K-9 Cop: Case #1 - The Dreck Report

by Erna Mueller

Can a selfish cop enter heaven?
YOU BET!
He just has to become a DOG first!

Genres: Mystery, Family, Animals, Thriller, Young Adult, Dogs, Crime

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2011

About the author

Erna Mueller was born in Austria and her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was a child. She cherished living here but her family returned to Austria where she finished her education. She loved American Literature and always wanted to become a writer. She had to return to the U.S. since she missed the friendly faces and the cultivation of the free spirit which America symbolizes.
When she became a U.S. citizen the writing bug bit her again. Her new book, "K-9 Cop", is adapted from her award winning screenplay. This book has won several awards including first place in the National Good Read Competition sponsored by awomenswrite.com.

Please visit her website at http://www.k9cop-woofwoof.com

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the cover and the storyline, a dead cop has to come back as a dog to redeem himself. I thought this would be a winner. I wasn’t wrong. K-9 is a fun and easy read for young and old alike. Who doesn’t like a feel good story?

Justin is very bright and bored by school. His mother passed away and he misses her so much. His father doesn’t understand him. Even though his sister does, he is often left to his own devices. We can only guess at the quests he will create for himself and the trouble he will get into.

Justin attends St Ignatius High School and fights against the constraints placed on him. I hate the thought that his curiosity and fire for life could be crushed by the strict school rules that get him in trouble for his juvenile pranks.

Meanwhile, in Chinatown, Lieutenant Spencer Whatley and Pepper were taking down a robbery. All clues lead back to an old case, which Spencer is determined to solve for his dad, who was killed while working it. Spencer is focused and driven. He emulated his father and became like a Pit Bull with a bone. It does not go well for Spencer.

K-9 takes a fun and whimsical turn, and a smile began to spread across my face. I thought this was going to be a fun and light read that would have me chuckling as I joined the adventure to capture the Cyber Killers and I was so right.

Spencer is a “Copzilla” to children. He’s flippant, arrogant and saying he’s a jerk is putting it mildly.

I laughed out loud, when Justin and Spencer meet. Well done, Erna! I love it! I love the spunky kid that is Justin. I can picture the scene in my mind…but I’m not telling. You will need to read the K-9 Cop to find out. It is well worth the time.

When Spencer swallows the chip the criminals are looking for, it puts him and Justin in grave danger.

I love that Spencer is turned away from Heaven and must go through the Jerk Redemption Program. See, what goes around does come around. :-)

Show and tell day at school is a real hoot. The kids and their pets make for a hilarious event. Now I know why dogs hate mailmen. LOL

K-9 is sad, tragic, funny, motivating, enlightening, cute, sweet – so many emotions came to the surface as I read along.

I cracked up at the skunk. OMG, what a fantastic touch.

I love happy ever after endings and in a book like K-9 Cop, I feet the ending, or should I say beginning, is everything I could ask for and more.

I read from beginning to end in one sitting. K-9 is a super fun read and a fantastic adventure with heavenly influence.

I can hardly wait for the next adventure with Justin and Pepper, and their new friends, Cody and King.

I received this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Tina Loves To Read]

I won a kindle edition of this book from a goodreads giveaway. I will post a honest review as soon as I read it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When K-9 Lieutenant Spencer Watley is killed in the line of duty, he is surprised to learn he can’t get straight into heaven. He knows he hasn’t been the nicest guy in the world, but come on; he’s spent his life as a cop, putting bad guys behind bars. He soon finds out the he will be going back to earth in body of his K-9 dog, with a mission to help Justin Andrews.

Justin is a young man adrift. Since his mother died, the 14-year-old has had trouble dealing with everyday life. His 16-year-old sister is basically parenting him because his dad has thrown himself into is work and is rarely home. Justin is a brilliant kid, so much so, he has skipped two grades. But this leaves him with few friends and an absent father when he needs support the most. To make matters worse, he is in an accident. Now Justin cannot walk without braces, further ostracizing him from his schoolmates.

When his shaggy guardian angel shows up, Justin can’t believe his dad got him a dog. But soon he realizes that this is no ordinary dog. Justin accidentally happens upon a plot to frame his father for a crime, Spencer will be needed to help put the bad guys away and keep Justin and his family safe.

