To Fetch a Thief

Chet and Bernie Mystery #3

by Spencer Quinn

In the third installment in the brilliant New York Times bestselling series featuring a lovable and wise dog narrator, Chet and Bernie go under the big top to solve the most unlikely missing persons (and animals!) case ever.Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. Bernie scores tickets to this less-than-greatest show-on-earth because his son Charlie is crazy about elephants. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm of this particular one-ring circus, has gone missing—along with her trainer, Uri DeLeath. Stranger still, no one saw them leave. How does an elephant vanish without a trace? At first there’s nothing Bernie and Chet can do—it’s a police matter and they have no standing in the case. But then they’re hired by Popo the Clown, who has his own reasons for wanting to find out what has become of the mysteriously missing duo. After Chet takes a few sniffs in Peanut’s trailer and picks up her one-of-a-kind scent, he and Bernie are in hot pursuit, heading far away from the bright lights of the traveling show and into the dark desert night. Some very dangerous people would prefer that Chet and Bernie disappear for good and will go to any lengths to make that happen. Across the border in Mexico and separated from Bernie, Chet must use all his natural strength and doggy smarts to try to save himself—not to mention Bernie and a decidedly uncooperative Peanut, too. To Fetch a Thief shows why readers everywhere have fallen head-over-paws in love with the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Top-notch suspense, humor, and insight into the ways our canine companions think and behave make this the most entertaining and irresistible book in the series yet.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Dogs, Animals, Humor, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

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

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lions and tigers and. . .a missing elephant named Peanut. Oh my! Chet is once again a key player in solving a case for the Little Detective Agency. Just so you know, there is also a clown(not scary)named Popo in the story. Have loved Chet from the get go. Bernie is growing on me. On to #4.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernie often walks up to a potential witness and says something like, “We'd like to ask you a few questions about such-and-such”. The first reaction of the witness is usually, “We?”, with a quick glance at the dog standing next to Bernie. And then Bernie formally introduces Chet. A smile comes to face each time this happens. Bernie doesn't think twice about the “we” in his question, never embarrassed. Now Chet just might be slightly offended, if not acknowledged in one form or another. Like, “What a sweet dog!”. That's pretty nice. A pat on the head is good too – cause it says this person is okay with my kind, that nation within a nation, Bernie has mentioned from time to time. But a biscuit? That says a whole lot more. Hell yes to biscuits (speaking dog language here).

The point is Chet's a dog, loyal to the center of that canine heart, who happens to think a lot like a person at times – smarter than your average crook out there. Not that he'd ever forget who he is, and that's what I like about this series. It's a mix of both worlds, all seen through the eyes of a dog.

This latest case, #3 in the series for those who like to count, puts the “We” on the trail of a missing circus elephant. How does an elephant go missing? Well, it just might take a few complicit folk to pull it off, but the fun of the mystery is in the figuring. To Fetch a Thief starts at a so-so pace. Some of the mannerisms felt repetitive, but as I had hoped, it came through with a strong finish.

[H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

My beloved smiled and laughed through this Chet and Bernie so I thought that I would give it a chance. Bernie is the head of the Little Detective Agency. He is its sole employee, unless you count Chet, who almost graduated from K-9 training. This story is told by Chet and the canine perspective is at the core of what makes this series a delight.

Bernie, an ex-cop, is on a tight budget which doesn't leave much for maintenance of his marginal car or activities with his son when his custody days roll around. Early in To Fetch a Thief, Bernie and Chet are taking Bernie’s son to the circus. When they get there, the show is in an uproar. The most popular act, Peanut the Elephant, is gone and so is her trainer. With a clever and complicated mystery, the story eventually leaves SoCal for Mexico in search of clues. Bernie tries to juggle his domestic life, clients, the animal rights activists and his own sense of growing outrage as the plot moves ahead.

Once you accept that, no matter what the peril, Bernie and Chet will triumph eventually, it may take the edge off some tense situations. But I found the whole thing very entertaining and a delightful break from some heavy reading.

