I take it back; this dog's a keeper

To say I was not looking forward to the choice for the mystery book club's monthly meeting would be an understatement. The story told entirely by a dog? Come on. I know mystery writers—and publishers—are desperate for something fresh, original. But a dog? So it was with some trepidation I began It's a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn, the twelfth book in the "Chet & Bernie" series.

It just goes to show how mistaken one can be (me, in this case). Chet, the dog, is a delightful character and a better narrator than some people I know.

Spencer Quinn is the pen name of Peter Abrahams (and not to be confused with the South African author Peter Abrahams). Abrahams has been publishing fiction since 1980; the first Chet & Bernie mystery was published in 2008. Two have appeared since It's a Wonderful Woof (2021) and the fifteenth is due out in 2024.

He says that a book reviewer commented that dogs often appeared in his novels, and one night at dinner his wife said, "You should do something with dogs." He says, "I had dogs in other books I'd written but you never saw anything from their point of view. So I probably knew within 30 seconds the three pillars that hold the Chet and Bernie series up."

First, a dog narrator. Second, a traditional private eye story told by the detective's sidekick. Third, "the dog narrator would not be a talking dog. He would not be a human wrapped in a dog suit. He wouldn't know about Mozart. He would be as canine as I could make him." On the evidence of It's a Wonderful Woof, he's done a remarkable job.

Chet flunked out of K9 school on the last day; nonetheless he's a trained police dog. He knows that Bernie Little, who heads The Little Detective Agency, is the most wonderful human being on earth. He knows they live in an Arizona city but that's about it. His senses of smell and hearing are superior to human. He believes in marking what needs to be marked. He's afraid of snakes. He understands that "grabbing perps by the pant leg is how we close our cases." He cannot count beyond two, but he's always willing to learn sonething new. 

For example: Bernie is about to unlock a health club locker when he pauses. "'Anything iffy inside?' he said. Iffy was what again? 'Like a bomb for instance?' So iffy meant bombs? You learn so much in this business. A lovely breeze started up nearby, clearing the air of just about everything, even the poop smells. It didn't take me long to realize it was my tail, getting into the mix as it sometimes did. Bernie stuck the key in the lock and opened the door . . . ." Just a PI doing his job with his loyal partner.

While the mystery may not be the most imaginative, Chet's voice is striking enough to make It's a Wonderful Woof a superior mystery.