This fast-paced, action packed novel is great for tweens, YA and adults. It is entertaining and amusing. The clues all lead up to the final scenes where the good guys prevail. Honestly, the entire time I read the last chapters I was picturing this as a movie – think Home Alone where the kid outsmarts the bad guys with hilarious antics – all the while getting the jump on the bad guys and making the readers chuckle and outright laugh.

K-9 Cop is the first in what I can only hope is a long series of adventures featuring Spencer and Justin. I highly recommend this book for kids and grownups alike.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the author. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman

[Desiree reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I go to st Ignatius High school and i hacked the computer and put a goat picture of the principle office and then my dad showed up. I had to go to the computer and then undo what i did and now i went to class and Sister Con middle age history i new the answer and she would not let me answer the answer and she said my mom was a evil child

Now Spence was up the tree watching through the binoculars and just was in tree because of the death of his mom he came to the tree to sit Now Justin won first place in the competitions but i am not talking to him Something went wrong and all hell broke lose.

Well i am dead and i have to watch the boy you see i am in a body of a dog i went to my own funeral and now me and the kid are going to try to find out who killed me.I have the kid going to help me i am talking to the human an am r3esponable for Justin accident You see i was on baseball team and can make home run.

You see i am disabled and i am in wheel chair and i going to find out what happen why it i did this to the kid



The book was free and then i read it in one day thank you

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome break from all the super drama reads. I loved how light hearted and fun this book was! It had some fun action adventure thrown in to keep things interested. I found myself giggling at the imagery many times throughout the story. Just a fun story with some feel-good moments. Definite mood lifter :D

[Namrata]

*sees dog on cover*


* IMMEDIATELY ENTERS GIVEAWAY*


NO REGRETS ON THAT COVER

[laura8759 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Erna Muller for the pdf download of K-9 cop case #1 The Dreck Report About the book …..

Even after a lifetime of putting dangerous criminals behind bars, heartless cop Spencer needs to redeem himself before he may enter heaven. Only the J.R.P. (Jerk Redemption Program) can help him now. He’s sent back to earth in the body of his K-9 partner to help a troubled teenager and his dysfunctional family. Spencer also swallowed an important microchip his killers need to execute their evil plan. Can Spencer maul the shins (and other choice areas) of the criminals and stop them? Find out in this hilarious thriller.

I really enjoyed this book at first when I read the info for it , for some reason I thought of it’s a wonderful life I know there not the same thing but maybe similar also when I was younger I saw a commercial for a movie called the shaggy dog this story kind of reminds me of that commercial since I never saw the movie I loved the bond between Vicky and Justin and how there dad is a hard working single parent just trying to make a living spencer as a coffee loving dog is so funny also his killers will do anything to get the micro chip his K-9 partner swallowed will he take down his killers before there evil plan takes effect even after a lifetime of putting dangerous criminals behide bars will spencer save the day so he can make it to the gates of heaven a great whodunit a lot of thrills , twist , suspense and turns the writing was amazing a good read I hope there is a second one I love a good dog story and one with police my type of story I would recommend this book to my friends and family LAURA8759.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book in the K-9 Cop Series by Erna Mueller was simply a fun and entertaining story about a good cop with zero empathy and understanding attempting to stop a criminal group. Spencer ends up having to be reincarnated as a dog in order to learn and understand emotions and heartfelt feelings before he will be allowed into heaven. This results in a simply delightful storyline with the dog speaking in human terms to the reader while performing human/dog combined physical acts. Even though the entire book is about stopping the criminals, who are treated like the Three Stooges, it is light, fun, entertaining, yet still delivers a truly emotional story as well. This is a very late voluntary review of this book from Fast and Free Reviews.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

When a jerk of a policeman dies in the line of duty, his soul is transferred into the body of his K-9 partner. To get to heaven he has to perform a mission. He thinks the mission is to get the criminals he was after, but that isn't it.

Pretty amusing.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Case Number 1: The Dreck Report is a cute story about a police officer who is a “jerk” although a good police officer who dies while catching more bad guys.  He is whisked to the gates of heaven where he is told he has no heart and can either enter the Jerk Redemption Program or return as his dog Pepper to help a family that is struggling to love and understand one another.  Spencer, our jerky police officer, decides to return to earth as a dog but his primary concern is different from his mission which is to catch his killers.  A surprise twist shows Spencer he truly is on his own to solve the crime, which centers around a toy company, and needs to bond with his family to do it as readers make their way through this mystery story.  This book is the first in a series called K9 Cop.

