Sherlock Bones, Tracer of Missing Pets

by John Keane

Probably the only full-time pet detective in America, Keane explains his ten-step method for recovering a missing or stolen pet and recounts humorous, frequently touching stories about some unusual animals

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1979

About the author

John Keane is the professor of politics at the University of Sydney and the author of The Life and Death of Democracy.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up on the "free" shelf at Ed McKay about a hundred years ago (maybe less). When I first saw it, I thought, "Hey, that'll be a quick, fun read. I wonder if the dog is the detective..." So there it sat on my shelf year after year, waiting for me to be in the mood to read a story about a crime-fighting sheepdog.

The day finally came and I geared myself up for some silly stories with a jovial tone. And about a half-chapter in, I regretted my choice of novels. Good grief, the writer was taking himself wayyyyy too seriously. There was no silliness in this book! No witty quips. He even used his own name as the narrator's name. And there was no talking dog or even a lassie type, just a boring ol pooch of the average variety.

Meh.

So I put the book down.
But I picked it up again, bored, mechanically, less than half-heartedly. Not bearing to read another chapter, I decided to read the covers. Both of them. Every word. And when I did this, I discovered the key to what I'd been missing--these are the TRUE adventures of Sherlock Bones! Well no wonder he was taking himself so seriously and no wonder he named the main character after himself. My interest was renewed, my fire sparked, and the animal-lover in me began to feel the buzz of a triumphant spirit. Sherlock Bones is comprised of a dozen or so tales of reunification between man and his best friend. And it'll make ya cry, baby. If you're a sentimental wuss like me.


Oh, PS--my book cover looks like this:


Also, how do you like my early morning hair style? Nice, huh?

[Norma Nill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest, most poignant, and insightful books I've ever read. I read this to my kids (with minor editing) a long time ago. You don't have to love animals to get caught up in the quest to find a lost pet. Wish this author were more prolific!

[Cws]

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