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It isn't uncommon in the annals of crime fiction to find that two sleuths are better than one. Can you imagine Holmes without Watson, Lydia without Bill, Rebus without Siobhan? DOG ON IT introduces yet another inspired pairing, private investigator Bernie Little and his best friend, Chet. The only unusual aspect of this is that Chet is a canine K-9 school drop-out. Bernie couldn't ask for a better partner; Chet works for food and has a knack for finding missing people. That skill comes in handy when they are hired by Cynthia Chambliss to find her missing 15-year-old daughter, Madison. Chet and Bernie haven't spent much time on the case when Madison returns home. Chalk it up to a dog's intuition, but Chet is not buying her story about her disappearance. Less than a week later, Madison disappears again; and Chet and Bernie go into a full-bore investigation which leads them to exciting adventures involving Russian mobsters, car chases and biker bars. In a stroke of genius, Quinn decided to leave the narration up to Chet. It's very amusing to have the story told from the point of view of the dog. Since he is a dog, he can't always make sense of what anyone is saying or doing. He also misses out on pieces of the action for doggy reasons, such as needing a nap or being stirred by the howls of a she-dog. Quinn does a great job of maintaining the dog's point of view throughout the book. If you, like me, are a reader who does not care for animals that don't act like animals, rest assured that Chet is thoroughly a member of the canine species throughout. He doesn't talk; he doesn't interpret; he follows his nose and lives to please his master. Some of his observations about human behavior are downright hilarious. There are also some touching moments, as when Chet ends up in an animal shelter and learns more than he wants to about euthanasia. My only issue with the book had to do with the resolution. I didn't quite buy that Chet would be able to retrieve the trail of a previous journey, and several aspects of the conclusions were way too convenient. Overall, the plot was a bit lightweight; but that was more than made up for by the wonderful characterization, especially of Chet. I approached DOG ON IT with skepticism, as I prefer my reading to be realistic and on the darker side. I was rather amazed to find how much I enjoyed it! Liking this book has severely damaged my street cred as a Badass reader. Truthfully, I can't imagine that even the most dark-hearted reader wouldn't find DOG ON IT to be amusing. It's a unique and ingenious book. I can't wait for the next Chet and Bernie adventure.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, March 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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