Overall, the story was well written and the characters were delightful!  All the characters seemed to be very well developed and I felt like I really knew them.  The story was multifaceted and interesting.  There were several twists that I did not see coming that really added depth to the storyline.  The subplots were amazing; I enjoyed reading about the baseball games with Spencer and Justin and the pet day at the school was hysterical.  One of my favorite characters was Vicky, the older sister of one of the main characters Justin.  Her motherly attitude with kickboxing skills and pink hair yet ever so responsible made a perfect contrast for her making her fun and relatable.  She saved the day numerous times and I loved seeing her in action in my mind. 

The plot involves another dog that has a reincarnated spirit of a person trying to earn a heart and get into heaven who eventually comes to help our main character dog, Spencer.  The other character’s from this dog’s story, the dog’s name is King, are comical and endearing however the author doesn’t write much about them after their initial chapter which seems like such a missed opportunity and also wasted writing.  While admittedly the characters are secondary characters in this story the author makes the reader feel vested in them enough that I kept wondering where the development that was set up in their chapter was going to take the story and it turned out not really anywhere.  If the author was planning on using them so limitedly the chapters developing them need not have been included.  I wanted to see more happen for Cody after getting to know him.  Instead we were left with a tiny blurp at the end of the book to wrap up Cody’s story.  Meanwhile King’s story was never really wrapped up…he accomplished his mission but was still in his dog body.  

There were several mix ups in the book I struggled to understand what was going on at times and other things that just didn’t make sense for me.  Some of the mix ups include positions of two of the bad guys T-Bone and Rex switching places and characteristics of some characters changing like from blonde hair to brown hair.  It threw me to the point I caught myself rereading passages to make sure I knew what was happening at times.  It wasn’t distracting to the book as a whole but I hope the author pays more attention to his details in future cases.  

I imagine as successful as Spencer and Justin were in this first case that the author will have many more to write.  Now that Spencer has a heart and isn’t so much of a jerk and has some help navigating the world from someone with imposable thumbs that has a heart for adventure and just as smart as Spencer himself the duo should be able to rack up many more victorious cases.  I hope she will include more of King and Cody in his escapades as well.

[Shannon Hinman · Rating 4 out of 5]

K-9 Cop Case #1 The Dreck Report is mainly about a K-9 police officer who gets a second chance at life, literally. It has a few other story lines as well.
K-9 police officer Spencer Watley was such a jerk during his life that after dying while on a case he gets sent towards Heaven. There he meets an angel assigned to judge him and determined where he goes. A few minutes later his dog, Pepper's, soul comes up while his body's on a vet's table. The angel desides to send Spencer into his dog's body to prove that he is worthy of going into Heaven. His assignment: Mend a broken family. He doesn't think it'll hurt to find his killers while he's on Earth either; especially since his dog swallowed a micro-chip that they needed.
The Andrews family is story number two. Justin Andrews feels alone and distant from his father, Eugene, since his mother died. His sister, Vicky, does her best to keep the family together and takes care of Justin and her father. On the way home one night Eugene decides to take home a robot dog for Justin's birthday. While Spencer runs away from the bad guys he jumps in the back of Eugene's truck, with help from the angel (she popped by to help him out), and knocks the robot dog out of the box it was in and trades places. Unaware of the switch and in a rush, Eugene hands Vickey the box to give to Justin and heads to the airport for a week-long bussiness trip. The kids don't know what to think about the dog, but decide to take care of him.
The third story is about another boy named Cody and his dog King. Cody has a studder and is often picked on because of it. When his mom found King, Cody and King instantly bonded. King helped Cody be more confident and studder less. His classmates and neighbors treated him better.
I won't go into too much detail, but all the stories eventually connect, like the kid's book Holes. Multiple stories are told and come together so the ending makes more sense. Eugene was working for the woman who hired the men who killed Spencer to kidnap the dog and extract the micro-chip he swallowed. You'd have to read the book to find more connections like that.
I found the book humorous, fun, adventurous, and heart-felt. There were three movies I thought of right away while reading it. R.I.P.D. with Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds, All Dogs Go to Heaven 1 and 2, See Spot Run with David Arquette, and The Shaggy Dog. I could see this turned into a movie. I loved how they put so much humor in at the right moments. There was also seriousness as well. He learns about being a dog, I really enjoyed the moments when the dog earges came over him; sticking his head out the window, chasing a ball, and wanting to attack the mailman to name a few. He also learned a lesson about being kind to others and the rewards it brings. There were so many parts I couldn't stop laughing and so many parts I wanted to keep reading, but had to force myself to stop. when the kids got involved in solving the cyber crime case it felt like reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I'd love to say more but I'm afraid of gining too much away. It is one I really enjoyed reading and would recommend to anyone who enjoys action/comedy stories, or police dog stories, or both.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

