The Shiba Inu Detective Tracks Down the Stolen Jewels!

by Tomoko Tabe, KeG (Artist)

Hinata is a shy fifth grader who ends up caring for Chris, his grandfather's Shiba Inu. Chris is apparently a highly distinguished former police dog, but he's not the most reliable pooch―he's terrified of bugs! One day while Hinata and Chris are out on a walk, a patrol car siren There's been a jewel heist in the neighborhood! As the police desperately investigate the crime, Hinata and the cowardly great detective Chris just happen to come across a vital clue...

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Light Novel, Manga, Animals

192 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2023

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful surprise. Chris isn't actually the detective in the anthropomorphic sense; he's a well-trained retired police dog two enterprising fifth graders use to help them solve a series of crimes. Which, I admit, still sounds very Scooby-Doo, but this involves some actual danger and consequences, making the book a solid lower middle grade read.

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun! Although most of the actual detective work is done by the kids.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.


I was delighted when I heard that Yen Press children/MG’s imprint would be adding light novels to the mix! So when I saw this one and another one with horror I just had to request it. I am so happy I had the chance to read these two books (my review for Horror Collector was posted a few hours ago) and I hope that many more books will be added to this imprint!

😍 I was at first a bit worried that this one would also contain the POV of the dog, but thankfully not. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it works, but quite often hearing the dog talk/think/etc. just really doesn’t work. So I was happy that in this one we just follow Hinata and see Chris, the dog, through his eyes. And Chris was such a cutie, though he really should get over his fear for bugs. I mean, a butterfly flaps in front of you, a dapper police dog, and your first instinct is to just run away? Not a good move. I loved seeing Chris settle at Hinata’s place, get more comfortable at that place, help out with Hinata and his shy-ness, plus see him have a grand adventure. Because this doggo still is 100% into searching, finding, and help solve mysteries, and that made me smile!
😍 The mystery was a lot of fun to read! I loved how we got hints and bits and pieces here and there and see it all come together. Find out why that person, who was so friendly and kind, went to this angst-ridden person they are now. Find out what is up with the missing bag. But also see how it connects with the stolen jewellery and the break-ins throughout the city.
😍 And while for most it was just calm and chill, it does really get exciting in the last part! The kids are now fully going for it and are dedicated to solving the mystery. And that means hitching a ride in a car, meeting criminals, and some more exciting moments that had me cheering for these kids, Chris, and oh yes, let’s not forget Hinata’s grandpa, dang.
😍 I loved that Hinata’s family had a vet practice and loved seeing what kind of animals visited. Yes, we don’t see a lot of that, but there are glimpses, and one owner in particular plays an important role in the story.
😍 The fabulous manga art throughout the novel. It made me smile and I love the art style! Chris is adorable!
😍 I loved seeing Hinata come out of his shell more and more. See him teach Chris new things + learn how to handle Chris + take care of him. I loved that he has the help of his parents, but also gets tips from his grandfather who is (or was) a dog trainer!
😍 I loved that Chris was a police dog. I mean, he wasn’t one long, but he is definitely a great one, as long as he doesn’t meet any bugs. It is something different from your standard police dogs!
😍 I loved reading the descriptions of the town Hinata and his family lived in. See the neighbours. See the shops. It was fun and I could definitely imagine walking around while reading.

😶 On the one hand I like Mayuka, the best friend of Hinata, but sometimes she was just a bit annoying.

All in all, I cannot wait for the next volume in the series, I want to see what is next for Chris and Hinata!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Yen Press and NetGalley, for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Content warning: 2 young children willingly getting into a stranger’s car after specifically being told not to.

This has such a great bright and cute cover! A cover that will attract animal loving kids. The story has many animals and didn’t disappoint.

Hinata is a shy fifth-grade boy who loves animals. The story starts with him being overly excited about a library book about animals, he’s taking home. I loved that! But when he arrives home a big surprise awaits him! He is getting a dog! A former police dog called Chris.

Hinata’s parents have a vet clinic and his grandfather trains police dogs. Hinata is nervous at first but he soon becomes a great dog owner! Hinata and his fun friend Mayuka walk Chris a lot and it helps Hinata to become less shy and more confident.

Mayuka and Hinata soon discover that Chris still loves using his police dog abilities and they soon end up in a very exciting investigation of their own!

I loved their neighborhood, the nice and helpful people in it, reading about things that happened at the vet clinic and Mayuka, Hinata and Chris working as a team, But what I loved most was seeing how Hinata evolved from an insecure and shy boy to a much more confident and secure child. And he just loves his dog so much and it is a great dog!!