Here’s a sample that should let you figure out whether a dog’s point of view will work for you: "A burial was happening inside—we could see people in dark clothes standing around—and Bernie tries to stay away from burials, not always easy in our job. About cemeteries, all I know is that they probably smell different to me than they do to you. A big black bird flew in slow circles high above but no one was watching it, except me. I admit I’ve got a thing about birds, bad-tempered critters, and I don’t just mean the one that followed me and a tiny show dog named Princess across the desert, something wicked on its mind. But that’s another story. The point is, would I be bad-tempered if I could drift around in the bright blue sky all day? I ask you."

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the Chet and Bernie mysteries. Chet is hilarious! I can see my dogs doing the same stuff Chet does and hearing what (possibly) goes through their minds is really entertaining.

In this installation, Chet and Bernie are asked to find a missing animal trainer and his ELEPHANT! How do you lose an elephant? Anywho... The case leads them to Mexico and the world of smuggling. Bernie takes another beating in this one and Chet once again saves the day.

[Glenn Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect for quick summer reading, the Chet and Bernie books never leave the bowl empty. They are kibble full of fun, entertaining detective work. They also are quick to note a bit about the human experience, seen through the eyes of a dog.

This time around, To fetch a thief , the disappearance of a circus elephant leads to a string of other disappearances and wrongdoing. Spencer Quinn weaves a complex crime into a simple solution. But we read this for Chet more than the actual mystery.

A brief thought. I read the first 3 "Chet and Bernie" mysteries back to back. Each one is enjoyable on its own, but as a trilogy they are repetitive. if each episode is read a year apart from the other, it will be a nice reunion, otherwise, its a one trick dog show. give yourself a break between reads...

now roll over.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an elephant and her handler go missing from a circus, it is cancelled to the disappointment of PI Bernie and his son, Charlie. However, since Bernie shows up before he knows about the cancellation, he chats with the police detective who is there to find out more. Later on, Bernie (and his dog Chet, whose POV the book is from) are hired by the handler’s partner (and the circus’s clown) to find out what happened, since the police are treating this as the handler simply having taken the elephant to get away from the circus.

I really liked this one. As always, it’s fun (and sometimes humourous) to read from Chet’s perspective. This one was extra interesting to me with the animal welfare/cruelty angle of circuses.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Quick and Dirty:

Bernie Little, private detective, and his dog Chet are back and solving more mysteries in the American Southwest. The 3rd entry in this series finds the team investigating the disappearance of a circus elephant and her trainer on a twisty trail that leads them down Mexico way. Engaging, easy read with some genuinely poignant moments along the way. I heart these books so much!


The Wordy Version:

Seriously, I do heart these books so much. They are narrated by the black-and-white mutt (I may be biased there, if you’ve met my own dog) Chet, which is both hilarious and an awesome take on the way the canine mind may work. It’s like Hank the Cowdog for grownups! Chet is a great character—he is easily distracted by food, can’t count beyond 2, and often loses his train of thought right before an epiphany, but he is smart, determined, and more loyal than any human could ever ask for. And an amusing narrator to boot! The books are just so well-written. The style is deceptively simple, but with an understated depth that I haven’t often come across in my years of mystery reading. Chet may not always understand the intricacies of the human interactions going on around him, but his observation and reporting of them make it crystal clear to the reader what is really going on with all the human players in the story. Very clean and smart writing.

I love Bernie. We only get bits and pieces of his background (Gulf War vet, divorced with a young son), but he is clearly a great guy. He’s kind of shuffling-shambling disguising his intellect à la Columbo, and he’s got such a good heart. And he really, really loves Chet. Being a dog-lover myself, I can really connect with that aspect of the book. His interactions and relationship with his dog are touching, and his respect for animals in general makes the reader in turn respect his character (unless the reader has no heart, in which case, the reader should maybe not be reading this book). Bernie and Chet are truly a team, and both parties make equal contributions the resolution of their investigations.

