Review: A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn

Title: A Fistful of Collars {A Bernie and Chet Mystery #5}

Published: Atria September 2012

Synopsis: 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. Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production, a big-budget Western in the classic tradition. The star is none other than ruggedly handsome—and notoriously badly behaved—Thad Perry. When the mayor decides that someone needs to keep an eye on Thad so that he doesn’t get into too much trouble, Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job. The money is good but something smells fishy, and what should have been a simple matter of babysitting soon gets more complicated—especially when they discover that Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley that nobody wants to talk about. What kind of secret could Thad have left behind when he went to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune? The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk. As Bernie’s relationship with his longtime girlfriend Suzie goes long-distance, and Chet’s late-night assignations appear to have resulted in an unexpected dividend, it’s all our two sleuths can do to keep Thad and his motley entourage of yes-men, handlers, and hangers-on 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.

Status: Read from September 13 to 14, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy Simon & Schuster/NetGalley}

My Thoughts:

With a nose for trouble and a dogged determination to uncover the truth (double pun intended!) A Fistful of Collars is the entertaining fifth installment of the mystery series featuring Chet and Bernie. Hand picked to babysit a visiting movie star, Thad Perry, by the Mayor, Chet and Bernie soon discover the Hollywood bad boy is hiding a deadly secret.

As always, the biggest draw of this series for me is it’s telling from Chet’s unique perspective. Despite Quinn restricting himself to only Chet’s observations, half understood sentences and charming random associations the story unfolds fluidly. It’s a fairly straight forward mystery involving a cold case, drugs, blackmail and a cover up that leads to two brutal deaths and Bernie pinned to a warehouse door by a knife embedded in his leg.

In Bernie’s personal life, Suzie has reluctantly accepted a promotion to the Washington Post, leaving him out of sorts despite their decision to continue their romance long distance. Bernie’s six year old son, Charlie land’s a role in Perry’s movie and proves to be a talented actor, something his ex wife, Leda, is eager to encourage.

A Fistful of Collars is an entertaining ~~tail~~ tale of canine companionship and mystery. While Chet occasionally refers to events in previous books, this can be enjoyed as a standalone though I recommend readers being with Dog on It.