WOOF (Bowser and Birdie #1)

Published by Scholastic Press in April of 2015

Spencer Quinn is best known for his dog and owner Chet and Bernie detective series. Now, he takes this winning formula in a new direction. Rather than have a police dog (almost) and an army veteran turned detective solve murders, Quinn has re-tooled things for a different series. But, he keeps the most important part the same - the story is told from the point of view of the dog!

In Woof, the first book in the Bowser and Birdie series, Birdie Gaux, a little girl living with her grandmother alongside a swamp in St. Roch, Louisiana. Her grandmother runs what some might call a bait shop and conducts swamp tours in her small boat. Birdie's mother works on an oil rig and talks with Birdie on Skype.

Birdie gets a shelter dog for her birthday and she chooses Bowser. Bowser has had a pretty rough go of it and he hates the shelter. But, boy, does he love Birdie. They make quite the pair as they try to figure out who stole the stuffed Black Marlin that has hung in the bait shop for more than 60 years. There are stories of hidden treasure maps hidden in that marlin and no one wants to hear to the clues that Bowser and Birdie have found. So, Birdie decides to investigate on her own. Of course, Bowser just has to go along...

I was interested to see how Quinn could adapt his Chet and Bernie style into a book for kids. It turns out that he does it fantastically. The book moves along well. Bowser is a good narrator, even if he is easily distracted. The mystery is fairly simple but it could not have been solved without Bowser's help. 

The book can be found on Amazon here: Woof (Bowser and Birdie) 

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Note: I received a uncorrected proof pre-release copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A FISTFUL of COLLARS (Chet and Bernie #5) by Spencer Quinn

Chet and Bernie Break into the Movies!

Published in 2012 by Atria Books.

I have four mystery writers that I regularly follow: Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, C.J. Box and Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series.
 

The premise of the series is simple. They are buddy books featuring Chet and Bernie, crime-fighting partners much like Holmes and Watson or Spenser and Hawk. Except for one important point - Chet is Bernie's dog. 

The story is told from the point of view of Chet, a trained police dog that never quite graduated from the academy to a "leaping" incident that "involved blood." 

Chet understands enough about human society so that the story doesn't bog down but he has that easily distractable live-in-the-moment quality that all dog lovers recognize.

In A Fistful of Collars Chet and Bernie are hired by the mayor (a politician that Bernie hates for a variety of reasons) to safeguard the city's interests while a major Hollywood film is made right there in the Valley. This Western movie stars Hollywood's current top-of-the-heap pretty boy action hero with a whole bunch of hidden problems. Chet and Bernie are supposed to keep this star out of trouble but soon enough Bernie finds that some things don't seem quite right and soon enough Chet and Bernie find a dead body and a possible connection to something else that could derail everything...

Although I was not convinced by the way that Bernie initially discovers the problems, once the mystery gets going it is pretty good. However, this may be the best book for Chet. I thought that his character was pulled off especially well. Better character writing tips the balance and makes this a 4 star book.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: A Fistful of Collars (Chet and Bernie #5) by Spencer Quinn.

Reviewed on October 10, 2014.

THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Chet and Bernie #4) by Spencer Quinn

Published in 2011 by Atria Books

Chet and Bernie are private detectives. Well, Bernie is a private detective. Chet is his dog - a police dog (almost!) that failed to make it all of the way through his training. The story is told completely told from the perspective of Chet, the dog who pretty much understands human society, at least enough to tell the story. What he does know for sure is that he and Bernie are inseparable partners and they always have each others' back.

In The Dog Who Knew Too Much Bernie is hard up for money again (Bernie can generate income but he likes to speculate in questionable investments) and he accepts what should be a simple job - pretend to be a woman's boyfriend while she goes to pick up her son at a summer camp in the mountains so that her ex-husband will finally understand that their romantic relationship is over. He quickly determines that this ex-husband has a violent past and is involved in shady business involving lots of money and makes a mental note that this case may be more than his client has described.

Spencer Quinn

It turns out that there is more to this case, but it is not what he expected. When they arrive his client's son has gone missing - he disappeared during the night on an overnight hike with his bunk mates and his counselor. Bernie and Chet begin the search for the boy but he immediately finds an abandoned gold mine, rumors of meth labs and plenty of corrupt local officials. That's when things start to get interesting...

For those of us who live with a dog, this series rings true. Spencer Quinn should be commended for capturing a dog's take on human society, his go-go-go enthusiasm (including the many times Chet hears a dog barking and suddenly realizes that he is the one doing the barking) and his good and loyal nature. I liked the story, not so much for the mystery but, instead, for the characters. Chet and Bernie are like old friends to me and it was good to catch up a little bit.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Dog Who Knew Too Much.

