Customer Reviews

Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (Chet and Bernie Mysteries)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It would be hard to beat the first Chet and Bernie mystery (Dog on It) but this one is equal to it. For new readers, understand that the story is told by Chet, the dog. (See reviews of the first book to appreciate how successfully this technique was used.)

Chet, when referring to Bernie and himself, always says "me and Bernie." It seems exactly what a canine like Chet would do. Undying devotion to Bernie but no shying from his own sense of self.

Chet is his usual doggy self; we see Chet the Jet in his glory running and jumping. His food preferences are plain: at the top is bacon, cooked juicy, but nothing wrong with raw. There's NO food that's not tryable. We see his first experience with a bear claw; understanding "bear" and "claw" Chet's not about to gobble it down.

It's easy to focus on Chet in the story but the reader can also appreciate the dialogue between Bernie and other characters. We don't need Chet to tell us how clever it often is.

There's a nice sequence when Chet has to take care of Princess, a little fluff ball of a show dog. Chet was amazed how her legs would be a blur while her body didn't move very far.

Readers who love these stories should try the web site [...] for a daily dose of this wonderful canine.

(A note to Mr. Quinn: We don't need the continuing question about Chet's health to keep us reading.)

Oh yes, about the plot. It's good. Maybe better than in the first book. The fact that it's an after thought in this review says a lot. Come for a mystery and stay for a story of the wonderful relationship between Chet and Bernie.

I have read the first book several times and listen to the audio frequently. I was excited to know about the second book in the series and pre-ordered it. There was a little trepidation on my part because sequels are not always up to the standard of the original. Not so with this one. Just loved THEREBY HANGS A TAIL. Finished it at 3 AM so I can pass it on to friends and family who are waiting to read it. If you've ever loved a dog, or have had a dog as a friend, you will understand this book. Chet is SO true to form. His attention span is limited, but his love and faith in Bernie is unconditional. Great book. I recommend it. If you're offended by swearing, be warned there are a few places where pungent language has been used. (By the "perps" mostly.)

Grandma Jean

I really enjoyed "Dog On It" last year and looked forward to reading this sequel. Although this book was funny and I appreciated Chet's viewpoints, I didn't like it nearly as much. Maybe it was because the characters were flatter or it was not as novel the second time around, maybe it was just that the plot was weak (and the last page totally unbelievable), but it seemed to be a cheap knock-off of "Dog On It". Still good, but not nearly as good as the original.

NOT A SPOILER! Rest assured I know the difference between a spoiler plot summary and product review.

Dog On It was a simple mystery novel with the charm of a Dog narrative mixed in for comic relief and a twist from the ordinary. I liked it genuinely. I couldn't wait for this sequel book to come out.

Thereby Hangs a Tail felt like the same story in Dog On It told all over again, with different characters. The same general sequence of events. Additionally, chet's doggy-thoughts have become verbose and lost a bit of charm.

Imagine a very simple mystery novel that would fit within 40 pages of content, but after each sentence follows a filler paragraph about the dog's thoughts on squirrels, humans, smells, the english language, etc. I genuinely enjoyed these filler content until I become impatient around page 100 and began only reading dialog and the first sentence of every paragraph. I flew through the last 150 pages of the book in about 45 minutes in this fashion and didn't miss a single piece of the storyline. All I missed was a lot of Chet's incessant personality.

Conclusion: If you're going to read this book, read it because you're an animal lover interested in the charming, cute, simple-mind of the dog Chet. Then you will enjoy the book. If you read it looking for a cunning mystery novel, you will be disappointed.

I'm glad I read both of these books, but I've decided I won't read the third one.

This is the world according to Chet the dog. I continue to enjoy the way Chet's thought processes wander off on tangents or he frequently loses his train of thought or grossly misinterprets what he hears. I spend half the time rereading Chet's funny ramblings, so I'd never want this series in audiobook edition.

Very entertaining and usually an author I read the day I download the Kindle edition of the book.

Chet's human pet Bernie Little is a private investigator, whom the canine helps solve cases by using his nose and bark. Their current client is Countess Adelina di Borghese from Passaic, New Jersey, who lives on an expensive ranch with plenty of horses also residing there as she has come a long way from being an urban Jersey girl. Bernie has been hired because of threats to her and her pampered dog show-dog Princess. The case is an utter bore to Chet and tedious to Bernie as nothing happens and barking is disallowed.

However, the situation on the ground changes when the Countess and her royal canine princess are kidnapped and dog-napped respectively. The search and rescue mission goes badly as Chet is separated from Bernie only to be snatched and sold to a punk running away to Alaska. Escaping this miscreant Chet ends up having the military try to kill him when he accidentally wanders on to an exercise site to take a decent leak. However, Bernie becomes truly motivated when reporter Susie Sanchez disappears while covering the abduction of Princess story. Chet's motive is doggie treat and a hero's welcome, canine style from one of the snobbish victims.