K-9 Cop by Erna Mueller is Case #1 - The Dreck Report. This book introduces readers to a cop by the name of Spencer Watley. Let me tell you...this guy is a PILL! His arrogance knows no bounds and it seems the only person who can truly tolerate him is his canine partner, Pepper. Spencer is hot on the case concerning some thieves and their next crime that they are planning. Spencer knows he has a ticking clock to find and stop the culprits but what he doesn't know is that HIS time is about to be all up. A tragic accident lands him in Heaven, but a cheeky angel isn't going to let him just slide on in. His bad behavior and rude personality label him as a "problem" and he's got some redeeming to do if he wants to get in.
This book has some fun aspects to it, but I honestly could not stand Spencer more than half the time. I honestly began to wonder...can he even be redeemed?! He was shockingly rude to young Justin. I felt so bad for Justin and his sister Vicky as they had to struggle with an absentee dad, but I have to say that I loved their relationship. Despite the fact that Vicky is the older sister she never treats her brother like he's a bother and that she wants him gone. She steps up and does as much for him as she can. I really like how she takes care of him and really tries to get the dad to be more engaged with his son/her brother.
As I found Spencer truly annoying I kept waiting on someone to put him in his place. Haha! No chance of that. I will say that I was disappointed that Vicky is the one who has to bottle her feelings away concerning her pain behind her mother. I wanted her to have someone to talk to at some point, but that never happens. Regrettably, I feel that the author focuses too much on how "human-like" Spencer remains as a dog. I felt like Spencer should have at least tried to be more "dog-like" to blend in instead of standing out. There are discrepancies in this story as well. How does Justin go from the back seat in the car to the front seat of the car in the accident? Also, the author switches back and forth between calling a character "Richie" and "Ritchie." It's the same character so I wanted the author to choose one way of spelling his name. Also, she uses his name when she means another boy when two are exchanging smiles because in the next sentence "Richie" hardens his face, because he's unhappy.
This book has a lot of potentials, but it needs a bit of work to truly bring it together. I want the author to flesh out certain parts of the story, because there are shifts in the story unexpectedly when there could have been more to make the shift more organic and less noticeable. I am rating this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Spencer does become redeemable, and I like the surprises, but I needed less of his attitude because he was hard to bear. LOL! I would recommend that this author have an editor go back over this book to catch some of the errors and mistakes that have managed to slip through, and that alone will help improve this book.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the good...

The story is entertaining and well-developed, with decent characters in a good age range for a young adult title. There's enough going on to keep it interesting. Not much of a mystery, but the information is doled out at a good pace, and at the end, instead of wondering whodunit, you're looking forward to seeing how it all gets resolved.

Oh, and the final resolution for Spencer himself..? Saw it coming, but loved it anyway.

Now, the not-so-good...

An editor would be very helpful here. In one place the author makes it clear that the human protagonist is 14, but a few pages later they're discussing college entrance exams. No, just no. Also, as a swim official I can tell you that is *not* how a swim meet is run and *not* how competitors are chosen for national meets. I won't get into details, but it's clear the author isn't a swimmer. In fact, I'm not sure why that's in the book at all - it adds nothing to the story. If it was meant as character development, it failed. It didn't tell us anything we hadn't already picked up from the rest of the book. It felt very much like filler, probably because the screenplay it was based on didn't have enough detail for a book.

