Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Scents and Sensibility’

Stompin’ at the Savoy

Many thanks to the Savoy Bookshop in Westerly RI for last night’s event. One of the most beautiful book stores we’ve ever been in. And no one threw anything – always the sign of a successful appearance. Plus it was very nice that we could be partnering with Stand Up For Animals, a wonderful organization. The Heart of Barkness tour continues next week, starting at Murder By The Book in Houston. (For tour info – click events at peterabrahams.com.) Meanwhile, Happy 4th, everybody! We just did a quick search for the word “American” in Chet and Bernie, and this brief excerpt from Scents and Sensibility popped up:

“But it wouldn’t be just!” said Mrs. Parsons. “Locking someone up for buying the wrong cactus? What country are we in?”

A tough question. The Valley was in Arizona, a fact I’d picked up fairly recently. Also we were Americans, me and Bernie. That was as far as I could take it. Maybe not far, but farther than Iggy. He wriggled around on the footstool, getting more comfortable, and began to snore.

Beginnings (More)

On Sundays we’ve been doing beginnings – all the Peter Abrahams books in chronological order, including those written under the Spencer Quinn pen name. Here from 2015 – #34, SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY, most recent in the Chet and Bernie series – which can be read in any order (see Bureau of Imagination Regulation section 18, subsection 22). HEART OF BARKNESS comes July 2.

[“Light-hearted, humor-filled…the ending of this book is especially touching. Most readers will want to read it over (and maybe over yet again, to be sure they are understanding it). It’s beautifully written and very emotional.” (Examiner.com)]

Home at last! We’d been away so long, first in swampy country, then in a big city – maybe called Foggy Bottom – that confused me from the get-go. Is there time to mention the air in both those places before we really get started? Soggy and heavy: that sums it up.

Where were we? Was it possibly … home? Yes! Home! Home at last! Our home – mine and Bernie’s – is on Mesquite Road. Mesquite Road’s in the Valley. Quite recently I might have heard that the Valley’s in Arizona, but don’t count on that. What matters is that right now I was inhaling a nice big noseful of Valley air. Light and dry, with a hint of greasewood and just plain grease: perfect. I felt tip top. Bernie opened our door, kicked aside a huge pile of mail, and we went in.

Saw A Septic Truck This AM …

… and thought of this, from SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY:

Real slow, lights off, we drove down the dead end street. I picked up the smell of the canal, which had nothing to do with water, by the way, the canal being empty except during monsoon season. Pee, mostly human, is the normal canal smell, in case you’re interested. There are times the whole world pretty much smells of human pee. What a life!

On Beauty

As for Bernie’s big crooked nose: What’s it for? Just beauty? Is that enough? I tried to think about that, got as far as: Why not? Hey! Beauty was enough!

(from SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY)