Another winner in the exciting, heartwarming Chet and Bernie series! Quinn keeps it fresh with a fascinating country music angle and his trademark, always charming, canine perspective. There’s grit and darkness here, as well, although the irrepressible Chet lightens the plot and warms our hearts. This is a sterling series - appealing to all canine fans and contemporary mystery lovers, highlighting an expansive western landscape with tight, active, easy prose.

It seems way too long since I've read about Chet and Bernie. This is book 9 in their ongoing series. It's always a good mystery narrated by Chet the dog partner of the Little Detective Agency. This book opens with Bernie getting out of the hospital and getting involved in a new case that same week. I love and adore Chet. Dog lovers will devour this series and cozy readers will find this a unique read. It could be read as a stand alone but it might be easier to know all the characters from the previous books. Dog on it, is book 1 and a great starting point. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Spencer Quinn hits another one out of the ballpark in his latest book, Heart of Barkness. Bernie Little and his always faithful, enthusiastic and ever vigilant dog Chet are working yet another case to find a murderer and free a woman they believe has been accused unjustly. The story unfolds from the perspective of Chet , which is walkways interesting and humorous . Great series!

Spence Quinn continues his Che and Bernie mysteries with Hear of Barkness. Chet is still his heartwarrming doggie self but Bernie is recovering from injuries and t he loss of his girl friend. He encounters folk singer Lottie Pilgrim whose music he likes. Trying to help Lottie when she is accused of murder and goes missing involves Bernie and Chet in the sordid backstory of Lola and her romantic and music income mistakes. Lola is not a sympathetic character and the light touch of previous Chet and Bernie stories is not as evident.

A new Chet and Bernie book is one of the few that I will pick up and read immediately, regardless of the condition of my To-Be-Read list. This ninth release in the series (publication date July 2, 2019) continues the reading pleasure and my enjoyment of Chet's canine narration of the private-eye cases of The Little Detective Agency.

I've pondered the chemistry of this series to figure out just what it is that I enjoy so much. The humor is the best, the mysteries are great (always tied to compelling human stories), and the inimitable relationship between canine Chet and all-human Bernie is irresistible, particularly in the way that they both understand the other with simple glances and gestures. But for me, the magic in the series' chemistry is Chet.

Quinn's clever writing has Chet able to give readers his (limited, no offense) canine perspective on action and plot development. Chet helps us see the qualities of all the characters in the story; his canine powers (far beyond humans, no offense) augment Bernie's skills, and Chet's deep and simple empathy and instincts make everyone (including the reader) richer in understanding life.

This is a lot of words for the bottom line: Chet and Bernie make for awfully good reading, and Spencer Quinn has given us a heart-warming, laugh out-loud time with a great book, this Heart of Barkness being just the latest. I'm already waiting for the twelfth book -- just what is developing with Suzy??

And if you know this series already, have you read the prequel, A Cat Was Involved? If not, go read this $.99 novella right now! This may give you the quintessential Chet and Bernie experience in the shortest amount of reading.