 Popsugar Reading challenge category: A book with a non-speaking character.
Dog on It, by Spencer Quinn. There was much discussion on the Goodreads chat board as to whether an animal can count as a non-speaking character. Since Chet the dog is a fully sentient narrator, I’m going with yes. This is the first book in Spencer Quinn’s long-running Chet and Bernie mystery series. Bernie is a classic down-on-his-luck private eye: divorced, broke, and trying to stay out of the bourbon. The one thing he has going for him is his loyal and clever dog. This book also introduces Susie Sanchez, the reporter who will become Bernie’s girlfriend. Chet is described as a 100-pound “mongrel” with one white and one black ear. It’s mentioned that he flunked out of police dog training, so possibly he’s part German shepherd. One convenient part of having Chet narrate is that the author can withhold story information (or just yada-yada past the unimportant parts), as Chet is very easily distracted by food or other animals. But his powerful nose – and size – come in handy. I’ve read two books from this series (the other was The Dog Who Knew Too Much), and in both books Chet gets dognapped. Hope that doesn’t happen in every book! This one has a sad scene with Chet in an animal shelter, watching other dogs get taken away. Chet doesn’t understand that they’re being euthanized, but the reader does. Aside from that, the book has a cozy mystery feel. Bernie is searching for a missing teenager and trying to navigate the cold war between her parents. There’s some violence, but nothing too gory. And we know that Chet’s superior nose and canine wisdom will crack the case.
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