Tail of Vengeance

Chet and Bernie Mystery #0.3

by Spencer Quinn

Chet and Bernie—everybody’s favorite human-canine detective team—are asked by a beautiful woman to find evidence that would put her cheating boyfriend in the doghouse in this e-original short story from New York Times bestselling author Spencer Quinn.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Animals, Dogs, Humor, Audiobook

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2014

About the author

Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog Audrey, and is hard at work on the next Chet and Bernie adventure.

Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.

Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery

Reviews

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story ends with a bang! It fills in some gaps in the Chet and Bernie saga, but it works as a stand alone. Told from the point of view of Chet, canine extraordinaire, it abounds with humor. You don’t have to be a regular reader to enjoy the humor and excitement, but once you start the series, you will likely want to continue with it. The entertainment value goes up with the audio version superbly performed by narrator Jim Frangione.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Twisty Tail
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook (2014) released simultaneously with the Kindle eBook original (2014)

Tail of Vengeance (2014) is a further prequel short story by Spencer Quinn for his canine & human detective duo of Chet and Bernie. The popular series of Chet and Bernie Mysteries has been ongoing since 2009 and the 13th novel Bark to the Future was released on August 9, 2022.

The story began as detective genre standard but came with a few twists. A suspicious girlfriend asks the Bernie Little Detective Agency to investigate whether her boyfriend is cheating on her. Chet and Bernie quickly establish that the apparent rival is actually the boyfriend's wife. It gets even more complicated after that and Chet and Bernie become witnesses to a dramatic finale.

I read/listened to Tail of Vengeance through a $1 Audible sale from late July 2022.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chet the dog mentioned the Teitlebaum divorce case more than a few times in a number of the books in the series, but we never found out all the details, what really happened, or how he and Bernie were involved, that is until now. I'm happy to finally know the whole story. I enjoy these prequels, or between the books short stories when they actually have something to add, or clear something up that we readers have been wondering about. So this one was a winner for me.

[Tasula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I loved the author's The Right Side so much, I wanted to try another of her books. She writes a long popular series about a detective who works with his dog Chet, and the books are narrated by Chet. Just too cute for me, so I guess I have to wait for another book like the one about the veteran.

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Chet and Bernie, and this short story was no exception!! The narration is also good.

[Sheila Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is installment #0.3 of the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series! I listened to this on audiobook, and I enjoyed the narration / story from Chet's point of view. There were many times I had to reach over and pause the book because I was laughing too hard to hear the story. Overall, this book was funny, well paced, and enjoyable. Well worth the time to read.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn is a short story in the Chet and Bernie Mystery series. Chet and Bernie are hired to follow a suspected cheater. A short fun book in the series where Chet and Bernie showcase their outstanding detective skills.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m loving Chet… I have to keep reading these books. ☺️

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Chet, the dog who often sounds more intelligent than Bernie. A fun listen.

[ElaineY · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good when the story is merely one hour long and when it ended, I wondered what that was about.

[Kathleen Huben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice humorous short story. I love hearing everything from Chet's point of view. I must, however, confess that I don't really recall the references to the Teitlebaum divorce that other readers refer to.

[Charles Isom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Chet and Bernie mysteries. The eShorts, however, are just never enough! There always seems like there is more story there, but they end too quickly. This one, however, had a lot of good emotion and Chet (as always) is the best narrator. My favorite part is his interaction with another dog 'detective' and his reaction to Bernie giving out treats. There wasn't much of a mystery to this one, though it did give a good backstory to anyone who is new to the series.

As always, and excellent read.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the style of Bernie and Cher lends itself very well to short stories. Chet's charming and quirky narration style can get stale and grating after a while, but not in such a short story. Plus, a shorter story means a less complicated case, which Chet's style is ideal for delivering.

[Michelle Gabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read!

Never a dull moment with Chet and Bernie. Lovely surprise end as well, never saw it coming. Laughed out loud!

[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chet's point of view makes this great fun to read ... and you have to wait until the very end to learn the meaning of the title.

[Nyssy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little confusing - I had to read it twice to realize why it ended the way it did.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most engrossing of Chet's tales. It is written early in the process and Chet and Bernie's relationship is still evolving. I always think these shorts were edited out of earlier works. This one was better left out.

Chet and Bernie are hired to find out if a man is cheating. They quickly learn they were hired by the man's lover. They learn this when they show their client photographic evidence of the man's infidelity. She is irate because the woman identified is his wife.

Back to the drawing board another woman is quickly found to be the recipient of the man's attention. Shortly after this the wife shows up and wants to hire Bernie. She has been referred to them by Bernie's ex-wife.

