It’s A Wonderful Woof

In Quinn’s delightful 12th Chet and Bernie mystery (after Tender Is the Bite), Lauritz Vogner, who expresses an interest in Baroque art and architecture, offers Bernie Little, the head of the Little Detective Agency in the Valley (which is “almost certainly in Arizona,” according to Bernie’s partner, Chet, the series’ joyously exuberant canine narrator), $5,000 for a research job. Though Vogner assures Bernie there will be no danger involved, Bernie decides to pass the opportunity along to Victor Klovsky, a fellow PI whose usual detecting work consists of on-line research. Victor, however, recently made the unwise decision to branch out into more daring cases, and a few days later Victor’s mother calls Bernie to report her son has disappeared. An abandoned bicycle, a postcard depicting Nuestra Señora de los Saguaros mission church, and a fat man with a Santa beard are among the clues that lead the Little investigative team into a world of shady real estate deals, high finance, and obsession. Diverting digressions and colorful characters complement the investigative work, but the main draw is Chet’s irrepressible doggy charm. Quinn reliably entertains. (Oct.)