Dog on It

A Chet and Bernie Mystery

By: Spencer Quinn

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.

In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case -- something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about -- and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.

Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure.

With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding -- like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns -- is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.

©2009 Spencer Quinn (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Dog on It has got more going for it than 50 of those cat cozies ... My sincere advice to you is to rush to your nearest bookstore and put your paws on this enchanting, one-of-a-kind novel." (Stephen King)

Loved it!!!

If you're a Dog lover and you like Detective stories, you will love this book. The story is told with the Dog as Narrator, and he does a wonderful job. The Author has mixed humor with action, and it works. Very entertaining.

What a dog is thinking...

The whole story is from the perspective of the dog, Chet. And he is the story teller. If you have owned or been around dogs this will help you understand them. This is
a detective story with Chet's owner as the detective. Would say the story was for all ages except for a line about Chet's olfactory skills and some four letter words beginning with f. Some parts a little drawn out as Chet limited in communication.
Definitely, a different sort of book.

3 Cheers For Chet the Dog!

In turns funny, clever, and even at times sad, Dog On It is a wonderful debut of a new mystery series, narrated by Chet, a exuberant and lovable mutt who accompanies Bernie, his master, who is a private detective, on a case involving a missing teenage girl. Fun and highly recommended!

Dog On It

I chose this read because I was looking for a lighthearted adventure. The story was marred for me because of the increasing use of profanity. For that reason I would not recommend it for children. Other than that the story-line was good. One of the newest books by this author, "Woof", is very good.

Endearing perspective on life

Would you listen to Dog on It again? Why?

Yes. The story is interesting, but not altogether new. As detective stories go (and I listen to a lot of them), it perhaps is average. But its uniqueness and charm come from the observations of ordinary human events from the eyes of an acknowledged non-human who is trying to understand the sometimes confusing things humans do. Unlike other detective stories which provide a lengthy narrative, here Chet usually tracks the ongoing events, but also lets his mind wonder to past events (the first time he encountered snow) or is sidetracked (the Cheeto dropped under the table that he has to scarf up). It's almost like the author spent time inside the mind of a dog.

What did you like best about this story?

No question - Chet! He knows he is a dog and loves that fact. He knows his role, and loves it. He is a partner ("Bernie gave them our card"). He understands much, but wishes he could understand more. But this story is made by the random musings sprinkled throughout it (like his perplexity over humans crying) and his stream of consciousness detours from the case (seeing a burger on a plate that someone probably forgot and knowing he had to have it).

Which character – as performed by Jim Frangione – was your favorite?

Again, Chet. He gives a snappy, impulsive quickness to Chet's thinking and actions that capture the actions we typically see in an active dog.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The only reason I couldn't give this book fives across the board is that there are long pauses (needlessly too long) between the chapters and at other places. More than once, I thought my CD had quit. But this is an editing problem; not a story problem. Unfortunately it detracted from the flow.

Dull

Don't get me wrong. I love dogs. Hence, I downloaded this book. I did not love it though for a myriad of reasons: 1) The dog was a growler/biter. It's hard to like the bad guy in a movie or a novel, and although the dog is not a "bad guy" he is less than likable. 2) I found the narrator to be dull. 3) The story dragggged for a very long time. 4) There were too many unbelievable events that took place in the book (if you read it, you will see what I mean.) and 5) many of the characters were unbelievable.

Overall, I would not recommend listening to this novel. You are better with one by David Rosenfelt who also writes doggie genre mysteries.

Dogs point of view for Detective "Tale"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not really. It was ok but not as good as it could be... The dog seemed smarter than the detective despite his memory limitations. The dog saved the detective's life multiple times. When the dog was dognapped, the detective put up posters - some detective(!) and the dog had to rescue himself; it wasn't till days later a neighbor told him he thought he saw the dog abducted. If my dog disappeared I'd be interviewing every neighbor, and I'm no detective.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

1) Stop mentioning the yucky stuff the dog eats - old yucky stuff. 2) Shorten it - maybe have Bernie actually try to do something like FIND HIM when Chet disappears 3) Have the detective SHARE his info with his cop friend instead of keeping all the linked pieces to himself so, when his whiteboard is stolen & he's kidnapped, nobody else knows the linked pieces. 4) Bernie can take on a whole bar of bikers but is kidnapped by a couple Russians - wonder how they overcame him - that wasn't shown.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was ok. I didn't dislike anything.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not. Never a Scooby-Doo fan.

Any additional comments?

I think I've covered the detective Bernie's shortcomings sufficiently. The dog is great - smart, resourceful, brave, loyal--the real hero.

You gotta love Chet

This is not the best mystery I ever read, but I loved Chet so much it didn't make any difference. Chet is a dog. He and Barney (his person) work for the Little Detective Agency. Chet is good at finding clues, but lacks a little when it comes time to tell others he has found them. He and Barney are trying to find a missing girl. Chet is dognapped, but heroically escapes. I love the part when Chet joins the bikers.
This book is humorous, cute and just plain fun. I can't wait to enjoy the next book and I look forward to many more Chet and Barney books

Chet is great!

I enjoyed this book. It's told from the dog's perspective, so don't go into this thinking it'll be fast paced and all about the mystery. Dogs get distracted sometimes.

I thought the narrator did a great job of being Chet's voice.

Looking forward to more adventures with Chet and Bernie.

Fun story

Narrator was great. Author really knows dogs. It was a fun story from start to finish.