Setting: Tucson, Arizona - his house/office/neighborhood; ranch/mine/biker campsite/pound in Sierra Verde;Theme: where is the girl? Working together;Characters:Bernie Little: PI; money problems; ex-wife problems; ex-Army, ex-police; drinks too much; loves his son; honorable; loved by Chet;Chet: mixed breed; tells the story… lots of tidbits of doglife/desires/impulses/instincts/honor/loyalty;Charlie: Bernie’s son (7 years old?); center of Bernie’s life; he likes to camp – even if it is in the backyard;Leda: Bernie’s ex wife; naggy; with a rich boyfriend now; dissatisfied with Bernie;Cynthia Chambliss: friend had used Bernie’s services; when honor student/daughter is late in coming home, she gives Bernie $500 to find her… but she shows up on her own, and Bernie realizes her alibi is bunk; two days later, she is gone overnight – and she hires Bernie; Madison Chambliss: Cynthia’s bright daughter; using marijuana, keeping secrets from her mother; is being kept on a ranch in New Mexico… when sees Chet, recognizes him, and yells down from her window (distracting the leash holder, and Chet escapes); when calls mom (as decoy), she mentions missing her dog with two different color ears – telling Bernie (at least) that she is where the dog was;Keefer: Cynthia’s ex husband; high end developer, into the Russian mob for millions… and hiding the fact they have his daughter until he can come up with a payment; Suzie Sanchez: newspaper reporter – does a story on Bernie (charming piece); later, doing a story on pounds, and happens upon the pound where Chet was left by the bikers, releasing him just as he was going to be put to sleep; interested in Bernie – but does go off with her ex – hurting Bernie, but she comes back in the end – calling him, getting Chet barking – going to the house – taking Chet to Sierra Verde – and when Chet runs off in back of truck of bad guy he recognizes, she is the one to figure out which ranch, and calls in the calvary;Summary:Charming story; as we learn about Bernie (through Chet’s eyes, and through his actions) as they locate the girl; Memorable scenes:“She wrung her hands. Hands are the weirdest things about humans, and the best; you can find out just about everything you need to know by watching them. “ What fun! Bernie is a private investigator, and Chet is his trusty dog and partner. The case begins when a woman hires Bernie to find her teenage daughter, who has disappeared. The story is told completely from the dog's viewpoint, which is hilarious as he doesn't completely understand what the humans are doing or saying. But he's a good investigator, literally following his nose to help find clues to solve the case. This is the first in a series of Chet and Bernie mysteries, and I can't wait to read the next one!
What do You think about Dog On It (2009)?
A lighthearted detective story. Laugh out loud funny. Told in the voice of the dog. Really sweet.
—kool191
Cute plot....mystery from the perspective of a dog. Not a page turner but mindless reading
—nastia
