Customer Reviews

A Dog About Town

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A mystery narrated by a Labrador retriever. Alright, sounds a little off-beat if that's all you knew about it, but imagine a character with a mix between the logic of Sherlock Holmes and the human failings of Dr. Watson. That's what we have in Randolph, the narrator of the first in this series of mysteries by J.F. Englert.

Writing from a dog's perspective (an intelligent, Dante-loving dog at that), allows for an interesting take on humans. Looking at the things we do through the eyes of another species is occasionally very funny, and Englert's very clever in that way. Randolph, not being your standard dog, sometimes disdains even the things dogs do naturally, discriminating between dogs who relieve themselves just anywhere, and dogs like himself who prefer the sanctity of sheltering bushes.

When A Dog About Town opens, author Lyell Overton Minskoff is dead. Randolph's owner, Harry, is deeply depressed at the loss of his lady love, Imogen, who's left him suddenly about a year before. One of Harry's strange, new acquaintances is a murderer, but he hasn't figured that out yet. His dog intends to do something about that, and sets out to lead his owner to solve the mystery. And so it begins, a delightful, beautifully written mystery that's charming and funny, with a main character so endearing you'll want to scratch him behind the ears and give him an extra treat, though you know what he could really use is a long run in the park...

A Dog About Town is just a delight, all around.

This is a great between books book, which is a quick and enjoyable read. As a dog person the cover caught my attention first (yes, I know don't judge a book by.....) but was hooked by the outlined premise and intriguing lead dogtective. The cast of characters was good, and the author hit the right notes on how we treat and look at our pets. I am not the type who reads a mystery to figure out who done it before the final chapter, I like to go along for the ride. This one was good, with enough twists and humorous moments to get me to a ending that was not formulaic, nor unbelievable. The epilogue and parts of the final chapter give us hope for a follow-up that I will purchase immediately.

I enjoyed this book so much, from the cover portrait of Randolph to the author portrait, not to mention J.F. Englert's--or is it Randolph's--nimble use of the English language.

Mainly, it's the story that's fun. Just when you think there's no such thing as "new", here J.F. Englert comes, inventing a new world of scent and sloths and Alpha-bits.

I recommended it to my writing critique group. I'm sure the book is winning Randolph fans all over the place, and they will certainly line up for the sequel. I know I will.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny with a good mystery. I can't wait for the next installment.

Read it in 2 days and didn't put it down until the end. I am not a big mystery fan but I am a dog lover. I sometimes cheat and read an ending if the book bores me. What wit and insight the author has.....
I didn't want to cheat on this one. Absolutely loved it and cannot wait until the next book to see and hear what Randolph is up too. Just plain loved it.
Rochelle Hildebrand

I usually prefer to read historical mysteries, but I am a dog owner and lover, so the idea of a dog detective intrigued me. The dog detective premise really worked. It was very well written, an a well done mystery. Also, it set the scene for the sequel very nicely. I look forward to Randolph's future adventures.

A mystery narrated by a labrador retriever living in Manhattan. Randolph is rather overweight, despite the need to walk everywhere with his master (cabs in New York are not accepting to dogs of his size). Sadly, he is fed mostly on Chinese take-out and Alpha-Bits, while a bag of low fat kibble gathers dust in the closet. He describes himself as "sentient", and points out that he is unique among his kind in being able to think, to compare past and present, to calculate and strategize. Not only that, but he can READ. Unfortunately, it is impossible for him to communicate his thoughts to humans, although for some inexplicable reason he is able to converse with a Guatemalan tree sloth. Well, if you can get past all that, this is a decent story. As a mystery, it is well put-together. The clues to "who done it" and how are there for the reader to pick up. The Manhattan setting is a winner with me anytime. And the mystery world is heavy with cats, so we've been needing a dog. I just don't see this gimmick working over the long haul. While there is humor in it, the device is rather strained at times.

We're left with an ending that strongly suggests there will be another Randolph adventure. In fact the inside back cover promises one "coming in 2008". I'll probably read it, too. But I can't help hoping that this author makes the series self-limiting, and turns his considerable talents to writing from a human point of view.

I've never been a big detective/mystery novel reader, but Englert's premise was too intriguing to ignore - a labrador retriever named Randolph, inexplicably sentient, who has to work out the solution to a crime despite the limitations of being either confined to an apartment or on a leash. Englert's narrative and dialogue is top-notch, with a natural 'voice' that goes light on the classic 'detective speak'; and he's careful to keep his protagonist in a (mostly) serious and realistic light. Englert doesn't hit the reader over the head with the humorous side of the story, but lets it rise naturally out of Randolph's situation. Randolph relies on strengths, and works around the limitations, that seem natural for a dog to have. And, on top of it all, it's a pretty good mystery to work through as well.

I'm looking forward to the sequel, and there had better be one, because there's another mystery that goes unsolved.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short and witty book. My love for dogs made this tale even more interesting and I found it hard to put down until its ending. I cannot wait for the sequel.

First things first ... let us all be absolutely clear that far and away the best thing about this book is the superb portrait of its hero on the cover. I suppose most people will see a Holmesian reference in that image but I choose to see a Wildean touch: perhaps "Lady Windermere's Dog" or "A Retriever of No Importance" or "The Importance of Being Fido," or even "The Picture of Doggie Grey."

The story behind the cover isn't bad, not great, but certainly not bad. It requires one gigantic leap of faith from its readers, but one not all that much greater than accepting a funny little Belgian detective with an egg-shaped head or a younger son of a duke with a peculiar penchant for solving crimes, or the innumerable crime-solving ladies of a certain age who run bookstores on the side, or candy stores, or laundromats or repair houses.

The author's wordsmithing abilities are perfectly competent if not especially memorable, leading some Amazon reviewers to use that ghastly phrase, "a fast read," or some variation of it, as a term of praise(!)

The plot is serviceable, if hardly convincing, although excessively insistent on the inevitable (and recently published) sequel.

All in all, I say "A Dog About Town" is well worth a few of your dollars and a couple of hours of your time.

Four stars.