Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘A Fistful of Collars’

What’s In A Name?

Mrs. Publicist: Fifteenth of the month, when we discuss a name from the Chet and Bernie series. Good morning, Pete. It’s eleven degrees out there so I’m assuming no bike ride today.

Pete: Don’t bet on it.

Mrs. Publicist: Hmm. Before you go then, what character name should we talk about today?

Spencer Quinn: How about Brando?

Mrs. P: The cat belonging to Thad Perry, the troubled and troublesome movie star in A Fistful of Collars?

Pete: Exactly.

Mrs. P: Described initially by Chet as follows: “Yes, a cat. Not particularly little, by the way, in fact, kind of monstrous.”

Pete: That’s the one. In terms of plot, Thad Perry turning out to be a cat person is a big red flag, certainly in Chet’s eyes. But the name itself says Hollywood, entitlement, self-satisfaction. Plus there was a feline aspect to Marlon Brando – I’d go so far as to say feminine, but let’s omit that – and that fit nicely. Of course Marlon Brando was one of those movie stars who was actually an artist, and Thad Perry turns out – maybe surprisingly – to be that type, too. So there you have it.

Mrs. P.: Thanks, Pete. Dress warm. See you next month for more of What’s In A Name!

Beginnings

On Sunday we do beginnings, taking a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel, including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker. How about A Fistful of Collars? The digital edition seems to be on sale for $1.99. That’s less than 2 bucks! This might be a good introduction to the series for some frugal friend. Does this frugal friend like cats? They – and Chet – will meet a cat named Brando in this story. What more could anyone ask?

“Heard you drove another one off a cliff,” said Nixon Panero. He spat a thin brown stream of chewing tobacco into an empty paint can, or maybe not that empty. Yellow paint, the yellow of egg yolks, now with a brown swirl in the middle: there’s all kinds of beauty in life.

“You heard wrong,” said Bernie.

“There’s All Kinds Of Beauty In Life.”

A sentiment that occurs to Chet from time to time, but the first mention of it isn’t until the beginning of book 5, A Fistful Of Collars (but don’t forget the series can be read in any order. In fact, if anyone has started at the most recent, Of Mutts And Men and worked backward like countdown we’d like to hear from you.)

“Heard you drove another one off a cliff,” said Nixon Panero. He spat a thin brown stream of chewing tobacco into an empty paint can, or maybe not that empty. Yellow paint, the yellow of egg yolks, now with a brown swirl in the middle: there’s all kinds of beauty in life.

 

Memorial Day: We Remember

He came around from behind the cash register and rolled toward us in his wheelchair real fast, long hair lifting off his shoulders in the breeze. Vin was another old Army pal of Bernie’s, had a massive upper body and below that a lower body easily covered by a small blanket. They shook hands, Bernie’s hand, which normally looked so big, lost in Vin’s. “What’s doin’?” Vin said, reaching into his pocket and tossing a biscuit my way. I was ready, caught it in midair.

(from A Fistful of Collars)