Customer Reviews

To Fetch a Thief: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency and his proud K9 partner Chet stumble into the missing elephant case when Bernie takes his son to the Drummond Family Traveling Circus. Bernie's friend Sgt. Rick Torres first enjoys their help, but starts to get annoyed when Bernie gets too involved. Bernie is pressured by his son to find the poor elephant Peanut, then gets hired by the circus clown Popo to find Uri DeLeath who is Peanut's trainer and also missing.

Usually series gets tired by third book, but not this Chet and Bernie Mystery! To Fetch a Thief is as enjoyable as the first book Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries). And, the plot is even better than before. The best part is, of course, Chet's doggy narrative. I especially loved reading Chet herding Peanut. That would make a great movie scene! I don't know how Quinn does it, but I'm convinced that Chet actually exists.

It's such an addictive series that I'm already starving to read the next book.

So how well can a dog author a detective story? In To Fetch a Thief, the story begins with Pooch Chet and Detective Bernie photographing evidence that a woman has been unfaithful. Her suspicious husband wants hard evidence for a divorce settlement. Chet is Bernie Little's canine sidekick who loves to ride shotgun in his well used Saab.

As they sit patiently in front of a motel that has but two guests, suddenly Chet's ears perk up. With a low growl, Chet spots the unfaithful wife leaving one end of the motel and Bernie takes photos.

A few minutes later, a man leaves and he too is caught on film.
Because Bernie is recently divorced, now Chet and he are, in a sense, alone in the world. As luck would have it, Bernie's divorced wife asks him to babysit their son Charlie because she has planned a weekend sensual fling with her new "ideal" man she hopes to soon marry. She gives Bernie two tickets for the Big Top to help him entertain their son while she becomes more amorously involved in a sensual tryst.

As his wife leaves, Chet and Bernie catch a glimpse of the man who is soon-to-be his wife's new husband. Interestingly enough, this is the same man Chet and Bernie had just photographed leaving the motel with yet another woman.

But this small intimacy is just the beginning of a deeper fascinating story. Arriving at the Big Top, they find the circus closed because Peanut the elephant and his trainer are missing. The police have cordoned off the entire circus grounds leaving Chet, Bernie and his son, Charlie, extremely disappointed. Charlie insists that his dad get involved in finding Peanut; after all, the man and his dog are a respected team called the Little Detection Agency.

Chet immediately picks up strange scents around the Big Top. The scent of Elephant Peanut is overwhelming and at first, easy to follow. It ends at the gate leading out of the circus area. Persuaded by his tearful son, Bernie begins his quest for Peanut and her beloved trainer. What is interesting in To Catch a Thief is this fact. Everything in the story is relayed to the reader through Chet's canine brain--the dog's feelings, his insight, his dog traits such as marking his scent whenever necessary, his unquenchable love for his master Bernie.

It is nothing for Chet's unspoken wishful thinking to want his master to take the money when some kind of payment or deal is forthcoming. Chet knows money is needed for dog food at home. Yet, the dog will warn the reader that he doesn't really know the value of money. After all, he can count to one and two, but can't quite get beyond that.

This is not a simple story children's story. It is not a make believe childish romp of some kind. The tale involves real feelings, canine and human, real danger, and extremely dangerous situations. From its first pages, To Fetch a Thief has a catchy plot loaded with suspense, attempted murder, and killing, particularly when Peanut's owner is found dead. As long as Bernie and Chet remain together as a team,

Chet's welfare seems guided by thoughtful Bernie.
But in a life and death situation after the two become separated, the safety of this detective duo becomes critically uncertain. Bernie is badly beaten and taken prisoner, he tells Chet to "Run, run, run," to keep the dog from being mowed down in a hail of bullets. On his own, Chet does a masterful job of finding and retrieving Peanut. Because of her remarkable size, when freed and put in gear, her bulk becomes a formidable demolition machine.

To Fetch a Thief is a masterful combination of Chet's canine mind intermixed with Bernie's adult thinking in a human world. Although the two friends are inseparable at first, when life threatening events force them to go-it-alone, each survives in the most startling manner that indicates one is pure brutal dog instinct and the other pure human ingenuity. This enjoyable book is a lesson in canine common sense for all readers.

For sheer enjoyment, I cannot recommend To Catch a Thief more highly. For a who-done-it detective mystery, I would have to give it an A+ rating; for an author to combine the animal world so realistically with what we think animals know of our mental shenanigans, I would give it an A+ rating. For high school teachers looking for a way to get reluctant readers to want to read, I would give it an A+ rating.

To Fetch a Thief can make your world a more enjoyable space; read it!

Review written by Regis Schilken
Author of:
Tears of Deceit


Other good reads:
Vermilion Drift: A NovelThe Time of Eddie Noel

"To Fetch a Thief" is another great addition to the Chet and Bernie mystery series. The mystery at the center of the book is excellent and well developed, with interesting characters and a plot that draws the reader in immediately. As is the case with the other books, Chet and Bernie, their relationship and personalities, are the true "heart and soul" of the book, and they do not disappoint in this installment. The author brings refreshing new insights into Chet's character, which allows the series to continue to delight rather than become formulaic.
For readers who have not read the preceding books, have no fear, you can delve right in. While it is not necessary to have read the earlier books before reading To Fetch a Thief, you can be sure that you will want to read them after.

