Review by Riley: Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

"You know, is he safe, does he bite? I'm not that comfortable around dogs."

"He won't bite you."

Of course I wouldn't. But the idea was planted in my head, for sure. I could tell by all the saliva suddenly pooling in my mouth. [pg 3]


Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
Atria, 2009
Crime Fiction; 336 pgs

Dog On It is about Chet and Bernie. Chet is like me, a dog. He is a private detective. Bernie is his human partner. Together they make up the Little Detective Agency. They take a case to find a missing girl who turns out not to be missing but then is missing again. Chet is an ace detective when it comes to missing persons' cases. He's got the perfect nose for them. It's not as good as mine though, I bet. One time, I . . . How about I save that story for later? Back to the book review.

I'm pretty sure Spencer Quinn is a dog himself. If he isn't, then he must surely be a dog lover. Dog On It is spot on when it comes to dog behavior and thought. He knows us well. Bernie's pretty cool too. I wish my humans would take me to work with them. I could be a big help, especially to my female human. She's always telling me I could do her job better than she could. I'm not sure that's true. She's very smart and has a lot of patience. I'm not always so patient. I do have an important job at home though. I guard the house. No one does that better than me. Grrr! I also babysit the cats. They take a lot of watching, let me tell you! Chet doesn't like cats. I do. They do smell bad, I'll give Chet that. But they can be great playmates. I love chasing them around the house.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, the book. I liked it. There was suspense and scary stuff. Like when Chet was stuck in the animal shelter and dragged into that room with the metal table. Chet had no idea what a close call that was, but I know. Thank goodness my humans saved me from that god-awful place. My second favorite part was when Bernie kicked Chet's toy bone out the window and Chet leaped after it. Awesome! I want to try that. My first favorite part, however, was definitely the end. Chet's my new best friend.

The book is funny too. Well, I didn't think so. A missing girl is a serious matter. But my human seemed to find it funny. She laughed and laughed while reading the book to me. She kept reaching over to scratch my head, telling me, "Just like you, Riley!" I liked that.

Dog On It is a great introduction to a new series. I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for Chet and me. I mean Chet and Bernie. But don't you think I would make a good private detective with my superb hearing and sense of smell? I just have to convince my humans to change their professions.

For more information about Chet, Bernie and the author visit the website, Chet the Dog.

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