Back Alley Reporter, McCardell's follow-up to his bestselling memoir Chasing the Story God, is a charming collection of anecdotes, full of "un-put-downable" fun for anybody who enjoys a well-turned yarn.

Mike McCardell is known to thousands in British Columbia as the friendly, somewhat tousled gent who appears most evenings at the close of BCTV News on Global. His tongue in-cheek investigations of such weighty matters as a shoe abandoned in a downtown intersection have made him one of the most recognizable faces on West Coast television.

Back Alley Reporter includes more than sixty delightful and lighthearted stories guaranteed to put a smile on every reader's face. Wherever he goes and no matter what he's doing, McCardell finds magic in the ordinary--whether he's trying to save his garden by hunting for leaf-eating beetles in his own backyard, contemplating the creation of a new holiday ("Garbage Day") or musing on the lost art of washing dishes.

So take a tour down the back alley with McCardell and meet a number of intriguing characters along the way: Tom, a genius who became a professional beggar; Abe, an old-time bookie who only took bets on the neighbourhood stickball or school track teams; and Lorenzo, who has never broken a New Year's resolution.