I don’t want to get too much into the plot here—the basic shape of it is pretty much covered in the Quick and Dirty. While it’s not a whoa, big twist! kind of mystery, a lot of the fun is still in watching it unfold. As usual in the Chet and Bernie books, the side characters have a depth that we can pick up on without the author having to spend a lot of time spelling it out for us. There is a side plot involving Bernie’s ex-wife and her boyfriend, which manages to add a sort of sense of closure, rather than distract from the main plot. If I had any complaint about the story, it’s that it was a little light on love interest Suzie Sanchez this time around. But when the story draws to a close, the little bit of her we got throughout the book ends up being the perfect amount. SO WELL-WRITTEN!!!

Solid writing, engaging story, main characters that are easy to love. If you like animals, dogs, mysteries, any combination of these things, or none of these things at all, then you should probably check out this series, stat.

[Roberta (Always Behind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent days I have had to cut back on reviewing due to increasing “day job” demands. I still get some review books in the mail. I opened a package before going on my long anticipated vacation and was excited to see it was the latest Chet & Bernie mystery. I discovered this delightful series through an online book club and was hooked from the first page of DOG ON IT. I don’t own a dog, but fell in love with Chet immediately. Among other endearing qualities, I could relate to his tendency to go off on tangents.

Bernie, Chet’s intrepid owner, has his own charm, even though he seems to be able to bond more easily with animals than women. Bernie Little is a PI and calls his business the Little Detective Agency. He is ex-military with sharp skills, but poor financial decisions seem to keep him always looking for new cases.

In TO FETCH A THIEF, the third book is this clever series, Bernie and Chet are taking Charlie, Bernie’s son, to a circus. The star, Peanut, the elephant has disappeared. How can someone hide a huge animal? Bernie gets hired when it is discovered that the elephant’s trainer, Uri, is also missing. Is this a devious plot by animal rights people to close down the small circus or is something more sinister afoot? With Chet on Peanut’s special scent perhaps there is hope for a happy outcome.

I loved everything about Mr. Quinn’s latest work: the humor, the poignancy and the plot twists. My only disappointment is having to wait a while for the fourth novel. TO FETCH A THIEF will appeal to all mystery readers. You really have to start with DOG ON IT, the first book to get the full flavor and fun of Chet and Bernie.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed another romp with Chet and Bernie.
Author says these are not cosy mysteries
.. true.
Very macho ones though ....
B helps marriage btwn ex-wife Leda and Malcolm along. At end of book he warns Malcolm to quit cheating.
Also he tells Suzie he loves her !
I didn’t enjoy this plot as much as the first book .. and Bernie’s thinking and actions were VERY inscrutable .. of course Chet had the narrative voice and so access to those is necessarily constrained.

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for books with dogs in them, especially when the book is told from the dog's point of view, but it has to be done well and by someone who knows dogs.

Peter Abrahams, who writes as Spencer Quinn, is a dog guy who knows how to write. I've been a fan since I listened to 'Dog On It' the first Chet and Bernie mystery as an audiobook. Sadly, I can no longer get audiobook versions of this series in the UK so I read the second book, 'Thereby Hangs A Tail' as an ebook and still had a lot of fun with it, so I decided to stick with the series. I'm glad I did, because 'To Fetch A Thief' is the best book yet.

Chet is always the hero of his own story although he and Bernie, the PI he lives with, work as a team to bring down the bad guys. Bernie does the talking and the thinking while Chet does the interesting things like the sniffing and the chasing and the grabbing hold with his teeth and not letting go until the bad guy is cuffed.

In 'To Fetch A Thief', Chet and Bernie go undercover in a carnival to solve the mystery of the missing star attraction. Someone has made Peanut the elephant disappear.

The book is populated with larger than life humans, even by carnival standards, that I could cheer for or hiss at with equal enthusiasm. The plot is far-fetched but moves fast enough not to give you time to think about anything except what will happen next.

The best thing about the book is getting to live inside Chet's head for a while. Chet's pretty smart for a dog but that doesn't stop him being 100% dog. He lives for finding food, following new smells (you would not believe what an elephant smells like) and for bringing down the bad guys with Bernie.