[Lastblossom]

tl;dr
A fun middle grade (or younger?) mystery that will appeal to fans of very cute dogs.

Me in my last review: "I don't really care for light novels."
Me today: "I'm going to read this light novel."
I've already mentioned that light novels don't usually do it for me because I like major plot points to happen sooner, and light novels tend to take a little more time for setup. This is also the case with Canine Detective Chris, but it didn't really bother me this time around. The opening mystery has just enough intrigue and danger to keep the stakes high, and I enjoyed getting to know the cast throughout. Hinata is an incredibly likable protagonist, smart, earnest, and hard-working, with enough childlike wonder to feel like a genuine kid. His friend Mayuka is a ball of energy who propels the story forward where Hinata might be hesitant. Together, they work as a great pair. But of course it's Chris the shiba inu who makes the story sparkle. He's cute, sympathetic, and looks absolutely adorable in every one of the illustrations scattered throughout. Dog fans will be very pleased by this.

Translation is very straightforward with few flourishes, at a reading level somewhere between chapter books and middle grade. Kids who love mysteries, dogs, and adventure will probably find a lot to like.

Thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

For some reason, I oddly thought the cute Shiba Inu on the cover would be a talking dog character in the story. That’s not to say I was disappointed, because I was thoroughly entertained.

Our story revolves primarily around three characters. Hinata, a shy fifth grader; his Shiba Inu, namely Chris an ex-police dog; and Hinata’s friend, Mayuka who is very talkative. The volume begins with a scene of Chris’ past which leads him to his current situation with Hinata. As they become acquainted with each other, they become entangled in a neighborhood robbery sparking Chris’ love for his past job.

Although this book has a lot of good highlights, it’s fair to mention that children shouldn’t imitate this. Do not enter into a stranger’s car no matter the circumstance and if you see something suspicious, then report it immediately. Prioritize care before curiosity.

The mystery element in this book is quite good. It develops gradually over time as new characters and evidence are uncovered. I liked how it all came together at the end and nothing was left out as being a chance encounter. However for veteran mystery readers, it might be quite evident from the beginning.

Hinata and Mayuka are quite the typical character pairing in light novels. The introverted – extroverted pair is quite common where their traits balance each other. It didn’t bother me a whole lot because it made understanding the characters, their decisions and thoughts much easier and simpler.

There is quite a bit of growth in this volume. Hinata and Chris’ relationship grew strong over constant effort and bonding time. I enjoyed reading about the time and care Hinata was giving to Chris as well as how Hinata treated Chris. It was really cute when Hinata would apologize to Chris for even the smallest inconveniences. Hinata also grew as an individual and hopefully we’ll see more of this growth in the next volume.

Throughout the volume there is artwork highlighting various scenes from the story. They range from full page, half page, a third vertical spread and so forth. I liked the variety of sizes and how each image expressed, had a different purpose. Sometimes it was expressing a scene, sometimes an emotion and sometimes subtly helping to introduce a new character.

Overall, this was a fun read. The story focuses primarily on the neighborhood robbery and not the incident of Chris’ past. However it’s vaguely hinted at being related so I’m interested to continue the series.

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris is a retired police dog. He can't work any more after getting stung by a bee and now being very scared of bugs. Hinata's grandfather asks Hinata to become Chris's owner and take care of him. Chris soon warms up to Hinata, and Hinata is getting used to having a dog. When a local jewelry store is broken into and a neighbor guy starts acting strange, Chris starts uncovering clues which lead Hinata and his neighbor into more of an adventure than they bargained for.

Hinata and the neighbor girl are both 5th graders and they read as such for much of the book (well, sometimes the neighbor girl seems younger when she's bouncing around). I found it surprising that Hinata's grandpa (who is a police dog trainer) hasn't tried to train Chris to handle bugs. It would seem like something they would try, but there's no mention of it. There is another reason Chris was retired, but I won't spoil that. The case gets a bit more serious towards the end of the book, and the kids get into a potentially very dangerous situation, but it works out. I had first picked this up thinking it was a manga for middle grades (it was shelved as such in the bookstore) but it isn't. It's a normal novel that reads left to right (Western style) with only occasional illustrations. It was an ok middle grade mystery, but I was a little disappointed it wasn't a manga for middle grades.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: A thief gang leader threatens that someone will "swim with the fishes" and hints others may get hurt, but no one is seriously hurt. It is hinted that Chris' original handler didn't make it through the last assignment, there's mention of a pipe and blood briefly. Chris got stung by a bee.
Ethnic diversity: All the characters are Japanese.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified that I remember.
Other: Kids see a neighbor being kidnapped and stow away in the car getting themselves in a very dangerous situation. The local temple features prominently in the story and the kids talk about praying to god there (I wondered if that was a translation thing since I don't usually hear Japanese people talking about praying to god when they pray at temples).

