Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery (1) (The Chet and Bernie Mystery Series)

Have you ever looked at your dog and wondered what in the world he or she (Chet says, “no ’it’s’ please”) is thinking? In Dog On It, you will be treated to author Spencer Quinn’s take on the imagined inner workings of a dog’s thoughts and personality. His vehicle for sharing these insights is the very likable and competent K-9 sidekick named Chet. The story is humorously told from his point of view. I figure my dogs have the mentality of a two-year-old. They have a little understanding of the English language, even a smattering of Spanish, but I’m sure most of what I say goes over their heads. In a similar way, P.I. Bernie Little of Little Detective Agency talks over his cases with Chet. Chet picks up on the tone of the conversation, and over the years they have developed cues and routines that make them an outstanding team. When it comes to expressions like “wild good chase,” however, Chet is excited but confused. We get to know Chet very well as he tells the story emphasizing what he and his “tribe” can do and how they are different from humans. Seen from his perspective, we learn the importance of scents, what delights Chet, and how easily distractible he is. Bernie does the thinking, but Chet’s role is equally important in following even the faintest whiffs and intimidating criminals. Chet says that Bernie often has a cash flow problem although he doesn’t understand what that is. The source of the problem seems to be undercharging and an abundance of pro bono work. Bernie works to control his smoking and drinking. He has a combat past that Chet only shares a little about. Bernie is divorced and has a young son he adores. The detective displays intelligence, courage, and physical prowess. He isn’t perfect, but he is a very likable character. Although this book truly brought a smile to my face throughout, don’t be deceived. Packing a good solid mystery with plenty of leads and some adventure as well, Dog On It is much more than a humorous book. On the other hand, don’t expect a deep plot exploring heavy issues; that’s not what this book is about. It is a quick read because it is so entertaining. I never tire of hearing what Chet is thinking or even why he is not thinking at all. This work is the most exquisitely funny example of anthropomorphism I have read in a very long time. I am looking forward to more reading pleasure with this series which currently has ten books.

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a sucker for books that involve cats and dogs. I never missed a single one of "The Cat Who..." mystery novels by the late Lilian Jackson Braun, for instance - I loved the antics (and murder-solving abilities of KoKo and Yum-Yum, the two Siamese cats owned by former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran. And one of my favorite books of all time is Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain." So when one of my e-newsletters arrived from BookBub.com announcing availability of this book for $2.99 at Amazon.com, I read the description, noted the average of 4-1/2 stars from 448 customer reviews and didn't "paws" long before hitting the "Buy Now" button. Still, there's always a bit of concern over wasting time and money (even if it's just a little bit) as I Fire up my Kindle and navigate to the first page. Will it be a clunker after all? That feeling hung around for less than three pages, I'm happy to report - that's when something I read made me chuckle right out loud. Okay, I said to myself - we're good to go. The books are narrated by Chet, a lovable dog who's loyal to Bernie and very smart (but not smart enough to avoid flunking out of K-9 police school). He's owned by Bernie, a relatively small-time private investigator who has to scramble to have enough money for his breakfast eggs. They're called to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl who's gone missing and may (or may not) be the victim of a kidnapping. She turns up safe and sound, but days later she's gone again. Bernie's suspicious, and Chet's keen sense of smell tells him something's not quite kosher as well. The search takes them to the desert, biker bars and abandoned mines, threatening both their lives at various stops along the way. Each step is described in typical doggie fashion by Chet, who does a pretty good job of figuring out what humans are up to even though he can't quite get a grip on emotions (smells, on the other hand, he's got down to a science). The book is well written and the plot is for the most part plausible (if perhaps not the most gripping, edge-of-seat story I've ever read). Best of all, it's just fun; Chet's take on things can be a bit of a hoot - or should I say bark. All in all, an outstanding debut novel. Next up in the series is "A Fistful of Collars," which I now look forward to reading.

If you have a dog or have loved a dog, you will love this book!!! I waited for a long time to order and am so thrilled by the story and can't put the book down!! It is so wonderful! Go for it!

People who are not dead inside loved the movie "Up." The acting was terrific, the story was beautiful, and Pete Docter's direction was, as usual, flawless. But let's face it. The part we all liked best was when Doug the Dog would interrupt his delightfully canine train of thought to declare, "Squirrel!" in his delightfully canine way. All of us who have ever imagined what our pets would sound like in conversation, and perhaps even expressed that voice out loud for the entertainment of ourselves and others, could relate to Doug the Dog. Well, imagine if Doug the Dog wrote a book. Only he wasn't Doug, he was Chet, sidekick to Bernie, a private detective, and together they solved mysteries, closed cases and put down perps, primarily by orally restraining their pant legs. You would have what Spencer Quinn has written, a unique buddy cop story with a mystery engaging enough to keep you turning the pages but never sinister enough to inappropriately contrast with the lighthearted humor conveyed by seeing things from the pooch's perspective. Also, he uses shorter sentences than I do. Quinn also manages to slip in important points about parenting, handling divorce, handling finances, and our over-consumption of water, but since these are from the dog's-eye view as well, they never seem preachy or heavy-handed. I bought Dog On It because of this quote on the back by Stephen King: "Spencer Quinn speaks two languages - suspense and dog - fluently. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, and in a few places terrifying... [Dog On It is an] enchanting one-of-a-kind novel." In other words, don't take my word for it. Take the word of a real writer. After I read Dog On It, I couldn't wait to read Thereby Hangs a Tail, and I wasn't disappointed. Quinn says he's working on the next book now, and I'll be eager to read that as well. They're fast reads. They're well-written. And most of all, they're fun. Really fun. Or, as Doug the Dog would say, "They're an insightful look into the inner workings of the canine mind and an exploration of the bond between -- SQUIRREL!" Go get it.