As the whole story is told from Chet's point of view, the success of the book depends on how well Spencer-Quinn writes Chet. Personally, I love it. Spencer-Quinn captures Chet's joy and optimism in a way that's contagious and that makes me laugh without ever belittling Chet. Here's an example of how Chet thinks. He listens to this piece of dialogue:

“Colonel Drummond said you can buy an elephant for ten grand.”
“Colonel Drummond,” said Popo, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, “is one of those people who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

This is Chet's reaction:

The price of everything and the value of nothing? I turned that over in my mind. It turned over a couple of times and then went away.

Here's an example of how Chet and Bernie work together. Bernie has made a breakthrough and is driving the bad guy's Semi with the bad guy as his prisoner:

We drove through the darkness, Bernie at the wheel with the gun in his belt, me in the shotgun seat, Jocko on the floor, maybe a tiny bit uncomfortable. “Any food on board, Jocko?” Bernie said.
Good question. Could I think of a better one? No.
“I got nothin’ to say,” Jocko said.
“Is that the kind of loser you want to be?”
“Huh?”
“We take down a lot of losers in this business,” Bernie said. “Ends up there are only two kinds—losers who want to keep losing and losers who want to cut their losses. Guess which ones get the most jail time.”
I thought about that and was pretty close to making up my mind when the whole problem kind of went away, and I felt better. And that better was on top of how good I was already feeling, back with Bernie.

I love that, when Bernie says 'We take down a lot of losers...', the 'we' he's talking about is him and Chet. That Bernie sees them as a team just as much as Chet does speaks well of both of them. And I love that Chet almost follows a thought through and then lets it go to appreciate his own happiness.

Then there are the discoveries Chet makes, like this one when bullets shatter their car's wing mirror and window.

Hey! Mirrors were glass? And windows, too? I came close to having a thought about that.

And then there's the way Chet's emotions arrive somewhere before his thoughts do, like this scene at the end of the book:

Some sort of strong emotion began appearing on Suzie’s face. A breeze sprang up behind me. I looked back. My tail was wagging like crazy. I must have been happy about something.

If you're looking to escape from everything and live in a better place for a few hours, pick up this book and take a ride in Chet's head. You'll feel better for it.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peanut the elephant and his trainer have vanished, seemingly into thin air, and so Chet and Bernie, who have also been hired on a possible divorce case, are on the trail. But at first there is no trail; not even a scent, and boy, do elephants have a strong scent! Chet knows. When the trainer turns up dead in the desert with nary a sign of Peanut, they are investigating several shady characters which leads them on a wild goose chase, despite the fact that Chet can't see or smell any geese whatsover.

This is another fun installment in this series. While it's not a y/a series, my 15 year old son has been enjoying them thoroughly. Good thing he bought me the seventh one for Christmas and I decided to have him read it. I think he'd give this series a whopping five stars, and he's finally stopped calling shotgun when he and one of his sisters are going to ride with me at the same time. Not that they've stopped vying for the front seat. That sort of tangent is the thing Chet does frequently; after all, he is a dog, and easily--a squirrel!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 4.5 stars.

I usually feel guilty whenever I read a book in one or two sittings. I know how difficult it is to write a novel, regardless of genre: the hours of research, the months or years of composition, the days and months of rewriting, making those (supposedly!) final edits only to discover an unnoticed plot hole (with the deadline looming), and so on. Then someone like me reads the finished product in a few hours. Cruel!

But I said I *usually* feel guilty because this time, as with his first two Chet and Bernie mysteries which I also zipped through, the blame is all on Mr. Quinn's storytelling, his plot, his settings, and his characters. The phrase "never a dull moment" was meant for this series, as well as the word 'addictive'. Is it my fault I can't put these books down? No. So I won't apologize - besides, apologies take time and I still have to post this review, and all the while book four's waiting for me....

[Jeff P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book of the Chet and Bernie series. Bernie Little is the owner of the Little Detective Agency and Chet is his dog and partner. The stories are mostly told through Chet's viewpoint and narration, which can be pretty funny. Chet failed the last test of K-9 training even though leaping is one of his best things. There was something about a cat, he can't remember the details...anyway, it worked out because that's how he and Bernie got together.

The mystery in this case is searching for Peanut, the star elephant of a small-time circus that has disappeared. They meet some rough characters and end up down Mexico way to save Peanut and solve the case. In the end Chet gets to take down the perp by the pants leg, also one of his best things.

It's a little light reading but enjoyable. I think all of the books in this series have dog related puns for the title.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Chet the Jet! I love how his doggie mind works and how you can tell he sometimes is just repeating things he's heard humans say (i.e. she's [his groomer] got a great business with a great business plan) and how he sometimes gets distracted by a Cheeto. I often repeat things that I've heard and get distracted by Cheetos, so I understand this dog. Despite his sometimes simple thoughts, Chet is not to be underestimated (me, either!). His keen sense of smell and hearing give him a, uh, dog's eye view of the crime. If only he could talk!

And that is another thing I love...Chet and other dogs don't "talk" to each other. Author Quinn will have Chet mention his friend Iggy (who he can't pal around with in the old days, thanks to the electric fence) barking, but I think a lesser author would have given into the temptation of having the dogs somehow "talk" to each other. I'm so glad he didn't because that would have ruined it for me.

I also adore Bernie, Chet's owner. He's kinda not got it all together, but isn't *too* much of a bumbling idiot. I think the author does a really nice balancing job with him. I also like the way Leda, the ex-wife, is portrayed. She's an asshole, but you don't hate her. I like the Suzie character, as well. I think Quinn did a super job with the conversation where Suzie asks Bernie what the heck is going on between them. Come on girls, we've all been there!

So, as I'm sure you can tell, I love the characters! The plots, however, are getting thinner and thinner. Once again, Chet got separated from Bernie and while he (thankfully) didn't end up in a choke chain, he still got muzzled. The mystery was a kinda weak and ended kind of dully. I hope the Quinn comes up with a dynamite mystery for his fourth installment, because the dog-as-narrator device can only go so far.

Having said that, I'm sure I will keep reading these books because I love Chet so much! I think we should all try to live like this dog...all he needs to be happy is to be on the job and in Bernie's convertible (of course a Slim Jim or two wouldn't hurt). Ride on Chet!

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, it’s Chet and Bernie – what’s not to love?

I thoroughly enjoyed the first C&B book, and was looking forward to further adventures, but was concerned that this might be a very clever concept that worked well the first time but then began to repeat itself. Plus, I was a little worried that the series might be veering into “too cute” territory, with the story being based on the search for a missing circus elephant, (are there really still traveling circuses out there?). However, my concerns were largely unfounded. Good dog Chet remains a thoroughly entertaining and loveable narrator, and the plot was actually better plotted than I’d expected.

That said, I think I will wait a bit before reading any more of the series, (I am reading out of sequence, as the second book was out from the library). As in the first book, Chet and Bernie get separated, and Chet has to come to Bernie’s rescue – I hope this isn’t a developing pattern, but bottom line is there’s ultimately only so much that you can do with a talking (or at least thinking) dog detective. My review for the first book was five stars, and I’m giving this one four – but I wonder if the stars will continue to drop as the series progresses and the novelty wears off.

[kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I love Chet and Bernie, what a great team they are.
In this installment, they are searching for a circus elephant and her trainer who've gone missing or perhaps ran away due to influence by animal rights activism.
Not only does the author do a terrific job of getting Chet right with his actions, thoughts, behaviors, but he must have studied up on elephant behavior because I felt Peanut's emotions and actions.
There are also personal bits of Bernie's life that add to the book and move his life forward. IF you are looking for some great mysteries with a sense of fun, look no further. You'll find both in this series. Give it a try.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chet is super cute and one of the few dog POV that I don't mind reading. Although he is easily distracted and falls asleep often so I don't get all the clues, he is attentive enough (and his smeller works so well) that he tends to get us to the same information that his human, Bernie, has.

This mystery is good but at times a bit silly. The clues were a bit scattered. I did like the additional mystery of solving what to do about the boyfriend of the ex and what he'd been doing.

all in all, cute and I'll read more of this series slowly

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the hilarious Chet and Bernie Mystery series hits the shelves in late September, and it does not disappoint. They are on the trail, literally, of a missing circus elephant and her beloved trainer when they stumble upon a much higher stakes smuggling operation that will make your fur stand up. It's another fun frolic with this dynamic duo that is sure to please their many fans.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a little Chet and Bernie interlude, one of the stories about the PI team of one man and one dog. Chet (the dog) provides the narration. The only problem is that at one point in every story, so far, bad guys manage to separate Chet and Bernie, and then I worry. This crime involved a missing circus elephant. It ended, as usual, with the perps breaking rocks in the hot sun.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third installment of Chet (the dog) and Bernie the Private Eye. All 3 are written in the perspective of Chet. This makes the book interesting. He is a pretty smart dog despite flunking out of Police Work school. He doesn't remember why he flunked, except it had to do with some stupid squirrel..
Reading a who don' It in a dog's perspective is rather interesting because according to him Bernie being a human misses out on a lot of clues and observations....
In this installment Bernie is tasked with "Divorce work" AKA following cheating spouses, taking pertinent pictures and reporting the bad news. This time the outcome gets a bit awkward and personal. Then, an Elephant and her Trainer go missing. Bernie and Chet go searching for clues, interviewing possible witnesses and following perspective "perps" which of course causes trouble.
This series is light. humorous and borders on "cozy" except there is a fair amount of violence. Readers could read this series as Stand Alone as previous events are explained, but I prefer to read them in order.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Bernie Little, PI, and Chet, Dog
SERIES: #3 of 3
RATING: 3.25

One unfortunate thing about being a small-time PI is that you pretty much have to take any case that comes your way. Bernie Little and his partner Chet, the dog, are watching the wife of Marvin Winkleman. As he suspected, she’s cheating on him, with someone that Bernie knows only too well. The other man is Malcolm, significant other to Bernie’s ex-wife, Leda. In fact, they have just announced their engagement. Bernie isn’t too anxious to bring Malcolm’s dalliance into the light, especially since his son, Charlie, is living with the couple.

Bernie treasures any time that he can get with Charlie. The traveling circus is in town; but when they arrive, they learn that the main attraction, Peanut, the elephant, is missing. How on earth can someone take an animal of that size without leaving a trace? Bernie and Chet are hired by the circus clown, Popo, to find Peanut and his trainer and Popo’s lover, Uri DeLeath.

One thing that Chet brings to the partnership is a terrific sense of smell, and the two are soon following Peanut’s scent. There’s more going on than meets the eye; their hunt leads them into Mexico and a bunch of unsavory characters, criminals and law enforcement officials alike. Rest assured, everything works out well for Peanut, Chet and Bernie and even Leda and Malcolm.

TO FETCH A THIEF is the third book in this very popular series. The books are narrated by Chet, and a large part of their appeal is experiencing the action from a dog’s point of view. There are several laugh-out-loud moments that develop from this unique perspective. The humor often arises out of Chet’s taking the things that the humans say very literally. The way he interprets phrases such as“time bomb” or a “wild goose chase” is hilarious. It’s fun to see how his mind works.

Although I enjoy this series, I recommend that you allow a long period between the individual books. There are just so many ways that Chet can look at things, and reading the books closely together diminishes the humor, since Chet’s thoughts can be quite redundant from book to book.

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just about the cutest and cleverest idea for a cozy/detective book. Bernie Little is head of the Little Detective Agency, and is a shy and endearingly bumbling kind of hero. Chet is his sidekick, a dog, and we see the story through his eyes. Chet thinks in what I imagine is a totally dog-like manner. He starts thinking about something and is easily distracted by food...or he will hear a phrase like "You're just a chicken." and misunderstand, immediately thinking about chicken...or he'll drift off to sleep in the middle of a conversation because he's tired from playing ball or whatever. But, on the plus side, Chet is very resourceful, often saving Bernie from the bad guys. In this case, they were on the trail of a missing circus elephant, of all things, when Bernie was taken by the kidnappers but Chet got away only to be captured later on. Chet's main goal was to stay "on the job," finding Peanut the elephant, then searching for Bernie. Loving relationship between man and dog, and just a warm and charming series.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theres no great depth to the Chet and Bernie books, but then, the author never tries to be the next Agatha Christie. They are just funny stories narrated as through the eyes of Chet-the-Jet Bernies faithful dog. This book finds the duo on a missing elephant hunt, can they help Peanut or can Peanut help them.

