The Bum's Rush by G. M. Ford
Nobody loves you when you're down and out - except maybe Leo Waterman. As a man who has transformed a crew of residentially challenged devotees of cheap alcohol into a crack surveillance team, Leo has a soft spot for society's downtrodden.
When a homeless woman says she's the mother of a deceased rock idol, Leo takes it upon himself to investigate the lady's claim, thereby embroiling `the Boys' and his own already bruised body in a high-speed, life-threatening pursuit of the truth.
'Waterman is a big, bullheaded, wisecracking galoot with a mischievous sense of humour that makes him one of the most likeable characters in the genre' BOOKLIST