The Chet and Bernie Mystery
14 primary works • 21 total works
Book 1
In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavoury characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case - something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about - and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.
Book 2
The second book of an irresistible series narrated by a loveable and wise dog. In the newest Chet and Bernie mystery, Chet gets a glimpse of the show dog world turned deadly. ""We run a detective agency, me and Bernie, called the Little Detective Agency on account of Little being Bernie's last name. My name's Chet, pure and simple. Headquarters is our house on Mesquite Road, a nice place with a big tree out front, perfect for napping under, and the whole canyon easily accessible out back, if it just so happens someone left the gate open. And then, up in the canyon -- well, say no more.""Praised by Stephen King as "a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre," Chet and his human companion Bernie have both had some setbacks in life -- Bernie in combat, Chet in K-9 school, but together they make up a team like no other. In "Thereby Hangs a Tail," Bernie and Chet are called on to investigate threats made against an unlikely target -- a pretty, pampered show dog named Princess. What seems like a joke turns into a serious case when Princess and her owner are abducted. To make matters worse, Bernie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, reporter Susie Sanchez, disappears too. When Chet is separated from Bernie, he's on his own to put the pieces together, find his way home, and save the day.With genuine suspense and intrigue, combined with humor and insight into the special bond between man and dog, "Thereby Hangs a Tail" will have everyone talking.
Book 2
Book 3
"Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm has gone missing - along with her trainer. Popo the Clown hires the Little Detective agency to find out what has become of the duo, sending Chet and Bernie south of the border in hot persuit of some dangerously cool criminals and a decidedly uncooperative pachyderm"--Page 2 of cover.
Book 5
The fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series that the Los Angeles Times says is "nothing short of masterful."
Everyone's favorite detective team returns in a new adventure as canine narrator Chet and his human partner P.I. Bernie Little find that Hollywood has gone to the dogs.
While Tinseltown bad boy Thad Perry is in town shooting a big-budget Western, Bernie and Chet have to keep him out of trouble. But soon they discover Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley, and the only people who know his secrets keep turning up dead before they can talk.
As Bernie's love life goes long-distance and Chet's late-night assignations give rise to an unexpected dividend, it's all our two sleuths can do to keep the actor in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.
Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a topnotch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.
Everyone's favorite detective team returns in a new adventure as canine narrator Chet and his human partner P.I. Bernie Little find that Hollywood has gone to the dogs.
While Tinseltown bad boy Thad Perry is in town shooting a big-budget Western, Bernie and Chet have to keep him out of trouble. But soon they discover Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley, and the only people who know his secrets keep turning up dead before they can talk.
As Bernie's love life goes long-distance and Chet's late-night assignations give rise to an unexpected dividend, it's all our two sleuths can do to keep the actor in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.
Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a topnotch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.
Book 6
In the sixth installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series that the Los Angeles Times called "nothing short of masterful," Chet and Bernie are handed a hard case in the Big Easy.
Chet and Bernie, the best canine/human P.I. team in the business, encounter a prison work crew that includes Frenchie Boutette, an old pal they sent up the river. Frenchie begs Bernie to go find his brother Ralph, a reclusive inventor who has disappeared-along with his houseboat-from the bayou. Not long after, Bernie fends off a deadly attack from a member of a shadowy gang called the Q's. The attacker dies without revealing anything.
In bayou country, Chet and Bernie meet the no-good Boutette family and their ancient enemies, the maybe-even-worse Robideaus. At first it looks like Ralph's disappearance is tied to a dispute between the two families over a load of stolen shrimp. But Chet turns up a buried clue that sends them in a new and dangerous direction involving the oil business. The more they find out about Ralph and what he knew, the less their chances of surviving to do anything about it. Now they're up against Big Oil, shadowy black ops figures, and the Q's-plus Iko, a legendary bayou gator with a big appetite...
A top-notch addition to the "deliciously addictive" (Publishers Weekly) series, The Sound and the Furry is an irresistibly suspenseful and humorous read that will keep you begging for more.
Chet and Bernie, the best canine/human P.I. team in the business, encounter a prison work crew that includes Frenchie Boutette, an old pal they sent up the river. Frenchie begs Bernie to go find his brother Ralph, a reclusive inventor who has disappeared-along with his houseboat-from the bayou. Not long after, Bernie fends off a deadly attack from a member of a shadowy gang called the Q's. The attacker dies without revealing anything.
