It's a Wonderful Woof (Chet and Bernie Series #12)

by Spencer Quinn

Overview

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Spencer Quinn's It's a Wonderful Woof presents a holiday adventure for Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in crime fiction” (Boston Globe), and his human partner, PI Bernie Little.

Holiday time in the Valley, and in the holiday spirit—despite the dismal shape of the finances at the Little Detective Agency—Bernie refers a potential client to Victor Klovsky, a fellow private eye. It’s also true that the case—promising lots of online research but little action—doesn’t appeal to Bernie, while it seems perfect for Victor, who is not cut out for rough stuff. But Victor disappears in a rough-stuff way, and when he doesn’t show up at his mom’s to light the Hanukkah candles, she hires Chet and Bernie to find him.

They soon discover that Victor’s client has also vanished. The trail leads to the ruins of a mission called Nuestra Señora de los Saguaros, dating back to the earliest Spanish explorers. Some very dangerous people are interested in the old mission. Does some dusty archive hold the secret of a previously unknown art treasure, possibly buried for centuries? What does the Flight into Egypt—when Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus fled Herod—have to do with saguaros, the Sonoran desert cactus?

No one is better than Chet at nosing out buried secrets, but before he can, he and Bernie are forced to take flight themselves, chased through a Christmas Eve blizzard by a murderous foe who loves art all too much.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250770325
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Series:	Chet and Bernie Series , #12
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	105,580
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Spencer Quinn is the pen name for Peter Abrahams, the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on Cape Cod with his wife Diana and dog Pearl.

Hometown:

Falmouth, Massachusetts

Date of Birth:

June 28, 1947

Place of Birth:

Brooklline, Massachusetts

Education:

BA, Williams College, 1968

Website:

http://www.peterabrahams.com/

Editorial Reviews

11/15/2021

In Quinn’s delightful 12th Chet and Bernie mystery (after Tender Is the Bite), Lauritz Vogner, who expresses an interest in Baroque art and architecture, offers Bernie Little, the head of the Little Detective Agency in the Valley (which is “almost certainly in Arizona,” according to Bernie’s partner, Chet, the series’ joyously exuberant canine narrator), $5,000 for a research job. Though Vogner assures Bernie there will be no danger involved, Bernie decides to pass the opportunity along to Victor Klovsky, a fellow PI whose usual detecting work consists of on-line research. Victor, however, recently made the unwise decision to branch out into more daring cases, and a few days later Victor’s mother calls Bernie to report her son has disappeared. An abandoned bicycle, a postcard depicting Nuestra Señora de los Saguaros mission church, and a fat man with a Santa beard are among the clues that lead the Little investigative team into a world of shady real estate deals, high finance, and obsession. Diverting digressions and colorful characters complement the investigative work, but the main draw is Chet’s irrepressible doggy charm. Quinn reliably entertains. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/01/2021

Bernie Little, of the Little Detective Agency, and his K9 companion Chet thought they were helping their friend Victor get his new private investigator business going when they sent a potential client his way. But when Victor doesn't show up to light the Hanukkah candles at his mom's, she hires Bernie to find her missing son. Looking for clues to the missing man pulls the duo into the original investigation, which winds up including a deconsecrated religious site and Baroque artwork. Chet and Bernie don't need holiday magic to solve the case, but a little divine intervention never hurt anyone, right? Though there are 11 previous entries in the "Chet and Bernie" series, even readers unfamiliar with earlier titles will enjoy this quick, engaging tale. Chet is the narrator, which may make some readers hesitant, but most will find the humor and charm to be icing on the smart whodunit cake. There are enough references to winter holidays and the reasons behind them to provide both a festive feeling and thoughts to ponder. VERDICT Another interesting case for Chet to sink his teeth into while also giving readers moments of art and world history.—Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

Library Journal

"Even readers unfamiliar with earlier titles will enjoy this quick, engaging tale...most will find the humor and charm to be icing on the smart whodunit cake." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Spencer Quinn is a genius at mastering the imaginative doggy narrative." —Bookreporter

From the Publisher