The key to this canine noir told mostly by Chet in between bodily needs is that first and foremost he comes across as a dog and not a "human" inside a canine's skin. Chet makes the tale of the tail as he relates stories or follows clues partially only to be sidetracked by a need like a good tree or a cat. The kidnapping story line is well written and entertaining as fans will enjoy Chet's escapades Dog On It in a world in which humans make stupid rules of where to pee, mount, bark, bite, and eat as if canines are the ones not doing what comes natural.

Harriet Klausner

For all you non-counters, this is book two in a series. So far there are four books and I have read all of them. This makes it hard to say somethings about an individual book, my impression is colored by all the other books. For example I read the series in time sequence, as I come now to review the books I see no need whatsoever for following in sequence, in fact I think any of the books could have been read first, and some of the books would benefit from it. What is the problem? Repetition is prevalent and it interferes with the story line. Chet is constantly saying, "So and so did such and such and is now wearing an orange suit in some prison." The so and so's are all different, the crimes are also so that means there are all these countless stories available to be told and Chet says so, "I may tell this tale later." Now these solutions must have returned a fee, so there is money available but according to Chet Bernie is always short of cash ad they need cases to make money, a contradiction. Quinn never solves it, he lets Chet continue to introduce these other cases with a teaser for a possible book on the case.
Then "Thereby Hangs a Tail" brings in Suzie, she becomes an element in the telling, giving Chet more chances to be repetitive, this may be what we expect in a dog but it ruins the book. In this story Chet does little, Bernie does all the thinking, and Quinn does this nicely, making the book interesting but also leaving glaring vacancies in the story. Still I thought it was a good ending, although contrived characters. I want to tip you off, this book has the worst sketched characters, the other three are all much better and Chet spoils some good writing by his repetitions. Still I think they are worth reading.

Guns, fights, adventures! It's all here. I was so glad that I read the amazing Chet adventure. This book was very unpredictable and surprising, which made it very fun to read. The famous feline-chaser k-9 always had a good nose. His hearing was great, too, and it was quite funny when Chet would point out that his owner, Bernie, lacked these senses. Chet and Bernie made a team, both of whom were needed to solve several crimes, told with detail, emotion, and humor. A good read for both kids (ages 9 and up) and adults. Five dog biscuits for Chet the Jet!

This book has two protagonists. Bernie Little, West Point graduate, veteran of the Gulf wars and ex-cop, is the human component, and Chet the K-9 schooled [notwithstanding that he washed out on the last day of that training] one-hundred pound canine with mis-matched ears who communicates with his owner/partner in his own doggie shorthand, an ability that can be confirmed by any dog owner.

Chet the dog and Bernie together comprise the Little Detective Agency. As Chet says, speaking of Bernie, "His interviewing skills and my nose: if you want my opinion, that's what raised the Little Detective Agency above the rest." When the prospect of a job paying $2,000 a day comes their way, and since Bernie finds himself in dire financial straits, he is sorely tempted, until he finds out that the job consists of guarding a blue-ribbon-winning show dog nicknamed Princess. It seems that threats have been made. Ultimately Bernie accepts the job, followed promptly by his being fired when Chet misbehaves. But when Princess and her owner are kidnapped, and the current object of Bernie's affections, Suzie Sanchez, a journalist investigating the story, disappears as well, Bernie and Chet are on the case.

Chet is a devoted and loyal canine partner. He periodically reminds the reader that Bernie is "always the smartest human in the room," and certainly has invaluable skills of his own. Chet faces his own dangerous situations in this second entry in the series. The book, and the series, is many things: Charming, funny, compulsively readable, suspenseful, and altogether delightful. I must admit that in general books with animals who talk - and especially animals which also solve, or assist in solving, crimes - are not among my favorite things. But Chet defies pigeonholing. The book is wholly original and hugely entertaining, and is highly recommended.

This is the second book in the Chet detective dog series, and it's even better than the first. We pre-ordered it and got it from the library too; so all 3 Humins in the house were reading both books at the same time (requires lotsa bookmarks to do that!)

Chet the dog narrates the whole story, which is told from a very doggy point of view. I think this is the best pet story author I've ever read, the style is so unique and hilarious. Great comedy. Great fun.

-- I hope Princess comes into future stories, she's the most adorable little thing. I want a Princess for my own.
-- I hope Chet lives forever (please! No more dead dogs!)
-- We're so glad to hear there's another story in the works. Can't wait!