The Dog Who Knew Too Much

Starred review from July 25, 2011
Near the start of the pseudonymous Quinn's outstanding fourth Chet and Bernie whodunit (after 2010's To Fetch a Thief), Anya Vereen asks PI Bernie Little to pose as a friend of hers and accompany her to parents' weekend at Big Bear Wilderness Camp, where her son, Devin, is a camper. Anya, who fears that her ex, Guy Wenders, also slated to attend, will cause trouble, hopes that Bernie's presence will prevent "unpleasantness." The investigator reluctantly accepts the job. At the camp, he and Chet, his faithful dog sidekick, find themselves with a very different problem to solve after Devin disappears while on an overnight. Chet's tracking ability comes in handy, but the search quickly takes a violent and unexpected turn. Quinn (suspense novelist Peter Abrahams) manages to sell the conceit of a literate canine narrator by dint of intelligent writing and on-the-mark pacing and tone.

April 1, 2011

One wonders whether this dog knew how popular Quinn's series would be when it launched with Dog on It. In any case, cool canine Chet and his beloved Bernie have been hired to find a boy possibly snatched by his divorced dad, but Chet noses out new clues that make things look more desperate. Meanwhile, both Bernie's girlfriend's old boyfriend and a stray pup suspiciously resembling Chet appear on the scene. Great, cozy fun even if you're not nuts for dogs; with a four-city tour and a reading group guide.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011

Backcountry hiking turns out to be no walk in the park for the indomitable Chet and his human partner Bernie.

Because he's chronically short of cash, there aren't too many gigs Bernie Little (To Fetch a Thief, 2010, etc.) won't take a shot at. But giving the keynote at the Great Western Private Eye Convention turns out to be a bad deal, since the offer is only a pretext for its president, Georgie Malhouf, to make a bid for Chet. No sale, says Bernie. Instead, he takes what looks like a real stinker of a case: pretending to be Anya Vereen's new guy so that her old guy, Guy Wenders, won't make a play for reconciliation during Parents Weekend at Big Bear Wilderness Camp. Chet loves this trip; after all, the mountains are filled with wonderful, strange smells. Bernie, not so much, especially after he learns that Anya's son Devin went missing on his cabin's overnight. When Bernie takes Chet and wilderness guide Turk Rendell back where the boy was last seen, Chet follows Devin's scent into an abandoned mine, raising the searchers' hopes. But then Turk gets killed, and Bernie runs afoul of Big Bear's so-called law-enforcement community, most of whom share the name Laidlaw. Once Bernie gets arrested for Turk's murder, Chet is on his own. Chet knows plenty, but how can he share his wisdom with reporter Suzie Sanchez, who's almost as smart as Bernie, not to mention smelling almost as good and being a really great patter?

Human cunning and canine smarts triumph once again.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011
The fourth Bernie and Chet mystery finds the PI duo at a remote campground, hired as bodyguards for a divorced mother. When her son failed to return from an overnight hike, the distraught mom called Bernie, owner of the Little Detective Agency, and Chet, Bernie's sleuthing assistant, who happens to be a dog. The two know plenty about missing persons, but they're unprepared for dealing with corrupt local politicians and with holding off a competitor determined to get Chet out of the picture. This clever series continues to be told entirely from Chet's doggy point of view; Chet may be a dog, but he is also a 100 percent dedicated PI. He's always ready for work, knows all about perps, likes to get paid for his efforts, and realizes that cases usually end when he has someone by the pant leg. Although Quinn overuses a few stock phrases to reinforce Chet's simple dog view of a complex world, the novel delivers a thoroughly entertaining comic mystery. A must-read, of course, for those who like a canine presence in their crime novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2011

This fourth entry (after Thereby Hangs a Tale) in the adventures of PIs Chet (canine) and Bernie (human) begins when they're hired to guard a woman as she goes to pick up her son from summer camp. Things heat up when the boy doesn't return from a hike, and then murder, drugs, an abandoned mine, and the FBI get added to the mix. Quinn accomplishes the tricky task of building a satisfying mystery and telling it in the voice of Border collie Chet. The story moves along quickly and logically as danger mounts and the clues begin to add up (to Bernie, at least). Chet's narration includes all the necessary clues (even if he doesn't realize it) along with all the canine quirks dog lovers will recognize. VERDICT This novel should appeal to mystery and dog lovers equally. Recommended for any library catering to lots of both.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.