To Fetch A Thief

To Fetch A Thief, A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

Reviewed by Janice Riley

This is the kind of book you want to save for a rainy day- a day in which you have absolutely nothing else to do but snuggle up, preferably with a dog, and read it from cover to cover. Of course, you might be obliged to nod absently at someone who tries to engage you in conversation; the dog may need to be walked; a meal or two may be required; minor distractions all. You will soon find yourself, as Bert is fond of saying, “back in the game”: your brow furrowing as you whip the page, a grimace here, a smile there, a knowing chuckle. In the end, you may find yourself lightly patting the book as it is put aside with a sigh, satisfied at time well spent in the company of your two wonderful new friends, Chet and Bernie. In other words- this is a great book.

To Fetch A Thief is the third offering in Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie Mystery series. Set in a fictionalized corner of the southwest, the series follows the exploits of Bernie Little, a private investigator, and Chet, his canine companion and partner in the Little Detective Agency. The plot lines are straightforward- a situation that presents itself in the opening pages quickly becomes a case. In Fetch, Bernie takes his son Charlie to the circus only to discover that Peanuts the elephant and her handler have gone missing; as it so happens, missing persons are Chet and Bernie’s specialty.

The prose is smart and fun and the narrative has all the requisite twists and turns you’d expect of a mystery. The unexpected comes in the voice of the narrator, that is, Chet- the dog. He is not a talking dog, he is a thinking one. Being inside Chet’s mind, we see everything from a canine perspective. Chet has three main preoccupations: his human, his job, and his next meal. It becomes abundantly clear that Chet and Bernie are maverick PI’s (aren’t they all?) and this is not your typical detective agency. As a former cop, soldier, and West Point grad, Bernie is heroic, admittedly, but a bit soft when it comes to their fees (his sense of smell could also use some work). He is a man of dogged determination, brilliant instincts, and a solid, unimpeachable integrity, who can be tough when necessary. A lovable everyman, he worries about a lot of things, most consistently the aquifer. Two tours of duty in a far off desert, perhaps, account for his shadow side, just out of reach of Chet’s loving gaze (and outstretched paw).

Partners Bernie and Chet both “bring something to the table” as Chet is fond of telling us. A mongrel of unspecified breed (a Border Collie is suggested), Chet trained at the police academy but didn’t qualify in the final round due to an incident (bloody) with a cat, a species he can’t abide. He has a look he levels at “perps” (perpetrators) as well as a whole repertoire of growls and barks that only Bernie can read, just as Bernie has his own body language that speaks volumes to his canine sidekick. Chet worries about things too, the miserable state of their finances and, especially, the timing and whereabouts of their next meal, “Did I mention Slim Jims? Don’t get me started.” He makes mistakes, on occasion, but can always be counted on to save the day, in the best heroic tradition of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin, leaving the grand finale, with all its gunfire, handcuffs, and accolades, to his partner in crime. He is a pretty lovable character himself.

One of the most enjoyable aspects in this series is the freedom this dog enjoys, a vicarious pleasure for those who feel dogs today are unnaturally restricted (or pampered). Chet rides shotgun in their old convertible Porsche (without a harness), runs freely everywhere (no leash), eats way too much junk food, bites bad guys, survives attacks by criminals wielding bats, knives and Tasers, and barks excessively at the neighbor’s dog Iggy (through the window); just to name a few. In To Fetch a Thief, Chet has the wits to lead an odyssey through the desert with a missing pachyderm and track Bernie to the abandoned mine where he is being held captive. Chet has adventures in the line of duty up the “ying yang” as he would say, “What a life!”

Spencer Quinn possesses an uncanny ability to convey the mutual love and respect possible between a human being and his/her dog in language that is at once humorous, smart, and touching, without ever stooping to the sentimental. The series does not have to be read in chronological order, as Chet has a way of filling us in on various details and developments in their life, part of the author’s clever narrative technique. In To Fetch A Thief (2010), the third book, and the fourth, The Dog Who Knew Too Much (2011), the author has honed Chet’s voice and the rhythm of Chet and Bernie’s repartee to perfection. Quinn, a resident of Cape Cod, is a New York Times best-selling author, writing extensively under the name Peter Abrahams, in crime fiction and for young adults. He has received both prestigious mystery awards, the Edgar and the Agatha. The Chet and Bernie Mysteries can be considered “cozies” for those familiar with the term, being written in the gentler spirit some readers may prefer of, say, Agatha Christie, Alexander McCall Smith, or Tony Hillerman.

Do you have to be a dog-lover to love this series? I honestly can’t answer that, admitting to a definite bias. One thing I can say with certainty, the dog doesn’t die in the end, so you can give your heart to the story completely knowing there will always be a happy ending- what could be better? They are fun to read and that may be why they are becoming increasingly popular on the patron grapevine, which is where this reviewer heard of them to begin with. Enthusiasts can look forward to the fifth book in the series due out in September and, in the meantime, keep up with Chet on his blog- Chet: A Dog’s Life.com.

One surprising outcome I’ve noticed since finishing these books is that I find I am talking to my dog (Audrey) more than I was before, if that’s even possible…