A Chet and Bernie Mystery (The Chet and Bernie Mystery Series Book 2)

Love Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series of books. They are told from the dog's point of view. He is Chet. His human is Bernie. They are private investigators. Hilariously funny, good story lines. If you love dogs like I do you will enjoy this book and the others as well.

Chet the dog is an irresistible hero, and an irresistible narrator, which is why I bought this book (number two in the Chet and Bernie series) as soon as I finished number one. For any dog lover, at least any dog lover who can deal with a little anthropomorphism, the dog's voice is funny, endearing, and (we'd like to think) spot on. Atop his order of priorities is his master, followed by food in any form, followed by a miscellany of other dogs, other people, potential things to chase, and his own physical being. Bernie, Chet's "partner" is a likable and well developed character, and the secondary characters are more fully realized than is often the case. An enjoyable read, but I am not going to "fetch" Number Three in the series right away. Rather, I will save this books for times when I need a cheerful distraction.

Probably spoilers so if you haven't read the book, don't read beyond the first couple of sentences - I love Chet. I love Bernie. I love their partnership. I love how as we go along story by story, we learn more and more about how the Little Detective Agency came to be. Because I've come late to this series - meaning in the last few months - and being that I know there are more than three books, I was not concerned about the findings from the vet. These books are so lighthearted and dear, so filled with character and love and adventure, there isn't going to be a tragedy, other than some perp getting snagged bythe pants leg. Lighten up folks. This is good stuff.

SUPER WELL WRITTEN. I marvel at some of the paragraphs and how "doggish"ly well done they are. There's a way dogs think, or I think they may think (and my guess is as good as anyones) and I think Mr. Quinn has nailed it - their happy immediacy and joyful immersion in the moment. And how deeply they love.

In any case, I just love this series. It's about the best way we love dogs and the best way they love us. I'm so glad the store offered the first as a daily deal because now I'm totally hooked.

PS. I hope Princess sticks around. (maybe Suzie takes her?)

told from the dogs point of view - for someone that considers themselves part of a pack as I do this is fantastic - don't we all want to know what are dogs would say if they could talk - realistic (if they could talk this is for sure what they would say!) - great fun and a good story

This mystery has a good plot and funny writing, written by Chet, the dog partner in the Little Detective Agency. It really does seem like it has been written by a dog. The book is so good that I went on to get and read all of the books in this series, and i enjoyed every one.

Absolutely entertaining. Spencer Quinn spins a great story and makes it even better by having Chet be the main story teller.

As a dog owner, I've long suspected that some of the internal dialogue we hear from Chet was occurring- Mr. Quinn fills in the gaps. It's Chet's take on the events around him that make this a superb story that rolls along nicely.

I highly recommend it!

Chet begins in normal for feeling tip top and looking for a perps pantleg he can grab. Always great when it happens. I usually like maybe a deeper storyline but this story is fun. It's a really fun read and you will fall in love with Chet, Bernie, and even Suzie. A book that can cheer up any day because Chet is always happy. If you want something to cheer you up or just a good dog book, story told by the dog with an unintentional humor.

The Chet and Bernie Mysteries are great. Word of note.... try to read all of these from the first to last IN ORDER. Many of the themes carry forward from the first book.

If you love dogs and wonder what it is they might be thinking this is the series for you.

Let's all just be happy they can't actually talk. :)

The Chet and Bernie books are the sherbet between courses. These are light, entertaining, and well written from Chet's point of view. Chet is a regular dog with regular dog instincts who loves Bernie and tries very hard to be "on the case" - even with distractions. A great break between the murder and mayhem I normally read.

Plot/Storyline: 3 Stars

As much as I enjoyed the first book because it was narrated by Chet, the dog, I found this one to be a bit monotonous. This one was also completely narrated by Chet, which, while charming in the first book, it got old fast in this second installment. This was mainly because I expected a faster plot in this second book, since the cuteness of having a dog narrator had worn off.

Having Chet narrate really slowed down the storyline. I watched an animated movie recently where the dogs wore a device that allowed them to speak. It was cute, especially the parts where they would get easily distracted and yell, "Squirrel!" Yes, it was funny, but at least it was only in the second half of the movie. In this book, Chet was constantly getting distracted and talking about various things other than the mystery going on. This got so repetitive that it became annoying about halfway through.

The plot was also pretty simplistic. I had the perpetrators figured out about halfway through the book. It was not a very deep mystery, at all.

As new and interesting as having a dog narrator was, I really felt the story could have benefited from having alternating narrators. Also, more effort should have been put into the mystery itself.

Character Development: 3 Stars

Chet, of course, had about as deep a character as a dog could be. He was funny and interesting, in turns. What I really liked about him is that his actions never strayed further than what an actual dog would do, even though I am certain that "real" dogs don't understand near as much of human language as he did.

I expected a little more development of Bernie in this novel, but he was just the same old Bernie from the last book. He never grew as a character. Bernie's love interest had very little part in this book as far as character development. As a matter of fact, what little part she did have was just irritating because of her actions. If Chet could have witnessed a little more conversation between them at the end, it might have been better.

Writing Style: 4 3/4 Stars

The writing style was just as good as in the first novel. I found myself wondering if hte author himself ever got tired of `writing as a dog', though. I think it must take a unique personality to be able to stay so in character as Chet. The sentence structuring was very good, but almost too complex at times, considering the narrator. The dialogue was very realistic.

I absolutely love this dog and his amazing personality and perspective. It's very funny and still a darn good detective story with a beautifully defective detective with a great heart and priorities. They make a wonderful partnership.

This is my second Chet and Bernie Mystery. I plan to read them all. Chet Does seem to repeat a few phrases over and over, BUT he is a dog and I can live with that. Many levels of humor which is wonderful. I have recommended this series to several family members. My sister in law is planning to get Dog On It tomorrow.

told from the dogs point of view - for someone that considers themselves part of a pack as I do this is fantastic - don't we all want to know what are dogs would say if they could talk - realistic (if they could talk this is for sure what they would say!) - great fun and a good story

The book is written from Chet's (a dog) perspective. It is a cute idea but gets a little annoying after awhile, there is a lot of repetition. I liked the murder mystery part of it but it was easy to guess "who done it". It was an easy read.

The Chet and Bernie Mysteries are great. Word of note.... try to read all of these from the first to last IN ORDER. Many of the themes carry forward from the first book.

If you love dogs and wonder what it is they might be thinking this is the series for you.

Let's all just be happy they can't actually talk. :)

Another cute story about PI team Chet and Bernie chasing down bad guys. Didn't love it as much as the first book, but it was still very enjoyable and I got a kick out of Chet's thoughts - what a character!

This mystery has a good plot and funny writing, written by Chet, the dog partner in the Little Detective Agency. It really does seem like it has been written by a dog. The book is so good that I went on to get and read all of the books in this series, and i enjoyed every one.

Nicely written and refreshing detective mystery. I have read three of the Chet and Bernie series novels - can't seem to put them down. Very different from my normal reading habits. Sherlock Holmes with a tail.

Quite well written, with a delightful detail in the relationship between a dog and his human, "Thereby Hangs a Tail" has a nice story; in my opinion the thrill sometimes tends to sag a bit, and the plot gets quite repetitive. But very, very enjoyable