This is the first book of a charming cozy mystery series featuring a dog named Chet as the narrator. I do enjoy cozies and I LOVE dogs. Chet's human, Bernie Little, is a private investigator. He gets hired to find a missing girl, but she turns up before he really gets started. Then she disappears again, seemingly for good. Chet has all kinds of adventures, both with Bernie and solo, like the night he jumps the fence and ends up in a shelter. He is about to be euthanized when a visiting reporter recognizes him and takes him home. It's interesting having a dog narrate a mystery; it's actual a quite clever way to reveal certain facts to the reader while still keeping the protagonist in the dark. Like I said, a fun, easy read. 3.25 stars.

This is the story of Chet (aka "Chet the Jet"), a canine charmer who left police dog training school under mysterious circumstances. Chet lives with Bernie Little, former cop (again with the mysterious circumstances) and current Private Investigator. Bernie's a bit down on his luck; his wife has left him and he misses his son terribly, he occasionally drinks too much and suffers chronic "cash flow" problems. When a distraught mother hires Bernie to find her missing 15 year old daughter, Chet and Bernie cross paths with shady Russian businessmen, an uncooperative father and an outlaw biker gang. Between Chet's mad tracking skills and Bernie's considerable smarts, the bad guys are toast. As a lifelong dog lover I suppose I was pre-disposed to liking this one. I will say that I had to adjust to Chet's narrative. At first it struck me as too juvenile, but I was soon won over by his astute canine observations and his good natured charm (not to mention his total devotion to Bernie). And Bernie was no slouch, with his wise-cracking comments and mean right hook (not to mention his devotion to Chet). I thought this was an innovative idea: a mystery told from the dog's point of view. I was underwhelmed by the mystery itself, which was rather obvious, and the bad guys were more caricatures than characters. But Chet easily carried the storyline, making it easy to ignore the little plot holes encountered along the way. This is the first book in a series. It is told from the first person (dog?) point of view. There is little (if any) strong language and no sexual content.

Yes, Chet, a (mostly) trained police dog, is the narrator of this missing person case. His human, Bernie Little, talks to Chet almost non-stop, which makes it possible for Chet to report on events. Well, maybe it’s not exactly reporting. Rather, we are tuning into the dog’s stream of conscious. And Chet has a lot of dog- like thoughts besides thinking about the case. A fifteen-year-old girl has gone missing. Her mother hires Bernie to find Madison. A serious adventure ensues. There’s a near-death experience for Chet, a maybe romance for Bernie, a dramatic car chase on twisty roads, and scary encounters with Russian gangsters. I had my doubts about this book at first ( I dislike book titles with silly word-plays). But I ended up really liking it. Bernie is an attractive mix of tough guy and deep thinker. Chet is heroic but also susceptible to treats, female barking, and hunting impulses. I’ve ordered the next book in the series.

This was such a fun book. Yes, I mean FUN. Thumbs up to Spencer Quinn for attempting to do what nobody else has done before (that I know of) and write a book from the viewpoint of a dog. The mystery was a bonus. The mystery is a missing teenager. The detective is Bernie Little, a down on his luck private eye. The sidekick is his dog, Chet, a german shepard. Chet tells the story of the missing teenager and also offers readers a look at life from a dog's point of view. His adventures do not consist solely of sticking his head out of the car window or finding discarded and dusty cheerios, but also of being dog napped and thrown in a trunk, running through an abandoned mine, and even hooking up with a group of bikers and getting a ride! Bernie will also appeal to a lot of people as he is going through life situations that many people will relate to including divorce, drinking, child custody or lack of it, and so on. The case takes Bernie and Chet to a housing developement, an animal shelter, and even Las Vegas! Can they find the girl and get to the bottom of the case? This book will appeal to all dog lovers or anybody that has ever looked into a dog's eyes and thought..."what are you thinking right now, pooch?" I highly recommend it to both men and women alike that want a good laugh and an entertaining tale.

Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. If you love animals and well written detective novels then this book’s for you. Chet will charm you right to the end!

Loved every second of it. Witty, funny, serious, exciting, ending predictable but enjoyed reading from cover to cover Look forward to more by this author

The Chet and Bernie duo make up the Little Detective Agency, Little because of Bernie’s name—Bernie Little—not little in scope. They take on all sorts of mysteries, missing children, murders, long distance chases in Bernie’s Porche with Chet riding shotgun. The narrator of each book is Chet, which makes for funny ruminations and speculations by Chet, because he is looking at what transpires from a dog’s viewpoint. Bernie, as cheerfully admitted by Chet, is the most handsome, most intelligent, and most interesting of all humans so he supplies the brains while Chet supplies the brawn, many a time it is Chet who settles the adventure by capturing the villain by a pant leg. If you like dogs, mysteries, suspense and mayhem, you will like the Chet and Bernie series and the first book in the series, Dog On It.

Starts off very interesting, but then gets a bit dull for my taste.

The book comes as in the picture but doent give the new vibe. It seems used and the pages aare brown and dusky. Cant wait to read though