Customer Reviews

Dog on It

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

 

 

I'm not one to rely on "best of" lists but decided to use one this past summer. I chose Stephen King, my all-time favorite author. I've read several of the books Mr King recommended (all fantastic!) and decided to get one as a gift for my husband. Hubby loved to read when he was younger but doesn't have much time for it in recent years. So, when he unwrapped this book on Christmas morn, he gave me a little bit of a puzzled look. Then he read the first few pages... and went back for a few more after breakfast... picked it up again after dinner... and that is where he stayed (six straight hours) until he finished it! He has never, in the 12+ years I have known him, sat up until past midnight to read a complete book in one day! I just pre-ordered "Thereby Hangs a Tail." Do yourself a favor. Order both books at once! :-)

BTW... Thanks Uncle Stevie!

Signed,
Faithful Reader

I LOVED this book!! Chet is a wonderful dog and the author is very funny, giving all the information through Chet's eyes, so it is a bit like a book with events seen through a child's eyes. I love the title, as Chet is "on it" throughout the book, especially when he is needed to save someone. I understand the reviewers who said they didn't like Chet getting hurt, but those portions are very mild and Chet always comes out on top, through skill and luck. I HATE any cruelty to animals, which is why I can't often read dramatic stories or see movies about them (including nature shows with all their killing!). But I LOVED this book, including all the wonderful forshadowing--can't wait to find out more about Bernie's and Chet's backgrounds. Thank you, Mr. Quinn!

I first heard of 'Dog On It' as part of a summer book recommendation list, and since I have a very long commute to work, I decided to get in (from the library) in audiobook format. What a fantastic way to commute! A terrific, hilarious story, very well read in a way that had me laughing out loud in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Chet had an 'authentic' canine voice, telling us his take on the mystery until he is overtaken by distractions in the form of rabbits, cats, Cap'n Crunch the evil parrot, and food. Especially slim jims. Ah, riding shotgun in the car and eating slim jims...oops? Where was he? Barking with Iggy the neighbor dog who liked to yip? "Iggy barked. I barked back. Iggy barked. I barked back. We had a nice rhythm going. Iggy barked. I barked." It was like a canine version of a Marx Brothers film scene.

I highly, highly recommend this audiobook (or read the actual book, if you prefer, I'm sure it is great fun) to anyone seeking to lighten the mood over large stretches of terrain---oooh! Rabbit!

I read this book within 24 hours because I didn't want to put it down- it was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, and I was actually disappointed when I didn't have any more story to read! It is so much fun to hear the story from the dog's perspective. I can't wait to purchase the sequel.

Chet has a nose--a canine nose for smells and mysteries. Chet belongs to Bernie a down-on-his-luck private eye. They are a team, he and Bernie. Chet is in charge of security (bark when the doorbell rings, when another dog goes across the property--you get the idea). Bernie is hired to look for a missing 15 year-old girl and Chet is ready to help. Did I mention that the story is told from Chet's point of view? Did you know people can smell of old cheese, salt and pepper, the yellow flowers that grow by the freeway? Dog On It is a hilarious, laugh out loud kind of story. And listening to the audio version read by Jim Frangione added to it. This was one of the best audio books I've heard.

The plot for DOG ON IT is nothing to brag about. You've probably seen it dozens of times on "Ironside" or "Columbo." A woman hires private detective Bernie to find her missing daughter. The cops and her ex-husband think she's a runaway. The mother insists her daughter wouldn't run away; she must've been kidnapped. There are even Russian gangsters involved.

On the surface this looks like a trivial little book, but try writing a novel with a dog as the narrator. Chet, Bernie's best friend, loves to ride shotgun in Bernie's beat-up Porsche and motorcycles make him euphoric. He loves Slim Jims and steak with A-1 sauce. Kibbles, not so much. Everything is about smells for Chet. He sometimes forgets things and is easily distracted. It took me about twenty pages, with Chet interrupting the action constantly, but then I was hooked. Bernie isn't your typical PI either. He plays the ukulele and talks to Chet as though he's a human. He's also a sad sack; he's divorced and only sees his son, Charlie, on the weekends. The other major character is Suzie, a reporter doing a story on what it's like to be a private eye. She's instrumental in the plot, saving the day more than once. It's not long before she falls for the quirky pair.

Author Spencer Quinn is working on another Chet and Bernie episode as we speak. I have this theory that series mysteries have more to do with the characters than the story. Would you still be reading Sue Grafton if it wasn't for Kinsey Malone? If that's true, than the Chet and Bernie stories will be a big hit.

A great read written from the point of view of a faithful canine companion named Chet. I had lots of chuckles and flashes of recognition regarding human and canine behavior and interaction. I can't wait to read Thereby Hangs a Tail and To Fetch a Thief !

The adults in our family continue to read these books aloud which magnifies the enjoyment. I know the third one is close to being available. We plan to buy it - even in hardback.

I loved it,loved it ,loved it !!! What a great concept to see things from a dog's point of view.Great writing and a fun summer read .Will definately order his other ytwo books.

If you read this book, you'll understand my title. Told from Chet's (the hero dog) point of view, the book takes us into the doggie mind to solve the mystery and does it better than any of the animal mysteries I've read. If you can read this book without smiling, without a giggle or snicker here and there or loving Chet, therapy may be needed. I've bought and read the 2nd in the series and I'm anxiously awaiting the third. Oh yes, before I forget, the mystery and story is actually very good too!