Beginnings
On Sundays we do beginnings – taking a look at the first paragraph or two of a Peter Abrahams novel, including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker. How about today we do The Right Side, the novel that came between Scents and Sensibility and Heart of Barkness? Those two are part of the Chet and Bernie series and The Right Side is not. It’s also not canine-narrated, and there are many other differences as well. If you’re interested in the Peter Abrahams side of Spencer Quinn, this might be where to start. (More info at peterabrahams.com)
“Just want to make sure I’ve got your name right.” The man – Machado, read the tag hung around his neck – swiveled sideways to check his computer. The chair made a squeaky sound, intolerable to the woman sitting on the other side of the desk. It sparked a headache in the spot where her headaches got sparked these days, a headache that then blossomed like an explosion in slow motion, so slow you might have thought it would peter out, or be easily stopped. She knew better.
Machado – Dr. Ernest Machado, Psychiatric Services, according to the name tag – squinted at the screen. “Still getting used to these darn progressives,” he said, tapping his glasses.
“Poor you,” she said.
Dr. Machado shot her a speedy glance, returned to the screen, nudged his glasses a little higher up on his nose.
That glance? Furtive, she thought. Or had she said it aloud, called him furtive to his face?
Tags: beginnings, The Right Side
This entry was posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 at 8:39 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
10:36 am on February 7th, 2021
Greetings!
A light, steady snow is falling here. Three to six inches expected.
If I am correct, I believe our very own glitter girl, Belle Starr is celebrating a birthday. May it be a sparkly, fun day!
Good day to all!
10:49 am on February 7th, 2021
Good day to all.
12:41 pm on February 7th, 2021
Wose: It is! It is my birthday! That Damn Pixie tells me I’m 13, whatever that means. I don’t understand thirteen. Is thirteen a flavor. Who knows? What I do know is that Damn Pixies can’t be trusted.
2:50 pm on February 7th, 2021
Belle Starr: You are a teenager now! :^)
2:52 pm on February 7th, 2021
Belle Starr: I wish you glitter paint on your birthday and on all other days.
I had thought there would be a sequel to The Right Side or was that just wishful thinking on my part?
The only bowl Sadie is interested in today is her food bowl. Mr. Big is in agreement. I may shop today in an empty mall.
8:08 pm on February 7th, 2021
Hobbit!…Why is your mall empty? Could it be because of the Supper Bowl?…snort!…My friend and I have been watching on and off. Mostly off. We have not seen any commercials yet…wheeze!…Today has been a real downer. Its too cold to go outside. And there is too much snow and ice to do anything if one could go outside…grunt!…My friend and I are reaching our breaking point in this dreariness…weeep!
8:10 pm on February 7th, 2021
Oh!…Happy Birthday Bellie…snuffle!…Hope you have had a good sparkling day….chorkel!
9:40 pm on February 7th, 2021
Rio: I did go shopping. The parking lots didn’t have many cars in them. I am a smart cookie.
(Now I want to make cookies)
9:55 pm on February 7th, 2021
Cookies!!…snort!…I would really like to have some cookies right now….yeeeep!
9:58 pm on February 7th, 2021
Kansas City!…pah!…We here do not love that team but we do like Mahomes very much. So them losing is not breaking our hearts. But we hate that Mahomes got so beat up by the bullies…grump!
10:14 pm on February 7th, 2021
Brady!…Again!…It’s like a recurring nightmare that won’t end…heh!
10:26 pm on February 7th, 2021
We, er, borrowed a big screen TV so Beau could watch the big game in style. According to Beau’s sources, borrowing implies the intention to return said item.
WATP: do you know if this still applies for items that fell off a truck? Asking for a friend.
10:47 pm on February 7th, 2021
Ahhh!…I was wondering if Beau got to see the game or not…heh!heh!….Good work Thieves! I hope he did not lose too much money. He like Mahomes very much also…snuffle!…If youse guys are eating dry kibble for the next month we will know for sure his betting outcome…snort!
10:56 pm on February 7th, 2021
WATP!…We happened upon a PBS show called “Maigret” today and recorded it…snort!…Imagine our surprise when we learned Rowen Atkinson is the detective in a non-comedic role!…wheeze!
11:23 pm on February 7th, 2021
According to Beau, it’s not polite to bet and tell.
Somebody please pass the dry kibble.
3:01 am on February 9th, 2021
PUPPY BOWL!