Mystery Monday: The Chet & Bernie Series

If you're looking for a fun mystery that has a bit of a different twist, Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series may be just what you're looking for.

Chet and Bernie are in charge of the Little Detective Agency. Bernie Little is a private investigator based in Arizona who is not very good with money, tends to drink a little too much, can be a brute when need be, but is ever loyal to his good buddy, Chet. Chet is a dog. He and Bernie are equal partners in the detective agency and what truly sets these mysteries apart is that they are written from CHET'S point of view! Yes, you read that right. The DOG is telling the story.

It took me a chapter or two to get used to Chet's point of view. But after that, I got into it. It was sort of fun to read the story from his vantage point. And it actually added a bit of suspense to the book. At times Chet knew answers to the mystery that Bernie didn't and being a dog, Chet couldn't communicate this information to Bernie. It kept you reading to find out how Bernie was eventually going to figure everything out.

In the first book Dog On It, Chet and Bernie are in search of a missing teenage girl. Chet is dognapped and happens to discover where the girl is being kept. He just has to figure out how to lead Bernie to her.

In the second installment, Thereby Hangs a Tail, Chet and Bernie are charged with guarding a prissy show dog named Princess. But Princess, her owner, and roving reporter Suzie Sanchez go missing. Chet and Bernie are on the case!

I will fully admit I am NOT a dog person at all. I have always been a bit tentative around them. But I have become a fan of these books centering around Chet. And I HIGHLY recommend them to any dog-loving mystery fans out there. I think you will really get a kick out of them. It was amusing to me how well Quinn seemed to capture the personality of a dog and the observations Chet made about humans. I'll be sure to continue reading this series!

Source disclosure: I purchased both of these books.