THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH - Spencer Quinn

Continuing in my quest to post all the Shelf Awareness reviews, today's review appears with their permission.

First line: "Was I proud of Bernie or what?"


The fourth installment of Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie series finds the dynamic PI duo tracking a missing boy. Devin vanishes one night while out camping in the high country with his leader and four other boys. The leader theorizes that Devin wandered off in the night to go to the bathroom and simply got lost. His mother thinks her ex-husband snatched the boy. And all the theories go down the drain when expert tracker, Chet, uncovers startling new clues and Bernie ends up in jail on suspicion of murder. And life with Chet and Bernie can never be simple as a stray puppy proves in The Dog Who Knew Too Much.

The relationship between Chet and Bernie has been compared to Scooby Doo and Shaggy or Wallace and Gromit, but those comparisons miss the depth of connection Quinn builds between his protagonist duo. The relationship is undoubtedly humorous but it’s also respectful, insightful and passionate. Chet and Bernie are a pack unto themselves and they know their roles, so when other factors influence that pack dynamic, such as a stray puppy, the character interactions are as suspenseful as the plot events.

Quinn balances humor well with his content. Murder and a missing child are dark, solemn topics; Quinn manages to convey that seriousness while still entertaining his readers.

With Chet narrating, readers are reminded of many things we humans take for granted. And we even get a look at ourselves that we may not have ever thought about before.

Give Quinn a treat. He’s earned it with The Dog Who Knew Too Much.

The Dog Who Knew Too Much is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-1439157091) from Atria and on audio, narrated by Jim Frangione, from Recorded Books (B005LEV0P4).