Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Spencer Quinn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chet and Bernie Mysteries | Publication Date: February 10, 2009

Chet might have flunked out of police school (“I’d been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn’t remember exactly, although blood was involved”), but he’s a detective through and through. In Dog On It, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenaged girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters.

Readers will be instantly captivated by Chet’s doggy ways and his endearingly hard-boiled voice. Full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief, he is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding—like divorce, cash flow, and child custody—is enormously likeable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way. There’s genuine suspense and intrigue, combined with humor and deep insight into the bond between dog and man.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in the Valley of an unnamed Western state, Quinn's winning debut introduces one smart canine detective and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, who's pretty quick on the uptake himself. Chet, a lively mongrel with one white ear and one black ear, serves as the book's narrator, communicating with Bert via doggy methods that verge on the telepathic (I wagged my tail, that quick one-two wag meaning yes, not the over-the-top one that wags itself and can mean lots of things). Wealthy divorcée Cynthia Chambliss hires Bernie, a former cop, to find her missing 15-year-old daughter, Madison, whose father is a real estate developer who smells suspiciously of cat. (Chet's keen sense of smell comes in handy.) When Madison reappears and disappears again, her dad says she's just a runaway, though Bernie thinks otherwise. Chet must use all his superdog tricks to extricate Bernie from a mighty tight fix in a climax that fans of classic mysteries are sure to appreciate. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* An exciting new mystery series debuts with this first Chet and Bernie novel. Chet the Jet is a dog who failed K-9 school (cats in the open country played a role in his demise), but now he is a dedicated PI and works with Bernie, owner of the Little Detective Agency. The story is told entirely from Chet’s point of view, which will delight dog-loving mystery readers, but the book is also an excellent PI tale, dogs aside, as Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl whose developer dad may be up to no good. Chet may not understand things like maps (he doesn’t need them, as he can sniff his way home), but he is a great sleuth who finds the girl and solves the case. The always upbeat Chet may well be one of the most appealing new detectives on the block, but conscientious, kind, and environmentally aware Bernie is a close runner-up. Excellent and fully fleshed primary and secondary characters, a consistently doggy view of the world, and a sprightly pace  make this a not-to-be-missed debut. Essential for all mystery collections and for dog lovers everywhere. --Jessica Moyer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 305 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1St Edition edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416585834
• ISBN-13: 978-1416585831
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (223 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog, Audrey. He is currently working on the next Chet and Bernie novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Noir, February 22, 2009

By 

Rita Sydney (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The 41 reviewers who preceded me pretty much say it all about this book. It's WONDERFUL. I just want to add a couple thoughts.

I don't think this book can be categorized as noir. Chet, the dog, is not so much hard-boiled as simply being his animal self. Unsentimental. Non-judgmental. Ready to eat at every opportunity.

The dog-as-narrator conceit was used most realistically by the author in that Chet is not made to be (or think he is) smarter than Bernie. Most charming was the way Mr. Quinn captures the spirit of Chet who lives in the moment, filled with a joie de vivre at the pleasures of life: fresh water, riding shotgun in a car, a good nap.

Please, Amazon, find out when the next Chet and Bernie story is due. I want to pre-order.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great New Shaggy Gumshoe, January 26, 2009

By 

Peter A. Greene (Franklin, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This is great new voice in detective fiction.

And in detective fiction, voice is critical. At the end of the day, we come back to Kinsey Milhone or Stephanie Plum or Marcus Didius Falco because we want to spend more time with the character.

Chet is a great central voice. Quinn doesn't play cute and he doesn't gimmick up the story. There are many ways that the notion of a canine main character could go horribly wrong, and Quinn avoids them all.

Chet is out of the gumshoe tradition, looking out for his down-on-his-luck partner Bernie:

"She got out of the car, a tall woman with long fair hair and a smell of flowers and lemons, plus a trace of another smell that reminded me of hat happens only sometimes to the females in my world. What would that be like, having it turned on all the time? Probably drive you crazy. I glanced at Bernie, watching her, patting his hair into place. Oh, Bernie."

Chet has the hard-boiled nerve, the observational skills, the running internal commentary of a classic detective, but he has his appropriately dog-like qualities as well-- an occasional attention span issue, as well a tendency to act, now and then, literally before he realizes he has done it.

The set-up of the mystery is interesting, the solution interesting but not entirely surprising. And Quinn does fall back on one whopper of a coincidence to save the day at one point.

But Chet and Bernie are a fun and entertaining team, and Quinn is a prose master. If you read detective fiction for the main character or because you believe it's where much of the best writing is done, this one is for you. It probably adds a bit if you have a dog of your own, but that's not a requirement to enjoy this excellent first outing.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly creative and fun to read!!!, February 9, 2009

By 

E. Markert (Atlanta, Ga) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Incredibly creative and fun to read!!! I love that the book is written from the dogs perspective. Absoultely ingenious. I couldn't stop laughing. If you love dogs, you will love this book.