This is what Chet is described as looking like: one black ear, one white.
Hi, seven or so followers. Dear God, I am sorry. The reasons I haven’t posted since October (!!!!!) 1) APUSH; 2) Newspaper; 3)work in and out of school; 4) pure laziness.
But today I’m going to actually write a review. Be excited!
I woke up feeling sick, and after about two hours of dry heaving, muscle cramps, and wanting to die, my medication finally kicked in, and now I’m home alone and facing no responsibilities.
Come to think of it, I’ve blogged about a lot of serious books. Today we’re talking about comedy, in the form of the Chet and Bernie Mysteries, by Spencer Quinn.
Book one.
Chet is the canine counterpart of Bernie Little, private detective of the Little Detective Agency. Chet is a certified police dog, though he technically never graduated K-9 school (there was an incident with a cat Chet can’t quite remember, but it somehow led to Bernie taking him home). Chet keeps Bernie company on and off the job, and sympathizes as best he can with Bernie’s struggles with his ex-wife and partial custody, and near-constant “cash flow problems.” Bernie hates divorce work, but at the moment that’s all he and Chet have going on. Then in the first book of the series, Dog On It, Cynthia Chambliss drives up and employs the Little Detective Agency to find her maybe-missing daughter Madison. Madison shows up minutes later, but disappears again in just two days. Bernie and Chet smell something funny going on- literally, in Chet’s case- and begin to investigate.
The key ingredient in the Chet and Bernie mysteries is the narration. It’s funny and entertaining and intriguing- and it’s told from Chet’s point of view. I’ve never come across another series that employs this device, or at the very least does it so well. Chet hasn’t been turned into a human for convenience. He’s a dog. He talks about bones and smells and cats, and he goes off on doggy tangents that don’t detract from the story at all- they add to them! Chet tells the story clearly and wittily, if a little confused about human quirks, and it’s a joy to read his thoughts. The plots of the books are fantastic- unpredictable like a mystery should be, with a little romance (for Bernie and Chet), a heartwarming dog-owner bond, and ton of laughs. Sharon Kay Penman reviews Bernie and Chet as “the most appealing detective duo since Watson and Holmes,” and I think I’d have to agree.
Lindsay’s Verdict: Five stars for every mystery. I’m only about halfway through the series, but I’m sure Quinn is still knocking it out of the park.
Author: Spencer Quinn
Genres: Mystery, humor
Upcoming: Something, soonish. Promise.
The Digital Librarian 