Thereby Hangs a Tail

January 4, 2010
Taking the genre for another refreshing spin, Quinn brings back Chet, the 100-pound crime-fighting canine he introduced in last year's Dog On It. Once again narrated by Chet, this volume finds dog and owner, private investigator Bernie Little, down on their financial luck and looking into threats against a pampered celebrity show dog named Princess. Before long, Princess and her wealthy, high-maintenance owner are abducted, along with the newspaper reporter who was covering the case, Bernie's on-again off-again love interest, Susie Sanchez. The trail leads the four-legged detective and his bipedal partner to a creepy ghost town, where they're separated; with a bit of doggie diligence and good luck, the duo reunites and unravels a messy conspiracy involving a corrupt small-town sheriff, a disgruntled dog trainer, and two hippies who can't stop listening to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Chet makes a clever narrator, thinking like a human but often confounded by figures of speech ("crocodile tears," "red herring"), and Quinn manages to keep things both humorous and suspenseful while delivering a proper, satisfying whodunit.

Private Investigator Bernie Little and his dog, Chet, are hired to protect Adelina Borghese and her tiny champion dog, Princess, until the Great Western Dog Show is over. The story is told from the point of view of Chet, who recounts it as only a wise dog can (though many of the things people say are still a mystery to him). Narrator Jim Frangione gives voice to Chet in a straightforward but no-holds-barred manner. There's nothing cutesy in his narration--indeed, there are white knuckle moments for all involved. Chet's account is also filled with asides, bacon, and biscuits--all the things that make up a dog's world. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine