Wendy Morton's latest collection of poetry, Gumshoe, follows in the footsteps of her previous works, examining the joy, pain and pitfalls of life as a careful and thorough detective would. A private eye and a poet all rolled into one, Morton reminds us, through her simple, sparkling verse that "if you are still long enough, the world arrives at your door." The reader is drawn in by the gentle humour and quiet dignity with which Morton surrounds her memories; her thoughts become our thoughts as we instinctively take to heart the truths of our day-to-day lives.

Wendy Morton, an insurance investigator for the past twenty-three years and a Victoria, British Columbia native, has a knack for ‘turning her poetry into currency’. After being stopped by a cop for speeding, Morton read him a poem and managed to get out of a ticket, which convinced her of the power of poetry. From there, Morton called WestJet Airlines and asked them if she could read and write poetry for passengers before and in exchange for flights; WestJet agreed making her its ‘Poet of the Skies’. Inspired by the ordinary and the poetry of Patrick Lane, Wendy Morton is able to successfully blend her past experiences as a private investigator into her poetry. Host of Mocambopo – a weekly poetry venue in Victoria, British Columbia, Morton published her first book of poetry, Private Eye, in 2001 as well as two other books of poetry, Undercover and Shadowcatcher, and a memoir entitled 6 Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Morton’s Private Eye has been praised for its ”intimate and evocative poetry that undoes the myth of the hard-boiled investigator, bringing the focus of her own ‘private eye’ a wish for grace“ (Tanis MacDonald – Antigonish Review). Patrick Lane also notes how ”It’s wonderful to have watched Wendy Morton over the years as she has developed her fine gift for poetry“.

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