In bayou country, Chet and Bernie meet the no-good Boutette family and their ancient enemies, the maybe-even-worse Robideaus. At first it looks like Ralph's disappearance is tied to a dispute between the two families over a load of stolen shrimp. But Chet turns up a buried clue that sends them in a new and dangerous direction involving the oil business. The more they find out about Ralph and what he knew, the less their chances of surviving to do anything about it. Now they're up against Big Oil, shadowy black ops figures, and the Q's-plus Iko, a legendary bayou gator with a big appetite...
A top-notch addition to the "deliciously addictive" (Publishers Weekly) series, The Sound and the Furry is an irresistibly suspenseful and humorous read that will keep you begging for more.
Book 7
In the seventh installment in the brilliant New York Times bestselling mystery series, canine narrator Chet and PI Bernie Little journey to Washington, DC, and the dog-eat-dog world of our nation's capital.
Stephen King has called Chet "a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre." Robert B. Parker dubbed Spencer Quinn's writing "major league prose." Now the beloved team returns in another suspenseful novel that finds Chet sniffing around the capital city and using his street smarts to uncover a devilish plot.
Chet and Bernie pay a visit to Bernie's girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, an ace reporter living in far-off Washington, DC. She's working on a big story she can't talk about, but when her source, a mysterious Brit with possible intelligence connections, runs into trouble of the worst kind, Bernie suddenly finds himself under arrest.
Meanwhile Chet gets to know a powerful DC operative who may or may not have the goods on an ambitious politician. Soon Chet and Bernie are sucked into an international conspiracy, battling unfamiliar forces under the blinking red eyes of a strange bird that Chet notices from the get-go but seems to have slipped by everybody else. Most menacing of all is Barnum, a guinea pig with the fate of the nation in his tiny paws.
As Harry Truman famously quipped, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." Too bad he didn't get to meet Chet!
Stephen King has called Chet "a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre." Robert B. Parker dubbed Spencer Quinn's writing "major league prose." Now the beloved team returns in another suspenseful novel that finds Chet sniffing around the capital city and using his street smarts to uncover a devilish plot.
Chet and Bernie pay a visit to Bernie's girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, an ace reporter living in far-off Washington, DC. She's working on a big story she can't talk about, but when her source, a mysterious Brit with possible intelligence connections, runs into trouble of the worst kind, Bernie suddenly finds himself under arrest.
Meanwhile Chet gets to know a powerful DC operative who may or may not have the goods on an ambitious politician. Soon Chet and Bernie are sucked into an international conspiracy, battling unfamiliar forces under the blinking red eyes of a strange bird that Chet notices from the get-go but seems to have slipped by everybody else. Most menacing of all is Barnum, a guinea pig with the fate of the nation in his tiny paws.
As Harry Truman famously quipped, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." Too bad he didn't get to meet Chet!
Book 8
In the eighth installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series that makes "even cat lovers...howl with delight" (USA TODAY), Chet and his human PI companion, Bernie Little, find themselves in a prickly situation when a mysterious case of illegal cactus smuggling comes to their attention.
In the latest entry in the immensely popular Chet and Bernie mystery series, Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion Chet return home to encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie's wall safe-normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office-is gone, and with it Bernie's grandfather's watch, their most valuable possession. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate. Is it possible that such a lovely old couple have a terrible secret in their past?
Chet and Bernie discover bad things going on in the wilderness, far worse that cactus smuggling, and all connected to a strange but innocent-seeming desert festival called Cactus Man. They unearth leads that take them back to a long-ago kidnapping that may not have been a kidnapping and threaten a ruthless and charismatic criminal with a cult following, a criminal who sees at once what Chet and Bernie mean to each other and knows how to exploit it.
Every bit as "insightful" (Booklist), "humorous" (Library Journal), and "deliciously addictive" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) as Quinn's previous books, Scents and Sensibility is a drool-worthy mystery that will have readers everywhere begging for more.
In the latest entry in the immensely popular Chet and Bernie mystery series, Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion Chet return home to encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie's wall safe-normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office-is gone, and with it Bernie's grandfather's watch, their most valuable possession. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate. Is it possible that such a lovely old couple have a terrible secret in their past?
Chet and Bernie discover bad things going on in the wilderness, far worse that cactus smuggling, and all connected to a strange but innocent-seeming desert festival called Cactus Man. They unearth leads that take them back to a long-ago kidnapping that may not have been a kidnapping and threaten a ruthless and charismatic criminal with a cult following, a criminal who sees at once what Chet and Bernie mean to each other and knows how to exploit it.
Every bit as "insightful" (Booklist), "humorous" (Library Journal), and "deliciously addictive" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) as Quinn's previous books, Scents and Sensibility is a drool-worthy mystery that will have readers everywhere begging for more.