At first, he doesn't feel it would be right to take her money, but he changes his mind and shows her the photographs. Nothing happens immediately but Bernie is invited to a party by the wife. She lets her husband know she has learned of his affairs by destroying his collection of Porsches! Bernie and Chet skedaddle out of there when that is happening - probably because such destruction is sacrilege to them!

[Charles Mayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Chet and Bernie! Read this series, buy this series. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. There are several Chet and Bernie mysteries and all of them are top-shelf. I will tell you that when the books end you will want to start the next one right away. Which is great if you start from the beginning you will have several books to tear through, but once you get to the most recently published you will be begging for the next book to be written and published. So I will let the cat out of the bag here, "whoa - a cat in a bag? I didn't smell any cat"*, Spencer Quinn is a pen name Peter Abrahams writes under. "So rest assured amigo," these are well written and will have you collard to the chetster or chat the jet if you prefer. Be advised if you don't read these books you may end up "wearing orange and breaking rocks in the hot sun."*

*Chet quote(s)

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second very short story from this series that I just recently read. Thankfully, I think I read them in the right order. That first one was listed as book # 0.1 and this book is # 0.3. Regardless, these two stories are the sort of "prequels" that give us a glimpse into exactly how Bernie and Chet got together.

It is truly hard not to completely fall in love with Chet immediately (he's the dog). He has that perfect balance of being cute, a bit of a smart aleck and just being so adorable as he tries to equate the human words he hears to things that he can understand in his dog world. Obviously, he tends to get things completely wrong a lot of the time, but to make it even cuter - he has a tremendous heart.

I have to say, from the little I've read, I would like to come back to this series and find out more about just how much trouble these two can get up to.

Sounds fun, right?

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Chet and Bernie, the dog and human private eye duo, then this short story lets you in on the story of the Titlebaulm divorce, which is mentioned in every novel. Chet narrates these humorous books and never fails to bring the case without details. This short story spells out what happened when our duo is hired to find out if Mr. Titlebaulm is cheating. This is funny and a little gem.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read. I liked getting the story behind all the times the Teitlebaum divorce is mentioned in the series. However, maybe I missed it but I didn't notice Mrs. Teitlebaum serving kosher chicken, something Chet refers to everytime he hears the word "kosher" (as in, "That's not exactly kosher."). Could have been a little longer and more detailed.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Chet the Jet book. It was a good thing Chet was the POV so he could keep things in order for me. Chet and Bernie don't usually take cases that involve following cheating husbands but they did for the money. As Chet likes to point out Bernie is not great when it comes to money. The whole thing with the Hawaiian pants...well, you will just have to read the books to find out about that.

[BethFishReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun short story set before the full Chet and Bernie series begins. It fills in a few details in the duo's timeline.

I have nothing but good to say about Jim Frangione's performance of the audiobook. Love the way he captures Chet's personality without making him sound like a Disney character.

Audiobook in my personal library.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tail of Vengeance is a great little story with great narration. As always, Jim Frangione does a great job as Chet the dog. A surprising ending. Actually, an astounding ending. But almost all Chet and Bernie mysteries are too short, and this one being a short story on purpose, is especially so.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman hires the Little Detective Agency to find out if her boyfriend is cheating on her. This is the back story to the Teitlebaum divorce which is referred to throughout the series. The story is more humor than mystery, but Chet is as always an insightful and hilarious narrator. For fans of the series.

[Severina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun short story, this one giving us the background on the Teitelbaum divorce case that Chet’s mentioned a few times. It’s so fun to get more info on all the little throwaway cases mentioned in previous books. This one made me laugh out loud with the “flying biscuits” scene (oh, Chet) but it seemed like it could have been fleshed out a little more.

[Patricia Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow I haven’t given 2 stars to a Chet and Bernie ever. But this story was quite disappointing. Lots of language, more than usual, lots of adultery, and although I liked the ending (as in, I liked the comeuppance) it was so abrupt it felt odd. Don’t waste your time with this short story. Focus on the main novels. They’re much better.

[Dad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an audio short story and gave me about 40 minutes of pure joy. Chet and Bernie from the LittleDectective Agency take on a case in which a wife thinks her spouse is cheating. Filled with the usual gags, puns and humor between the dog and his PI human, it ends quite surprisingly and unexpectedly. A fun read, particularly given its short length.

[Eric Troup · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this story, I was all set to give it three stars. Having only read the short stories so far, my favorite is still “A Cat Was Involved”. And then I reached the final page. The ending of this story is absolute justice. Given the title, I should’ve seen it coming. But I didn’t. I loved it.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book fills in some of the blanks on the Teitlebaum divorce case and you get to see more of Chet and Bernie interacting with each other. Chet the dog is still the narrator and I just love the dogs view on things. Very Quick smooth read.