Book ~ "Thereby Hangs a Tail" (2010) Spencer Quinn

From Goodreads ~ What first seems like a walk in the park to wise and lovable canine narrator Chet and his human companion Bernie "to investigate threats made against a pretty, pampered show dog" turns into a serious case when Princess and her owner are abducted. 

To make matters worse, Bernie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, reporter Susie Sanchez, disappears too. When Chet is separated from Bernie, he's on his own to put the pieces together, find his way home and save the day. 

Bernie Little is a private detective and Chet is his canine partner.  Bernie is having money issues so when he is offered the job of protecting a show dog named Princess and get paid $2,000 a day, he's amazed.  Unfortunately Princess' owner isn't impressed with Bernie or Chet and they get fired before they even begin.

When Princess and her owner are kidnapped right afterwards, Bernie and Chet feel obliged to investigate whether they are getting paid or not.  When Bernie's ex-girlfriend, Suzie, who is a reporter, disappears, he has an even more vested interest in finding out what's going on.

I love dogs!  I love mysteries!  It's written from the perspective of Chet, which is interesting and funny as you get into the mind of the dog who is easily distracted and where chew toys rock!

I liked the writing style.  I had read the first in the series, Dog On It, when it came out in 2009 and thought it was cute.  For some reason, I didn't read any more in the series.  I'm going to have to fix that.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "A Cat Was Involved" (2012) Spencer Quinn

From Goodreads ~ Spencer Quinn's first original e-short story reveals how everyone's favorite detective duo (Chet the Dog and P.I. Bernie Little) came to meet before their first big case in Dog On It. 

As fans know, Chet first met Bernie on that fateful day when he flunked out of K-9 police school. The details of that day though have always remained a little vague (like so much in Chet's doggy brain). All we know is that Chet had been the best leaper in his K-9 class but for some reason he failed his final leaping test ... and that a cat was involved ... and that there was some blood. But whose? The test, the cat, the blood: all pieces of a puzzle that, when solved, will bring down a dangerous gang of thieves and signal the start of a beautiful friendship. 

This fateful day has been alluded to in every book in the series and now fans of Chet and Bernie will finally get to find out what actually happened. For these two beloved characters, it was something like love at first sight and, for Chet, at first smell, too.

Chet is a police dog in training who has had quite a past.  On his last day of testing, he failed a jumping test and got kicked out of K-9 school.  Yes, there was a cat involved.   This novella tells what happened from Chet's side of the story and how he became Bernie's partner in their P.I. agency.

I liked the writing style ... it's written in first person perspective, from Chet's point of view.  I had read the first in the series, Dog On It, when it came out in 2009 and thought it was cute.  For some reason, I didn't read any more in the series.  I'm going to have to fix that.

Book ~ "Dog on It" (2009) Spencer Quinn

From Goodreads ~ Chet the Jet is a dog who failed K-9 school (cats in the open country played a role in his demise) but now he is a dedicated PI and works with Bernie, owner of the Little Detective Agency. 

The story is told entirely from Chet’s point of view, which will delight dog-loving mystery readers but the book is also an excellent PI tale, dogs aside, as Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl whose developer dad may be up to no good. 

Chet may not understand things like maps (he doesn’t need them as he can sniff his way home) but he is a great sleuth who finds the girl and solves the case. The always upbeat Chet may well be one of the most appealing new detectives on the block but conscientious, kind and environmentally aware Bernie is a close runner-up. Excellent and fully fleshed primary and secondary characters, a consistently doggy view of the world and a sprightly pace make this a not-to-be-missed debut. Essential for all mystery collections and for dog lovers everywhere.

I love dogs!

I love mysteries!

It's written from the perspective of Chet, the dog, which is interesting.

The mystery itself is so-so but Chet's observations were cute ... you get into the mind of the dog where chew toys rock!