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
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.
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.
Book 13
When Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe), and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, are approached by down-and-out older man with a cardboard sign at an exit ramp, Bernie is shocked to discover the man is a former teammate from his high school baseball team. Chet and Bernie take Rocket out for a good meal, and later, Bernie investigates Rocket's past, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong.
Then, Rocket goes suspiciously missing. With his former teammate likely in danger, Bernie goes back to his old high school for answers, where much that he remembers turns out not to be true-and there are powerful and dangerous people not happy with the questions Bernie is asking.
Bernie soon learns that he misunderstood much about his high school years - and now, Chet and Bernie are plunged into a dangerous case where the past isn't dead and the future could be fatal.
Then, Rocket goes suspiciously missing. With his former teammate likely in danger, Bernie goes back to his old high school for answers, where much that he remembers turns out not to be true-and there are powerful and dangerous people not happy with the questions Bernie is asking.
Bernie soon learns that he misunderstood much about his high school years - and now, Chet and Bernie are plunged into a dangerous case where the past isn't dead and the future could be fatal.
Book 14
Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe) and his human partner Bernie Little find themselves high in the mountains this holiday season to help Dame Ariadne Carlisle, a renowned author of bestselling Christmas mysteries, find Rudy, her lead reindeer and good luck charm, who has gone missing.
At Kringle Ranch, Dame Ariadne's expansive mountain spread, Chet discovers that he is not fond of reindeer. But the case turns out to be about much more than reindeer after Dame Ariadne's personal assistant takes a long fall into Devil's Purse, a deep mountain gorge. When our duo discovers that someone very close to Dame Ariadne was murdered in that same spot decades earlier, they start looking into that long ago unsolved crime.
But as they reach into the past, the past is also reaching out for them. Can they unlock the secrets of Dame Ariadne's life before they too end up at the bottom of the gorge? Is Rudy somehow the key?
Up on the Woof Top is a brand-new holiday adventure in the delightful New York Times and USA Today bestselling series that the Los Angeles Times called "nothing short of masterful."
At Kringle Ranch, Dame Ariadne's expansive mountain spread, Chet discovers that he is not fond of reindeer. But the case turns out to be about much more than reindeer after Dame Ariadne's personal assistant takes a long fall into Devil's Purse, a deep mountain gorge. When our duo discovers that someone very close to Dame Ariadne was murdered in that same spot decades earlier, they start looking into that long ago unsolved crime.
But as they reach into the past, the past is also reaching out for them. Can they unlock the secrets of Dame Ariadne's life before they too end up at the bottom of the gorge? Is Rudy somehow the key?
Up on the Woof Top is a brand-new holiday adventure in the delightful New York Times and USA Today bestselling series that the Los Angeles Times called "nothing short of masterful."
Book 15
In THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, Chet and Bernie attend a P.I. convention to try and make some new (and hopefully lucrative) connections. It's the sort of thing Bernie hates, but he's got to do something to get his business back on track. The head of a big international security company seems impressed with The Little Detective Agency and hires them for what appears to be an easy and well-paid assignment. Things take an unexpected turn and all sorts of trouble ensues. Tensions are further strained when a stray puppy who looks an awful lot like Chet turns up. So does Dylan McKnight, Suzie Sanchez's former boyfriend. With Chet and Bernie both dealing with affairs of the heart at the same time they are facing an unexpectedly tricky case, it's a good thing that our two intrepid investigators are looking out for each other-as they always do.
A free collection of excerpts from Spencer Quinn's irresistible and bestselling Chet and Bernie Mystery Series.
An eBook collection featuring the third and fourth novels in the irresistible New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring P.I. Bernie Little and his narrating sidekick Chet-"a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre" (Stephen King).
Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to Bernie, but nothing has prepared him for all the exotic scents he encounters in To Fetch a Thief, when an old-fashioned one-ring traveling circus comes to town. After Peanut, the headlining elephant, and her trainer go missing, the Little Detective Agency is hired to find out what has become of the duo. Soon Chet and Bernie are led south of the border in hot pursuit of some dangerously cool criminals and a decidedly uncooperative pachyderm.
In The Dog Who Knew Too Much, Chet and Bernie take on the case of a boy who has vanished from a wilderness camp. The kid's mother thinks her ex-husband snatched their son, but Chet's always reliable nose leads Bernie in a new and dangerous direction. Meanwhile, matters at home get complicated when a stray puppy that looks suspiciously like Chet shows up. Affairs of the heart collide with a job that's never been tougher, requiring our intrepid sleuths to trust each other even when circumstances-and a rival P.I.-conspire to keep them far apart.
Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to Bernie, but nothing has prepared him for all the exotic scents he encounters in To Fetch a Thief, when an old-fashioned one-ring traveling circus comes to town. After Peanut, the headlining elephant, and her trainer go missing, the Little Detective Agency is hired to find out what has become of the duo. Soon Chet and Bernie are led south of the border in hot pursuit of some dangerously cool criminals and a decidedly uncooperative pachyderm.
In The Dog Who Knew Too Much, Chet and Bernie take on the case of a boy who has vanished from a wilderness camp. The kid's mother thinks her ex-husband snatched their son, but Chet's always reliable nose leads Bernie in a new and dangerous direction. Meanwhile, matters at home get complicated when a stray puppy that looks suspiciously like Chet shows up. Affairs of the heart collide with a job that's never been tougher, requiring our intrepid sleuths to trust each other even when circumstances-and a rival P.I.-conspire to keep them far apart.
Spencer Quinn's first original e-short story reveals how everyone's favorite detective duo-Chet the Dog and P.I. Bernie Little-came to meet before their first big case in Dog On It.
As fans know, Chet first met Bernie on that fateful day when he flunked out of K-9 police school. The details of that day though have always remained a little vague (like so much in Chet's doggy brain). All we know is that Chet had been the best leaper in his K-9 class, but for some reason he failed his final leaping test...and that a cat was involved...and that there was some blood. But whose? The test, the cat, the blood-all pieces of a puzzle that, when solved, will bring down a dangerous gang of thieves-and signal the start of a beautiful friendship.
This fateful day has been alluded to in every book in the series, and now fans of Chet and Bernie will finally get to find out what actually happened. For these two beloved characters, it was something like love at first sight-and, for Chet, at first smell, too.
As fans know, Chet first met Bernie on that fateful day when he flunked out of K-9 police school. The details of that day though have always remained a little vague (like so much in Chet's doggy brain). All we know is that Chet had been the best leaper in his K-9 class, but for some reason he failed his final leaping test...and that a cat was involved...and that there was some blood. But whose? The test, the cat, the blood-all pieces of a puzzle that, when solved, will bring down a dangerous gang of thieves-and signal the start of a beautiful friendship.
This fateful day has been alluded to in every book in the series, and now fans of Chet and Bernie will finally get to find out what actually happened. For these two beloved characters, it was something like love at first sight-and, for Chet, at first smell, too.
Chet and Bernie-everybody's favorite human-canine detective team-return in an e-original short story that gives Chet's best friend Iggy his moment in the spotlight.
Iggy is a dog who doesn't get out much, so it's big news when elderly Mr. Parsons knocks on Bernie's door to say that Iggy has vanished. In the search for Iggy, Chet and Bernie find Mrs. Parsons unconscious on her bedroom floor, in need of urgent medical care. But it's only when they arrive at the hospital that things get really interesting.
With a jewel thief making short work of hospital patients' valuables, it seems that Iggy is not alone in disappearing right out from under somebody's nose. Suspects are plentiful and witnesses are few. But when little Iggy reappears, tail wagging, it turns out he holds the key to solving the entire affair.
In addition to a clever caper and the return of much beloved characters, this gem of a short story is a testament to the enduring power of friendship in all its forms: neighbor to neighbor, man to dog, dog to dog. Here is a treat you'll devour in one sitting-rather like Chet with a juicy steak that's been momentarily left unattended!
Iggy is a dog who doesn't get out much, so it's big news when elderly Mr. Parsons knocks on Bernie's door to say that Iggy has vanished. In the search for Iggy, Chet and Bernie find Mrs. Parsons unconscious on her bedroom floor, in need of urgent medical care. But it's only when they arrive at the hospital that things get really interesting.
With a jewel thief making short work of hospital patients' valuables, it seems that Iggy is not alone in disappearing right out from under somebody's nose. Suspects are plentiful and witnesses are few. But when little Iggy reappears, tail wagging, it turns out he holds the key to solving the entire affair.
In addition to a clever caper and the return of much beloved characters, this gem of a short story is a testament to the enduring power of friendship in all its forms: neighbor to neighbor, man to dog, dog to dog. Here is a treat you'll devour in one sitting-rather like Chet with a juicy steak that's been momentarily left unattended!
Chet and Bernie-everybody's favorite human-canine detective team-are asked by a beautiful woman to find evidence that would put her cheating boyfriend in the doghouse in this e-original short story from New York Times bestselling author Spencer Quinn.