How can you not love a book narrated by a dog who understands a lot of what’s going on, but also — in true, believable doggy style — misses so much? Spencer Quinn has an almost supernatural ability to write like a dog. Or at least what we think our dogs really might be thinking as they go through life with us. And in his (and Chet and Bernie’s) latest story, “Cat on a Hot Tin Woof,” there’s finally a cat! Actually, as Chet might put it, “There might be two cats, but I can’t count past two.”
The case centers around a missing cat. Miss Kitty, a viral influencer in the form of an adorable black and white kitty, is missing. And her person, Bitty, and Bitty’s mother are desperate to get her back. Bitty because she loves her cat, her mother perhaps because Miss Kitty’s endorsements and influencer status provide a huge income for the single mom and her daughter. Bernie and Chet are on the case, but of course it’s more complex than just a missing cat.
Bernie starts investigating Bitty’s estranged father who is pretty much a neer-do-well. That leads to a few dead bodies, two women who have a horse ranch, the father’s girlfriend who has gone into hiding, and some really shady characters. But with Bernie and Chet, the indomitable team on the job, justice is sure to be had.
Chet’s narrative is brilliant. It’s incredibly easy to believe that a dog is telling the story, complete with points that the dog doesn’t understand as well as what a dog would know that a human would not. Chet can’t count past two and gets easily distracted by Slim Jims and other tasty morsels. But he also knows that while Miss Kitty isn’t at a certain home, her scent is there. It’s up to us to determine if that’s because she was actually there or someone there was in contact with Miss Kitty.
To really appreciate the narrative, here’s an example of why people love this series and love Chet, the best dog ever. Chet and his son Shooter, who lives with Bernie’s ex-wife, her new husband, and Bernie’s son, are playing. They are really roughhousing. Chasing each other, running into each other. Charging each other. Chet could hear distant voices telling them to stop. “But so very distant that it was a snap to imagine that I was imagining them. No time to dig any deeper into it — although suddenly digging seemed like a fine idea so I dug a surprisingly deep hole in no time at all.” They continue to roughhouse, and Shooter runs right through the electric fence as they chase each other down the street. Finally, Chet hears Bernie calling him. “Uh-oh. Was that Bernie? When Bernie calls I come. He’s in a special category. I turned and trotted back to the house — how far away it was! Shooter trotted back right with me. We both looked straight ahead, minding our own. Two very good boys.”
Two very good boys indeed. How many times have we (those of us in the lucky position of having dogs we love) called our dogs over and over, and when they decide to come back, they return. As if they are very good dogs for finally listening. And that’s just one small example of the delightful doggy narrative that fills the story.
To be honest, the story is probably 60% Chet’s charming canine narrative and 40% mystery. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. Quinn manages to make us really care about not only Chet and Bernie, but Bitty, who loves her cat very much and really is suffering not knowing if Miss Kitty is safe. We care about Weatherly, Bernie’s fiancée, and Leda and Charlie, his son.
This particular mystery delves into the competition of social media influencers and the vast amounts of money that companies spend to have their products posted on social media. We love reading about dogs (and I love reading about most animals), so who is to disparage the fact that those who spend time on social media love looking at cats and other adorable animals. Even my husband (who claims he wants no dogs or cats in the house) spends time on his phone watching cute cat and dog videos. I’ve caught him at it!
This series has what dog lovers and mystery lovers adore. An incredibly charismatic main doggy character, an also charismatic sidekick, Bernie, and mysteries that aren’t easy to solve. And Chet’s flashbacks to past novels, almost always including the one with Peanut the elephant, bring extra humor to the read. Don’t miss this really enjoyable series. Stephen King’s blurb says, “The kind of can’t-put-it-down, gotta-read-one-more-chapter crime novel that only a few writers can pull off.” And that says it all.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.