Reviewed on July 25, 2013

Thereby Hangs A Tail (A Chet and Bernie Mystery #2) by Spencer Quinn

The Second in a Nifty Series

Published in 2010.

I read the first book in the Chet and Bernie series as part of the Amazon Vine program, meaning I was given a pre-publication copy of the book for free. I thought the series had a good hook to it (Chet is a dog, his owner Bernie Little is a private detective - the only detective in the Little Detective Agency. The story is told entirely from the point of view of Chet) but I doubted it would have staying power. I am pleased to say that I was mistaken - not only does this series have legs, but each of the two follow up stories are better than the original.

Chet is a completely trained police dog who will only say that he washed "out on the very last day, a long story, but it's not secret that a cat was involved!" Bernie and Chet are now partners in the best sense of the word - Chet often is well on his way to solving the mystery before Bernie has anything figured out due to his superior sense of smell and hearing, but it is so hard for a dog to explain things to humans (and sometimes Chet does not even know he has solved it because it is so hard for dogs to concentrate and use those higher level thinking skills).

Spencer Quinn and his dog

In Thereby Hangs a Tail, Chet and Bernie are hired to protect a prize-winning tiny dog as she competes in a dog show. But, Chet's enthusiasm and impulsiveness when it comes to dog treats causes the prissy owner to fire Chet and Bernie, only to be kidnapped hours later. Her husband hires the Little Detective Agency to find both the owner and the dog and that's when things start to get real complicated....

This is a truly fun series. I hope that Spencer Quinn keeps up the high quality and the great insights into dog behavior and psychology as he continues to tell Chet and Bernie's stories.

Click on the 'Spencer Quinn' or 'Chet and Bernie' tags below to see my reviews on books 1 and 3 in the series.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Thereby Hangs A Tail (A Chet and Bernie Mystery #2) by Spencer Quinn.

Reviewed June 20, 2011.

To Fetch A Thief A Chet and Bernie Mystery #3) by Spencer Quinn

The fun continues (and gets better!)

Originally published in 2010.

I enjoyed the first book in the Chet and Bernie series, Dog On It, but assumed this was to be a cute attempt at a series that fizzled after the first book. I ran across the third book and immediately picked it up, pleasantly surprised that the series was still alive. I am pleased to report that not only is the series alive - it is getting better as it goes along!

Chet and Bernie are private detectives. Well, Bernie is a private detective. Chet is his dog - a police dog (almost!) that failed to make it all of the way through his training. The story is told completely told from the perspective of Chet, the dog who pretty much understands human society, at least enough to tell the story. What he does know is that he and Bernie are inseparable partners and they always have each others' back.

In To Fetch a Thief, Bernie gets some free tickets to a down and out traveling circus and he takes Chet and his son. When they arrive they discover the circus performance has been canceled because the elephant and her trainer are gone - the owner thinks they have "gone over" to the animal rights crowd but Bernie is not convinced because, by all accounts, the trainer was ultra-humane and he and the elephant loved one another as much as Bernie and Chet do. Bernie does a little digging at the impetus of his son and finds evidence that the elephant and trainer have been kidnapped.

Spencer Quinn and his dog

Of course Bernie takes the case despite not really having a client (unless you count his son who tells his class about it and promises all of those kids that his dad will find the elephant and bring it home) and viewing everything from Chet's "live-in-the-moment" perspective is a treat and not as limiting as it seemed to have been in the first book. A great example that made me laugh out loud because I have thought the same thing: "...for now let's just say Mexico's a great place if you are interested in smells."

I'm glad to see the series is alive and doing well. Here's to more from Chet and Bernie!

Click on the "Chet and Bernie" tag or the "Spencer Quinn" tag below to see what I thought about other books in this series.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: To Fetch A Thief (A Chet and Bernie Mystery #3) by Spencer Quinn.

Reviewed on June 10, 2011.

Dog On It (Chet and Bernie Mystery #1) by Spencer Quinn

A nice twist on the detective story

Published in 2009.

The premise of Dog On It is a simple one. It's a buddy book. Partners fighting crime like Holmes and Watson, Spenser and Hawk and now Bernie and Chet. Except for one important point - Chet is Bernie's dog.

The story is told from the point of view of Chet, a trained police dog that never quite graduated from the academy to a "leaping" incident that "involved blood."

Chet understands enough about human society so that the story doesn't bog down but he has that easily distractable live-in-the-moment quality that all dog lovers recognize. The mystery is pretty good, too. Bernie is hired to find a 15 year old girl who may be a runaway and may be the victim of foul play due to her father's shady real estate deals. Chet's unique perspective and talents as a dog and Bernie Little's ability to make the occasional intuitive leap make the Little Detective Agency a real threat to crime in the area.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Dog on It by Spencer Quinn.

Reviewed on January 13, 2009.