[June Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hesitated briefly before deciding to ask to review this book. I knew going into it that it was in a style I wasn't particularly familiar with or drawn to but, well, how could I resist that smiling Shiba Inu face grinning out at me on the cover. I'm glad I didn't turn away. While I did stumble over the Japanese names, I enjoyed the story and found the artwork interesting. The fact I could identify with the young, fifth-grade Hinata's shyness and uncertainty made it all the easier. Yep, I was the shy kid. His friend Mayuka is anything but shy, however, and would have left me exhausted. She's wonderfully caring but, oh, my, so very impulsive, not to mention she has this habit of speaking without thinking. That's surely not a good trait for even a kid detective to have.

They do have a secret weapon, however. Hinata is given a retired police dog with the not-even-close-to-Japanese sounding name of Chris. Chris' career as a police dog was cut short, however, due to developing a phobia to insects after a painful sting to his sensitive nose. As a result, he comes to live with Hinata, whose parents run the local vet clinic. There's a side-story to that development but I'll leave it to readers to find on their own. Let's just say, it does tie into the story involving largely Hinata, Mayuka, and Chris.

I won't give away any more of the plot as it's obvious from the title that it's connected to a jewelry robbery. How the hesitant, thoughtful Hinata and Mayuka work together, utilizing Chris's specially trained skills is fun to read. True, they're "kid detectives", but somehow their strengths seem to mesh well, even if I did want to yank Mayuka back somehow through the pages more than once. That said, it made it all the more fun watching the opposites combine forces with Chris' adept skills of tracking and, let's call it, dog sense. Thanks #NetGalley and #YenPress - JY for introducing me to them. Much to my surprise given my reluctance going into the story, I'm looking forward to their next adventure.

[Silverin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute younger middle grade light novel about a shy boy who gets to take care of a retired Shiba Inu police-dog and gradually gains self-confidence. The adorable dog's portrayal seemed quite realistic, there is no dog pov or talking dog, and I had fun reading it even though I'm a cat person. There were a few other pets too as the MC's parents run a vet clinic. The mystery part was okay, it was the the slice-of-life interaction between the characters that was more interesting to me. The children are good but act a bit reckless towards the end so if you give this book to a kid make sure they are wise enough not to emulate or have a discussion afterwards.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is mostly a regular book with the occasional manga page--I thought there would be a little more manga. The character is ten, I believe, but he acts much younger. Honestly I would have guessed he was a 2nd grader. I wanted to see if this would be good to recommend to my ten year old niece whose teacher wants her to read less graphic novels, sigh, but I think there aren't enough pictures for her.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Copy...I didn't expect this to be a light novel but none the less I still enjoyed it and might a good way to get reluctant readers reading prose text, especially if they love mangas. Thought the story to be quite cute and full of intrigue and action like any middle grade novel, so promising start so far.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st read : 6th - 7th September 2026
Rate : 3 out of 5

Middle grade mystery suspense story with Hinata and Christie (shiba inu police dog) as the main characters. Also with Hinata's extrovert friend, Mayuka. This time is about stolen jewelry case. The story was fine and pretty enjoyable, a 3 stars rate!

[Sophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute kids mystery book about a dog who used to be a police dog but something happens and he has to retire. The dog comes to live with a young boy and the two of them become a great team and end up solving a crime. Can't wait to see where this story goes.

[Crimson Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to say thank you to Netgalley For an advanced ARC of this book

This was an adorable read about friendship, animals, crimes and independence

This is a fast comfort read also I have a weakness for anything to do with animals, I look forward to reading book 2

[David Macpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A former police dog helps kids solve a jewelry robbery. It was fine. Maybe it was the translation. I am not sure. I only have three pages of the epilogue to read and I just don't want to. I got it. But it just didn't click for me.

[MyDoRyS · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are cute and interesting, but I HATED the Mayuka character. I despise these imposing, meddling characters. On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!

[Sara SR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute middle grade book, and the little illustrations were nice. Loses a star for being repetitive.