Dog On It

Dog On It
by Spencer Quinn

This was the January 2011 selection for the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group, and despite that group's members have a varied taste in mystery styles, Dog On It found nearly universal acclaim among our members. Personally, this was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable mysteries I've read in several years. That is almost entirely because of the narrative voice used by Quinn in this story. Dog On It is told from the point of view of Chet -- a mutt who is owned by Bernie, a private investigator. Chet is a dropout from the police K-9 academy but still has a hard-boiled detective's drive to right wrongs. Unfortunately, he's a dog. And, he's therefore susceptible to things that typically distract dogs -- odd smells, food, other dogs, fleas, and a short attention span. Somehow, despite this hilarious but somewhat unreliable narrator, Quinn tells a solid mystery story, with quite a few scary moments. If you like a good Southwestern US setting, and you're looking for an unusual narrative voice, you can't miss this one! Dog On It is merely the first in an ongoing series featuring Chet and Bernie. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the subsequent volumes in the Chet and Bernie series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in book-on-cd format.]

[ official Chet the Dog web site/blog ] | [ publisher's official Spencer Quinn web page ]

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