In the end, I would recommend this for middle grades if some of the content was cleaned up (nothing major), but it's not likely to hold the attention of upper grades.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spencer and his K-9 partner, Pepper, are after a gang known as The Cyberkillers. They make a big breakthrough on the case but, the bad guys find out. Spencer is killed and as he goes to Heaven's gate, he is met by an angel who says because of his attitude here on Earth, he must spend 100 years watching Oprah and Dr. Phil in the Jerk Redemption Program OR he can return to Earth as a dog (Pepper, who will stay in Heaven) and redeem himself so he can enter Heaven. He chooses to go back.
Spencer finds his mission with young Justin who is paralyzed, catching the criminals who killed him and forgiving his father who, BTW has returned as a dog with a mission of his own.
The action is fast. The laughs are right out loud. The plot twists are a joy to follow.
This is a a YA novel that this old lady truly enjoyed reading.
Thank you Good Reads for the Giveaway.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually won this Amazon-Kindle book from goodreads Giveaways. I really didn't read the preview so I thought when I began reading it was going to be a silly book. It is not a silly book. It is a very enjoyable reading book with a lot of twists and turns just like a real mystery only with cute teens and I love that I can read what the dogs are thinking and saying to each other and the adults. It is a very imaginable reading mystery and so cute in many areas. A lot of "lessons" can be learned about parenting.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Howl"-larious!!!
While this will not win any literary awards, it is definitely entertaining!!
If you like slap-stick humor, you will like this book.
To me, it's like "101 Dalmations" + "3 Stooges" rolled into 1.
I barked-out-loud with laughter!!
I love it when Karma bites the bad guys in the butt---literally in this case.
Well written, with lots of twists, and serious subject even with all the humor.
Great characters, and a well-developed plot, and Seattle-area made a great location.
I really enjoyed reading this!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun and imaginative story! At first I thought this was a book aimed at kids but the more I read the more I thought that it was a good story for adults too. It had lots of humor but it had touching and emotional moments as well. I really enjoyed seeing things from a dog’s perspective and liked to watch the different depths of human character emerge. An easy read that will have you chuckling and also warm your heart a bit.
I won a copy of this book in a Godreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! The cover and chapter illustrations made me smile.

I disliked Lieutenant Spencer Watley so intensely that I almost put the book aside. Thankfully, he redeemed himself by the end of the story.

There were many twists and turns in the novel but my favorites were the revelations about King and the Angel. I never suspected.

The book is very current with the good guys and dogs chasing down the evil cyber-criminals.

I love books with happy endings

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to state that I have received this book through goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. When I received this book I began reading it at once. This book was a very interesting read. It pulls you in and keeps you wanting more. I would recommend this book to others. It is a very good read

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for young people. I enjoyed reading something that was light hearted. It was a great book to read for a change. This book proved to be original. It has many funny moments as well as action and drama. I plan on giving it to my grandsons to read as well. Looking forward to book number 2!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a change in pace in your summer reads? Maybe K-9 Cop is the book for you. Fun, entertaining and just a tad bit different this story will put a smile in your face.

My thanks to goodreads and the book's giveaway sponsors for the opportunity to obtain and read a copy of this book.

[Barb Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doggo on cover! A cop a bad cop gets a second chance at life by becoming a dog first. Does he really want to see those pearly gates? I want more cases to read about. Passing on to a family that has 4 kiddos.

[Melinda M · Rating 5 out of 5]

K-9 Cop: Case #1 - The Dreck Report by Erna Mueller is a story of a dead cop that comes back as a dog to redeem himself. It tells the story thru the eyes of the K-9. It is interesting. It will be enjoyed by young and old. It is an easy read.
I recieved a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.

[GG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
How many times do we wish someone could come back and see how they are really acted? A fun glimpse into that possibility.

[Donna Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ray of hope in this silly and goofy adventure.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story for adults and younger. Lots of action and adventure, liked the story line.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for dog books. So glad I won this from goodreads. It was such a cute book. It made me laugh out loud, gasp, etc. one time I even exclaimed NOOO. Really enjoyed it

[Lynn Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, lighthearted detective story with a prickly old K9 detective. This is for the YA but I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next book.

[Carolyn Klear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well written and enjoyable story. Good plot and character development. For anyone who likes to read .

[Mike Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light, funny, easy read and I enjoyed every minute of it! I highly recommend this book for all ages especially senior and young adults.