Bark to the Future

At the start of Quinn’s winning 14th Chet and Bernie mystery (after 2021’s It’s a Wonderful Woof), Bernie Little, owner of the Little Detective Agency, and his canine partner and the series’ narrator, Chet, are driving home to the Valley (somewhere in the American west) when Bernie stops the car to slip a few dollars to a homeless man standing by a freeway exit ramp. Bernie is shocked to realize that the man is Rocket Saluka, who played on Bernie’s high school baseball team. Bernie takes Rocket to a burger place, where Rocket shows Bernie a switchblade, his “most valuable possession.” Afterward, Bernie drops off Rocket at the exit ramp. When Bernie later hears Rocket has gone missing, Bernie traces his presence to a homeless encampment, where Chet digs up the knife in the man’s tent. With this as their only clue to his whereabouts, the duo set out on a trail that leads them back to Bernie and Rocket’s alma mater and into a web of crimes that culminates in murder. This entry offers a tidy mystery, a good dollop of action, and a rumination on life after high school—who could ask for more? Chet, with his innate doggie wisdom, is sure to inspire loyal fans and seduce new readers. (Aug.)