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gem114's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Cute mystery from the POV of a dog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Alcohol
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Having the dog Chet as narrator is really clever but it got a bit annoying. Also, it was frustrating to have a limited point of view. It was funny, though, in addition to being clever, and that helped endear me to the two main characters, Chet and his human Bernie.
I’m hypersensitive to animal abuse and there were some pretty unpleasant situations, but they never got too bad. Chet was jerked around on a choke collar but he was able to breathe and it didn’t last too long. People slashed at him with sharp weapons but he emerged with minimal damage. The nicked ear likely gave him a rakish look. The scenes in the dog pound were also upsetting though anything bad happened off-screen, as it were.
I especially liked reading about the desert. It was a big part of the story, almost a character in itself.
Enjoyable, a quick read, but I didn’t love it enough to dive into the next dozen books. Now, maybe if it had featured cats….
I’m hypersensitive to animal abuse and there were some pretty unpleasant situations, but they never got too bad. Chet was jerked around on a choke collar but he was able to breathe and it didn’t last too long. People slashed at him with sharp weapons but he emerged with minimal damage. The nicked ear likely gave him a rakish look. The scenes in the dog pound were also upsetting though anything bad happened off-screen, as it were.
I especially liked reading about the desert. It was a big part of the story, almost a character in itself.
Enjoyable, a quick read, but I didn’t love it enough to dive into the next dozen books. Now, maybe if it had featured cats….
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty
dexkit10's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Blood
rosemaryandrue's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Chet, a police dog school dropout, and his owner Bernie work together to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl when the case is brought to their private detective agency.
I love dogs, and I loved Chet, who is the narrator of this story. There were lots of moments of humor, and I enjoyed the bond between Chet and Bernie. However, I thought the mystery was only moderating compelling, and the way that we got clued in on the solution only about halfway through the book left me somewhat frustrated about the inevitable communication issues between man and dog.
I love dogs, and I loved Chet, who is the narrator of this story. There were lots of moments of humor, and I enjoyed the bond between Chet and Bernie. However, I thought the mystery was only moderating compelling, and the way that we got clued in on the solution only about halfway through the book left me somewhat frustrated about the inevitable communication issues between man and dog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Car accident
jessspeake's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was just what I needed. A light, fun, quick read. The story follows Bernie, a private investigator, and Chet, the lovable, quirky canine narrator of the book. This book is the first in the Chet and Bernie mystery series and follows our lovably flawed main characters as they try to solve the disappearance of a girl named Madison. As the case develops, they realize things may not be as they appear.
I adored having Chet as the narrator. Spencer Quinn wrote him as a funny, endearing pup. All of his dialogue was so convincing. I found myself in awe of his writing, because I really felt like I was listening to a dog's inner thoughts. Chet is easily distracted, and that adds to the comedy of the story. Sometimes I felt there could have been more consistency with the things he understood and didn't understand, but it didn't really bother me while reading it.
If you're looking for a true, spooky, mystery/thriller, this book isn't that. But if you're a dog lover and want a lighthearted, fun read that will put a smile on your face, this book is for you!
I didn't love how the villains in the story were written. I don't want to say too much here, because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it does deserve mentioning.
Overall, I really liked the book, and would be happy to read more books in the series. It wasn't the most life changing piece of literary fiction I've ever read, but I wasn't expecting that going into this book. I wanted a fun, easy, lovable read, and this perfectly encapsulated all of those things.
I adored having Chet as the narrator. Spencer Quinn wrote him as a funny, endearing pup. All of his dialogue was so convincing. I found myself in awe of his writing, because I really felt like I was listening to a dog's inner thoughts. Chet is easily distracted, and that adds to the comedy of the story. Sometimes I felt there could have been more consistency with the things he understood and didn't understand, but it didn't really bother me while reading it.
If you're looking for a true, spooky, mystery/thriller, this book isn't that. But if you're a dog lover and want a lighthearted, fun read that will put a smile on your face, this book is for you!
I didn't love how the villains in the story were written. I don't want to say too much here, because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it does deserve mentioning.
Overall, I really liked the book, and would be happy to read more books in the series. It wasn't the most life changing piece of literary fiction I've ever read, but I wasn't expecting that going into this book. I wanted a fun, easy, lovable read, and this perfectly encapsulated all of those things.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Murder