Dog on it by Spencer Quinn

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Chet and Bernie are partners in a detective agency.  Okay, Bernie really owns the agency, but in many ways Chet is the heart and soul of the operation. He’s loyal, dedicated, and he would work for Slim Jims. He also narrates these stories as only Chet can. He has a unique point of view, both worldly and innocent, and he can be very opinionated, especially on the subject of Bernie, who is the greatest guy in the world.

At this point I should probably make sure that you know Chet is a dog.

You should also know that he’s a very smart dog who knows enough to worry about “cash flow problems” even though he’s not quite sure what they are but they make Bernie wake up at night and pace and even start smoking again.

This time around Bernie is hired to look for a lost girl, which is a lot better than divorce work because in divorce work you sit in the car in front of motels a lot. The trouble is, this case turns out to be a lot more complicated than it seemed at first.  First of all, the girl turns up and everything’s okay except that Bernie doesn’t seem to think it’s okay. Then the girl disappears AGAIN, and Bernie is definitely sure it’s not okay.

That’s okay with Chet, though, because he knows Bernie will figure it out.  He’s the smartest guy in the world, as well as the greatest guy.  And Chet will be right by his side the whole time.

I’d heard a lot about this series and decided to try it for myself.  My tastes tend to run to classic or cozy mysteries, which this is definitely not.  It’s a bit more hard-boiled, for one thing; there’s danger and people get hurt; and it’s not a “solve the puzzle based on clues” sort of mystery.  It’s more of a crime novel, and the reader finds things out along with the protagonist, even if Chet may not quite grasp all of the situation. 

Which is more than fine, because it’s Chet’s narration that makes the story for me.  Chet repeats what he hears even if he doesn’t understand it and goes off on very canine-like tangents based on what he smells at the moment.  Humans are a puzzle to him, but he is perfectly willing to go with the flow.

This book was a lot of fun, mostly because of the unique perspective Chet offers.  I’m not sure we would get along because Chet hates cats, but I will admire from afar.