Paw and Order

June 30, 2014
Bestseller Quinn’s subpar seventh Chet and Bernie mystery (after 2013’s The Sound and the Furry) takes Bernie Little, head of the Little Detective Agency, and his canine partner, Chet, from Arizona to Washington, D.C., where Bernie hopes to mend relations with his significant other, Suzie Sanchez, now a reporter at the Washington Post. After Suzie stumbles across the corpse of Eben St. John, a mysterious British consultant who fancies her, the cops tag Bernie as the prime suspect because the PI’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon. St. John’s murder may be connected with the possible presidential campaign of a respected retired general, but the politics of the race are as sketchy as the details of the whodunit plot. Still, dog lovers will enjoy Chet’s original, offbeat narration, which makes the most of the limits of his understanding of humans. Author tour. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency.

July 1, 2014

After finishing up a case in Louisiana (recounted in The Sound and the Furry), partners Chet (dog) and Bernie (human) head east to visit Bernie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Suzie, who has left Arizona and become a reporter at the Washington Post. When the duo arrives in DC, Suzie introduces them to a friend whom she says is just a source. Bernie isn't so sure, and things get more complicated when the source is found shot dead with a gun that had been in Bernie's glove box (he'd taken it off a perp earlier). Chet and Bernie now have to investigate the murder without stepping on the toes of the DC police or the shadowy government agent who has taken an interest in the case. Once again, Chet narrates as the partners deal with reluctant witnesses, possible conspiracies, a strange bird that Chet seems to be the only one to notice, and the occasional squirrel. VERDICT Fans of the series will enjoy this latest outing, as will those who enjoy a solid murder mystery/political thriller. Anyone who loves dogs will recognize the authenticity of Chet's original perspective on life and its mysteries. [See Prepub Alert, 2/10/14.]--Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Spencer Quinn is the pseudonym for thriller writer Peter Abrahams, who uses this series, told from the point of view of a dog, to go in a very different direction from his usual work. An obsession with eating and chasing squirrels does not get in the way of the canine hero, Chet, helping his PI owner, Bernie, solve crimes. This time the pair are in Washington, D.C., visiting Bernie's girlfriend, reporter Suzie Sanchez, who's working on a big story that could be derailed by the murder of her deep-throated source. When Bernie is suddenly arrested for the crime, it's up to Chet to make sense of a case that involves international spies and future presidential candidates. Tall orders for a dog, but, of course, Chet is no ordinary dog. Though the mystery is a bit confusingto human readers as well as to dogsChet is up to the challenge. If readers can accept the premise, this seventh installment in the ongoing series is both smart and funny.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)