Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Thereby Hangs A Tail’

Foolproof Financial Advice In These Trying Times (From Thereby Hangs A Tail)

Lieutenant Stine went away. I polished off my steak tips, stretched out on those cool tiles, chilled out. What a life! The final chase through the warehouse ran pleasantly through my mind. And then again. After a while, I grew aware that the Hawaiian shirt guy had moved next to Bernie and struck up a conversation, at first about Hawaiian shirts, then about something else.

“What I run,” he was saying, “is what you might call a hedge fund for the little guy.”

“Little guy?” said Bernie.

“Not little in terms of intelligence or ability,” the Hawaiian shirt man added quickly. “But for one reason or another, men of distinction who don’t happen to be Wall Street insiders. I’ve had some nice play in commodities lately. You’re familiar with the basics of tin futures?”

Bernie motioned for another drink, overturning the salt and pepper. “Can’t be that complicated,” he said.

“Exactly,” replied the Hawaiian shirt man. And to the bartender when Bernie’s drink came: “I’ll get that.” Then came a lot of back and forth about tin, puts, calls, Bolivia and other mysteries. My eyelids got heavy, way too heavy to keep open. I let them close, drifted off. Harmless talk was all it was. As long as the check book didn’t come out of Bernie’s pocket we were in good shape.

Sometime later I awoke, feeling tip-top. I got up, gave myself a good shake, looked around. The bar was empty except for me, the bartender, the man in the Hawaiian shirt, and Bernie. The only completely sober one was me. Then came the bartender, the man in the Hawaiian shirt, and Bernie, dead last. Also, the check book was coming out.

Welcome Murphy, Missy.

LitStack Review: Thereby Hangs A Tail

Thereby Hangs a Tail, the second in Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie Mystery series, finds detective Bernie Little and his canine sidekick Chet doggie-bone deep in the cut throat world of show dog competition. The story is narrated in first person by Chet, offering a fresh interesting perspective. They initially become involved, he and Bernie, when hired by Adelina Borghese to protect her show dog Princess after receiving a threatening note in the mail. Bodyguarding a dog isn’t this detective duo’s favorite assignment, but the money’s good and they need it. Before Bernie can say “blue ribbon,” both Adelina and Princess have been kidnapped. Bernie is then hired by Adelina’s husband, Count Borghese, to find the pair, but the case becomes personal when Bernie discovers his newspaper reporter girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, has also disappeared.

Chet and Bernie sniff out leads and follow a trail of clues until a few suspects are in jail. Borghese seems to be satisfied with the outcome, but Bernie knows something is amiss. He sees through the clever set ups, corrupt cops, and paid-off sources. After Chet helps him find a dead body, Bernie doesn’t rest until he discovers the true culprit.

“Is this a great book or what?” as Chet would say. Whodunit was easy to predict, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story because of Chet’s clever comical narration. I love this dog, and I’m not a dog person. The reader hears his unique voice consistently throughout the story. Chet is easily distracted and prone to following mental rabbit trails. Being a dog, he doesn’t comprehend common cultural expressions. His literal interpretations lend humor. For example, “cat got your tongue” and “something the cat dragged in” especially confound him. Chet hates cats.

I love this book, have I mentioned that already? And according to Chet, he’s got plenty more stories to tell. – Angie Kay Dilmore

http://litstack.com/?p=784

Welcome Beach Goer, Mrs. Puppy, Brendan, Three Pals, Dargo, Cisco, Bella; Bailey and Bosox, please retry.

Review: Thereby Hangs A Tail (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised, as I was when reading a new book by Spencer Quinn. I initially had low expectations for Quinn’s mystery novel, “Thereby Hangs a Tail,” because I assumed it would be pretty tough for him to pull off a believable stream-of-consciousness narrative featuring a dog. Isn’t that story-telling device usually reserved for books in the children’s department?

Quinn does a great job, though; he takes readers on a crime investigation through the eyes of Chet, 100 pounds of delightful mutt. Chet is bound by his canine limitations, but his instincts lead him in the right direction most of the time.

