I’ve come to expect of her books. The staple characters remain, but are seasoned, in a good way, by life experiences.
Liz is forced to reconcile with the ghosts of her past when an old nemesis makes a demand that, on moral grounds, she cannot refuse. What transpires is mystery, action, but no quick fixes. And that’s what I enjoy most about her writing; there’s no, slap-bang, all is fixed.
Susanne’s background in working for non-profit programs serving children and families is well voiced in her writing. There’s something authentic about books written by those with real world experience.
I highly recommend this entire series to everyone!
Fortunately, she has friends on the inside, both new and old. The final book of the series, Gutterpunk is a smooth continuity of the series, with all the essential ingredients I’ve come to expect of her books. The staple characters remain, but are seasoned, in a good way, by life experiences.
Liz is forced to reconcile with the ghosts of her past when an old nemesis makes a demand that, on moral grounds, she cannot refuse. What transpires is mystery, action, but no quick fixes. And that’s what I enjoy most about her writing; there’s no, slap-bang, all is fixed.
Susanne’s background in working for non-profit programs serving children and families is well voiced in her writing. There’s something authentic about books written by those with real world experience.
I highly recommend this entire series to everyone!
June 3, 2022
I enjoyed this story. The pacing was fast yet meaningful and grabs at the readers attention. Following Liz Jordan and digging into the lives of the street kids and and unraveling the mystery makes for a thrilling ride.
March 11, 2022
Enjoyed this novel about street kids. Great end to the three-book series.
April 15, 2022
Gutter Punk moves fast and hits all the right notes. Susanne Perry has effortlessly taken a grim reality of today’s society and woven it into a crime fiction worthy of any readers’ shelf. Don’t miss it!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews