Book Review: The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn

In The Dog Who Knew Too Much, author Chet delights readers with another top-notch suspense mystery. You see, Chet is a dog who authors tales in which he and his partner, Bernie Little, face the criminal element to bring about law and order. Bernie is Chet’s master, but the story is written from the dog’s point of view. Bernie is a private investigator, while Chet is his loveable, dependable, sleuth sidekick. In the books written by Spencer Quinn, these two beings are inseparable.

Dog-author Chet and Bernie begin a fearsome investigation for a somewhat soft, paunchy lad who has disappeared from a summer camp apparently during a hike into the deep wilderness. One can only imagine what it would feel like to be a parent and receive the message, “Your son is missing.” His mother is a psychological wreck during this entire ordeal. Devin had been enrolled in the camp to “toughen him up” a bit. His mother worries that her ex has somehow kidnapped the youth.

Although the defensive camp hiking guide insists that Devin has merely wandered off, his theory becomes more and more implausible, particularly when search parties, including those using helicopters, cannot find the boy.

Bernie uncovers that on one of the camp-out nights, Devin actually slept outside under the stars, rather than bunk inside, to be picked apart and jeered at by toughies. They knew the camp routine and had little mercy for soft newcomers. Disinterested local investigators feel that this is the reason the boy ran off and is probably hiding somewhere afraid to return.

But The Dog Who Knew Too Much becomes more than a story of a boy’s survival. With Chet’s indomitable help, Bernie locates a boarded up, partially hidden tunnel in the mountain around which the hike took place. Could Devin be hiding in there? Followed by Bernie, Chet engineers his way into the aging, collapsing tunnel. In some places, Bernie is able to crawl through some passages, only after Chet first wriggles through.

Article Author: Regis Schilken

Regis Schilken's stories reflect his search for meaning in a very human but frightening way. Three of his books have been published: The Oculi Incident, The Island Off Stony Point, and a third, You Know When was just recently released. …

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