If you like dogs, well written light fiction, and detective plotting this is a five star book for you. Bernie Little, ex-military, ex-police, is the Little Detective Agency with his dog Chet who is the narrative of the tale. The writing magic is that the words capture what many of us suspect the inner dialogue would be if our furry friend could communicate with us. At the same time, the human side of the story contrasts with the sunny disposition of Chet and the reader can enjoy the darker plotting of detective life. The skillfulness of the writing is perhaps easy to pass over given the doggy perspective but slower reading will increase the appreciation of how good the book is.

An unusual mystery novel, thoughtfully conceived!

This might be my favorite one, but realistically it is hard to pick a favorite when all of them are so good. The story is well told, and well developed, while holding true to the narrator. I look forward to reading more.

Chet is as charming as ever, but even his good-natured obliviousness couldn’t save the plot for me. Part of my problem may simply be that it was too subtle for me, but I thought the end and the villain’s identity were rather too sudden to entirely make sense.