Dog On It – Review
Author: Spencer Quinn
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 305
“I could smell him – or rather the booze on his breath – before he even opened the door, but my sense of smell is pretty good, probably better than yours.”
Chet is the narrator of “Dog On It“, and sidekick to Bernie Little of The Little Detective Agency, somewhere in the southwestern United States. Bernie’s a former West Pointer, former cop, former husband. Chet’s a savvy canine with mismatched ears, a keen sense of smell and is a good judge of humans. Together they tackle the case of Madison, a fifteen-year-old girl who is either on the run or kidnapped, and find, as investigators often do, that all is not as it seems.
Chet narrates in a voice that is both hard-boiled and innocent, capturing a good amount of noir vibe while also nailing the live-in-the-moment essence of active dogs, combining to make light entertainment.
“Bernie turned, went quickly through the house. I stood over Ruben. His eyes fluttered open. I barked in his face. He flinched. You’re not the first, buddy boy.”
Let me say upfront that I am a dog person. Always have been, always will be. My wife and I adopted our dog, Dakota, from the local SPCA shelter.
I say this because a lot of the enjoyment of this story comes from how well the author conveys Chet’s instincts and behaviors, which I can easily recognize in my own dog.
I find the plot to be serviceable, and both the main and secondary characters are sufficiently believable. There may be an incident or two that push at the boundaries of coincidence, but by the time the story gets to them, I am already sold on Chet the Jet and the way he tells the story. He doesn’t understand child custody arrangements or financial crises, and may leave a particularly important conversation by being distracted by food droppings or a nap, but that makes the story more entertaining, not less. And it introduces plenty of other story threads which will no doubt be followed up on in “Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Mystery“, the second in this new series, which is to be released next year.
At one point, Chet says,”Some humans had a soft spot for us and some did not.” If you can count yourself among the former and like your mysteries with a mixture of noir and humour, here’s a good book for you.
© 2009, A Few Minutes With Michael. All rights reserved.
Thanks to Mishel at mis(h)takes
Thanks to Deb at Bookmagic
19 comments
it sounds so cute
I read the cat mysteries as well I’m a cat lover. They’re nice to read especially from the point of view of the animal. It provides some nice comic relief, I think.
Karoline´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday!
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Michael Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I enjoyed it as a light summer read, with my dog sleeping at the end of the bed.
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i liked this new mystery series. book 2 is just about out, i believe. great review
diane´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday – Unread
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Michael Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
The date I have is 1/12/2010 for the second book, from the Atria Books Galley Grab. I’m waiting to see if I’ll be getting an ARC or not, had my request in for it.
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This sounds like something I’d enjoy. I liked the review a lot. I’ll definitely have to check it out =)
Mishel´s last blog ..Day 215 – Excerpt From The Chris Farley Show
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Michael Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Hi Mishel, thanks for coming by and commenting. I’ll be adding you to the blogroll shortly.
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Sounds like a fun read! Excellent review Michael!
Jaime´s last blog ..Thursday Thoughts…
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Michael Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Thanks, Jaime.
Hope all goes well.
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Jaime Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Things are going well Michael! Thanks for asking. We are 6 days away from surgery!
Jaime´s last blog ..Friday Fill- Ins
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I love dogs and books that love them too. I love the glass at the top of your blog
Very cool.
stacy´s last blog ..The 8th Confession, by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
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Michael Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Thanks, Stacy. That’s actually a jade, a gift from my wife. The header images auto-rotate, so it changes between five stored images.
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I’m a dog person too, so I think I’d like this one. You need to read The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Priceless Memories
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Michael Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Thanks, Kathy. I included your recommendation in my Friday Finds this week.
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I have this book on my TBR pile. I think I might have to dig it out and read it soon. Great Review. Is that picture Dakota?
Cindy S.´s last blog ..What’s On Your Desk Wednesday? Meme
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Michael Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Thanks, Cindy. Yes, that’s Dakota – I snapped a quick photo of her a few minutes before I put this review up.
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I’d like to read this book too. I had read and excerpt and knew right away I would enjoy it. Great review. I had learned about this book from the GalleyGrab hosted by Atria books, but I haven’t heard back yet. Hmmm…
Linda´s last blog ..Friday Finds – Category: Young Adult
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Michael Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Thanks, Linda, great to have you stop by.
Is it the second book in the series you requested (Thereby Hangs a Tail), or Dog On It? I’m waiting on the second one – if you are as well, please let me know when/if you get it.
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I read this as my light read during a read-a-thon and enjoyed it. He does understand dog behaviour quite well. After I’d read it someone leaked that Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym for Peter Abrahams, author of The Fan (think de Niro and Snipes movie) and many other mystery/thrillers. I have read Oblivion, which I liked, and End of Story, which I liked even more. I would have read Dog On It even if I’d known who the author really was but they have their reasons-reader expectations in this instance I should think. Thereby Hangs a Tail is to be released on Jan. 5, 2010 so it will be a bit of wait. Thanks for reviewing this book.
Sandra´s last blog ..Cover Attraction – The Jewel Trader of Pegu
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Michael Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Hi Sandra, thanks for mentioning Peter Abrahams. I don’t think I’ve read any of his books yet, but I’ve added his name to my list of authors to try out.
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