Chet’s best friend and owner is Bernie Little, who, by Chet’s reckoning, is always the “smartest human in the room.” Together they criss-cross the California desert in Bernie’s Porsche, looking for Contessa Adelina di Borghese and her prize-winning dog, Kingsbury’s First Lady Belle (known as Princess for short), who both disappear just before a big dog show.

The first suspect is Sherman Ganz, the man who owns a dog which represents the only real competition for Princess. Even though some suspicious evidence turns up at Ganz’s place, Bernie and Chet keep following clues.

Canine narrator Chet experiences some things relevant to the case, which means the reader knows them, too, adding to the narrative tension. Bernie has to work out the solution to the mystery on his own, of course; as far as Chet is concerned, he’s mainly along for thethrilling top-down rides in Bernie’s vintage sports car, the occasional bacon-flavored dog treat and the exciting possibility of getting into a scrap with some bad guys.

It must have been difficult for author Quinn to figure out ways for Chet to reveal extra information to Bernie, but he resists the temptation to endow Chet with abilities beyond what normal canines have, which keeps this mystery grounded and believable. Quinn highlights those qualities of dogs which typify their relations with humans: loyalty, playfulness and the instinct to protect. Because Bernie is a keen observer, he catches on fast when Chet reacts to something unusual.

Bernie’s character is revealed through Chet’s eyes. Bernie is ex-military, physically strong and smart when it comes to solving crimes, but not too savvy with the finances. Divorced, he has a son named Charlie who lights up Bernie’s life whenever he’s around. Bernie’s girlfriend, news reporter Suzie Sanchez, is a favorite of Chet’s, and when she goes missing, the case becomes very personal for both Bernie and Chet.

If you don’t mind a little salty language from the bad guys, you’ll like Quinn’s fast-paced mystery; if you’re also a dog-lover, this book will double your enjoyment. – Beth Nieman

Welcome Jazz, Bungee, and (are we reading this one right?) Chet.

Review: Thereby Hangs A Tail (From Sioux City Examiner)

‘Thereby Hangs A Tail’ is a mystery novel written by Spencer Quinn, New York bestselling author of ‘Dog On It’.  This 309-page book is the second in his Chet and Bernie mystery series, published by Atria Books, January 2010.  Private Investigator Bernie and his canine companion, Chet, take on their first case as bodyguards for a competition show dog that ultimately leads to a much more serious mission.

As seen through the eyes of Chet, a 100-pound ex-K-9 dog, the story unfolds with Private Investigator Bernie Little, owner of the Little Detective Agency, accepting an assignment as a bodyguard.  His client is Adelina Borghese and her prize show dog, Princess, who has recently received a threat.  After an uncomfortable confrontation with Chet and Princess, they are fired.

News of the abduction of both Adelina and Princess from Suzie Sanchez, Reporter for the Valley Tribute, puts both Chet and Bernie on the trail to find them.  They are rehired by Count Lorenzo di Borghese to help find his wife and Princess.  An urgent distress call from Suzie leads them to the ghost town, Clauson’s Wells, where Chet and Bernie unfortunately get separated.

Chet searches for Bernie but instead finds Princess.  Together, Chet and Princess learn to trust each other and form a bond throughout their journey home.  In the meantime, they encounter their own share of troubles and get separated.

Once reunited, Chet and Bernie continue putting clues together with their own special way of communicating to find not only the missing Adelina and Princess, but also Bernie’s on-and-off girlfriend, reporter Suzy.  One-by-one, the clues begin to mesh as suspects are eliminated and the real reason for the abduction is uncovered.

What a surprising method of conveying a good mystery that contains all the essential story-telling elements from the insight of a dog.  Anyone who had or has an animal would be completely drawn into this well-paced, who-done-it mystery packed with a variety of humor and thoughts and expressions found within the human-animal relationship. – Teresa Moraetes

Welcome Ted.

Monday: The Dog Who Knew Too Much Cover art?