Editorial Content for It's a Wonderful Woof: A Chet & Bernie Mystery

Chet and Bernie (in that order; Chet always comes first!) have appeared in 11 previous mysteries. Their fans adore them, especially Chet, the intrepid almost K-9 who can smell fear, grab a gun, dig out important clues and accidentally uncover evidence. Chet is the first to admit that he leaves the heavy thinking to Bernie, the human half of the private investigation team of the Little Detective Agency.

In IT’S A WONDERFUL WOOF, Chet and Bernie are enjoying the holiday scents and sights (Chet loves the smell of fir wreaths) when a potential client appears with a strange request. Bernie has just reconnected with an acquaintance whose private detective business is perhaps doing even worse than his. So he refers the case to Victor Klovsky, who then disappears. Victor's mother is extremely worried about her son's absence as they usually speak daily, so she hires Chet and Bernie to find him.

"Spencer Quinn is a genius at mastering the imaginative doggy narrative --- or so we'd like to believe. And we completely suspend our disbelief when we read these charming and well-put-together mysteries."

Of course, this leads to the pair investigating what the original prospective client wanted, and when that individual turns up dead, Bernie is worried. Like all the Chet and Bernie mysteries, Spencer Quinn (the pen name for Peter Abrahams) takes us along on this journey through Chet's eyes as he narrates the story. It's always an interesting perspective because often the dog knows more than his human counterpart does. Other times, we realize that Chet doesn't understand what is happening, as he sheepishly admits that a peanut butter cookie is demanding his attention. But his narrative seems genuine, and it's created to include us as well. "Have I described my teeth yet? We are talking about weapons, my friends. I have weapons in my mouth. You do not, no offense." There's a lot of "no offense" sprinkled throughout these pages, but it makes us feel that Chet is talking to us and telling us the story directly.

Several shady characters follow Chet and Bernie to the old deconsecrated church in the Arizona desert. The church was the subject of a bidding war, and a nonprofit in Naples bought it. Currently, an archaeological dig is taking place there. Also involved in the mystery is the local art professor who tried to raise money to buy the church but was outbid. Quinn gives us numerous sinister characters to choose from, and they all appear to have something to hide. Of course, when some of them start showing up dead, the list of suspects shrinks.

There's some fine art by a European Baroque artist, Caravaggio, who is pretty much a bad guy in this story and in real life. Why is he important to all the people hiring investigators? The mystery is well done, but this is not a psychological thriller with twists and turns at the end. We love Chet, and his narration of the events is a joy to read. Although this is a take from a dog's point of view, we are well aware that Chet is not just any dog. He deserves the shotgun seat in their vintage Porsche, and he is truly Bernie's right hand "man."

Not only does Chet share the characters’ dialogue (and with admirable fidelity), he provides a running commentary about the events. Hawaiian shirts are a common theme in all the Chet and Bernie books, and this one is no different. Here, Chet reminisces about a missing Hawaiian shirt of Bernie’s that features surfing cats: “Not the one with the surfing cats, which seemed to have disappeared. Had someone --- just an ordinary someone doing an ordinary thing such as sniffing through the laundry pile --- somehow come upon that surfing catty shirt and...and done whatever? Someone, somehow, whatever: that had to be the answer.”

Spencer Quinn is a genius at mastering the imaginative doggy narrative --- or so we'd like to believe. And we completely suspend our disbelief when we read these charming and well-put-together mysteries. Seeing how Bernie's life is progressing is a plus. Although his relationship with a previous girlfriend, Suzie, has ended, we now get to witness his interaction with police officer Weatherly Wauneka, and it’s lovely. So is Trixie, her dog, a female mirror image of Chet. While each book works well as a stand-alone, you will want to start at the beginning so you can enjoy the nuances and the flow of Chet and Bernie’s fabulous lives together as they solve crimes and still end up no richer.