Sunday, July 26, 2009

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

About the book: Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.
In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case -- something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about -- and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.
Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure.
With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding -- like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns -- is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.

My thoughts: What can I say, I'm a sucker for a dog book. Chet the dog, from whose point of view the story was told, was a fun character. Sometimes Chet had trouble understanding people, and he had LOTS of favorite things, like the laughter of children. I'm already invested in these characters and hope there is another book soon!



3 comments:

Yvette Kelly said...

Hey Sharon
Congrats!!! You won the Amazon Gift Voucher on my commenter giveaway for July 2009.I have your e mail address so keep an eye open for it.I will go and send it now.see link below for winner post
http://truecrimebookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/monthly-commenter-giveaway-winner-for.html
Congrats again and hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!

Yvette Kelly said...

Hey Sharon
Congrats!!! You won the Amazon Gift Voucher on my commenter giveaway for July 2009.I have your e mail address so keep an eye open for it.I will go and send it now.see link below for winner post
http://truecrimebookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/monthly-commenter-giveaway-winner-for.html
Congrats again and hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!

Teddyree said...

Even though this is PI action it sounds like a cute read!