This series of books is very humorous and entertaining, written from the viewpoint of a dog's mind. We "read" this book as an audiobook on a long trip upon the advice of our librarian and followed up with the two prequels shortly afterwards. Two of our daughters and our grandchildren have shared our love for Chet ("The Wonder Dog", as he thinks of himself) and Bernie, his human partner.

I loved the first Quinn book, but he is cranking these out with a formula that is predictable, and tiring. Nothing different here that you didn't get in the last one, although neither are as good as the first.

This review applies to the audio version.

#3 Chet and Bernie mystery. Bernie Little and his dog, Chet, really dislike doing divorce work. But when money's tight, it does pay the bills. Of course, when the woman they are following ends up at a motel with none other than Bernie's ex-wife's boyfriend Malcolm, things get decidedly more complicated--at least for Bernie. Chet's not sure what all the fuss is about.

The client gives them some tickets to the circus as a bonus, so Bernie, Chet and Charlie, Bernie's six-year-old son, are off to see Peanut the elephant and all the other circus acts. Only they discover upon arrival that the circus is closed because Peanut and her trainer have disappeared overnight. The story going around says that Uri DeLeath, known as a humanitarian trainer, finally felt the pressure of the animal rights groups and stole off with Peanut in the night.

Bernie, who arrives when his cop friend Rick is beginning his interviews and sits in, isn't so sure--and is glad when Popo the Clown hires him to find Uri (who is his life partner) and Peanut when the police aren't able to give more time and resources to the hunt for them. Anything to take his mind off the problem with Lita and Malcolm. So Chet and Bernie are off on another wild adventure across country (and even across borders) on the trail of wild animals, smugglers and all-around bad guys.

Told from Chet's point of view, I worried after the first book that the whole novelty of stories told by a dog would fade and the series would lose its luster, but I have continued to enjoy each of the audio versions as much as the first. Very well-read with just the right "tone" by Jim Frangione. Looking forward to the next one!

Chet is a police dog extraordinaire. Technically, he's not a card-carrying police dog because he failed the final exam due to an incident with a squirrel. But, as Chet likes to say, "That's a story for another time." Chet is a handsome, 100+ pound dog of undetermined parentage, and the voice of the entertaining and original mystery series that has captured the imaginations of every mystery-loving dog owner who is lucky enough to have discovered him.

The first book, DOG ON IT, made it to the coveted New York Times bestseller list, and THEREBY HANGS A TAIL followed it as surely as a dog follows a rabbit. TO FETCH A THIEF is the most exciting of the three books, which are spun by the most engaging dog in literature. Chet is proud to be the sidekick of his P.I. partner Bernie, an ex-cop and the smartest guy in any room. Chet overlooks Bernie's human foibles --- his efforts to quit smoking and his occasional bout with bourbon --- but he is most disturbed by Bernie's failure to collect fees from his clients so he can pay his bills on time. He also misses Bernie's son, Charlie, who now lives with his mother after the divorce, a human condition Chet just doesn't get.

Little Charlie loves elephants, and when Bernie hears about a small family circus coming to town with its star performer, Peanut the Elephant, he takes Charlie and Chet. When they arrive, they discover that Peanut and her trainer, Uri, are missing. None of the circus management seems concerned about how a seven-ton elephant and his trainer could vanish into thin air. Chet figures it out in minutes when the scent disappears next to large tire tracks at the side of the road outside the grounds. It's a crucial clue, and he's frustrated because he can't communicate it with the humans. The local police don't see it as a serious crime, so Uri's best friend, Popo the Clown, hires Bernie (and Chet) to look for his missing friends. When Uri turns up dead, the case gets serious.

Chet and Bernie find themselves in deep trouble when their investigation leads them to a remote village south of the Mexican border. The detective duo is kidnapped by the bad guys, but Bernie makes Chet run for it as he's led off by the thugs. Now it's up to Chet to find Bernie and save Peanut.

TO FETCH A THIEF offers plenty of chuckles and adventure along the way --- this is no "Lassie saves Timmy from the well." Author Spencer Quinn has captured the inner soul of a dog whose expertise in reading scents and body language makes Chet a wonder dog. His one downfall is his attention span. He can be hot on the trail of a theory (which he can't tell Bernie because he can only write mysteries, not talk to humans) when his doggie brain takes over. His species confusion can distract him when his canine instincts take over and the bark he hears comes from him, or he is startled by a sudden breeze that turns out to be his wagging tail.

Chet likes to ride shotgun in Bernie's ancient Porsche when they're off on the case. You'll want to ride shotgun with this daring duo once you get to know them.

--- Reviewed by Roz Shea

Once again Chet has charmed me and I would love to have him as my friend. I enjoy the Chet and Bernie books and can't wait for the next one.

If you have ever had a dog, you can see their characteristics in Chet. I had a dog who would have lived on Pupperonis (the dog version of Slim Jims), if allowed.

These books make me laugh out loud. Also Chet is believable and does not cross into being more than a dog. I work in a library and have suggested this series to several patrons and Chet has been a hit!

OK- Chet getting separated from Bernie was OK the first two times, but does it really always have to be in the story line? Why was I not surprised when the bad guys took Bernie away and left Chet on his own? Of course Spencer Quinn is a published author and I'm not, so I'm sure he could care less what I have to say. I will keep on reading the series - maybe somebody already mentioned it to him that the plot was starting to repeat itself; not to mention poor Chet must be a little tired of getting left behind all the time. Gets old.

Having read the other books by Spencer Quinn, this was no exception to the books in the series, there all GREAT!