If you want a light hearted read with a few laughs this could be the book for you, if your a dog lover then this is definitely a book for you. Probably best read in order but not essential.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I think character-wise, this one rounded out Bernie much more. It was great to see how soft-hearted he can be with people and animals awhile still having this tough guy persona. And, of course, what isn't to love about Chet - but he just goes above and beyond in this case. Chet is giving Lassie & Enzo competition as best canine characters ever. Thoroughly entertaining fun.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the Chet and Bernie books. Written from the POV of Chet the Dog, this book is warm, funny and entertaining. Chet and his owner Bernie are PIs and are on the trail of a missing elephant. As nauseatingly cute as the premise sounds, the result is a gorgeous, funny book with great characters. Bernie the PI is lovely - he is my new fictional crush - and Chet the Dog is just awesomeness on four legs. Spencer Quinn is a brilliant writer (and probably an awesome dog owner).

[Linda Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series, I guess because the stories are told in Chet's point of view, he is Bernie's dog who helps Bernie with his PI business. If you are looking for a fun read, please pick this series up, I don't think you will be disappointed.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are plenty of series out there that I've enjoyed that have a sort of wash-rinse-repeat pattern to each book. Chet & Bernie find a kidnapping case, Chet gets separated from Bernie & learns very helpful information...if only he had the ability to *talk*, and then together they stumble upon the solution anyway. Repetition of a general plot for each book is fine. It's when there is excessive repetition within each book that it becomes irritating, rather than endearing. While it's understandable that Chet wouldn't remember if he'd previously referenced an event (he IS a dog), it gets tedious when he repeats himself the same way in each book. ...and how many times in each book does this dog need to use the term "out the yingyang"?!! His shtick is getting stale. The novelty has worn off. Characters are more interesting if they change a little bit with each experience, and Chet doesn't change. You can't teach an old dog new tricks?

It was also frustrating to see Bernie teaching his 6 year old son that people who go to jail are all "bad guys" and that their incarceration was simply because they didn't have a conscience...as opposed to poverty & the desperation that can accompany it. While I'm not surprised that it was the opinion the character had, it was disappointing to see that it was a narrative that the author was willing to casually support.

Even worse was Bernie's decision not to inform his ex-wife that her fiancé was cheating on her with the wife of one of Bernie's clients. Instead of letting his ex-wife make a choice as to what SHE would want to do....let alone informing her that she needs to be screened for STDs!!!....he took away her agency by having a threatening talk with the fiancé instead. Bernie is convinced that his ex MUST stay in this relationship because she is (ignorantly) happy & draws the conclusion that this will mean his son will be happy. This was total bullshit & I hated hated hated it. I deducted a star just for this.

I'm going to read the next book, but I don't like that it only took 3 books for Abrahams to be on probation with me. I was planning on reading all of these books & loving every one.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is the 3rd Chet & Bernie book; it's about an exotic animal-smuggling ring.

It was a bit slow getting started, I thought, but I really enjoyed the bits with Peanut the Elephant. Nice to see Bernie's and Suzie's relationship moving forward as well.

It's a fun series; I just wish the ebooks weren't so pricey.

[Bill Yarbrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

9.5 out of 10 stars. Good story. This involves animals. I like to see more people get punished for their crimes in mystery books. Still a good book following in the theme of the other books in the series.

[Barbi Huhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was yet another enjoyable read!
In this book, Chet and Bernie are headed to the circus with Charlie, Bernie’s son, when it get canceled due to a missing elephant, Peanut. Chet and Bernie end up on the case and chaos and multiple trips to Mexico follow.