Scents and Sensibility

A Chet and Bernie Mystery

By: Spencer Quinn

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

When a mysterious case of illegal cactus smuggling comes to their attention, Chet and his human PI companion, Bernie Little, find themselves in a prickly situation in this eighth book in the New York Times best-selling mystery series. In the latest entry in the immensely popular Chet and Bernie mystery series, Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion, Chet, return home to encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie's wall safe - normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office - is gone, and with it Bernie's grandfather's watch, their most valuable possession. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate. Is it possible that such a lovely old couple have a terrible secret in their past? Chet and Bernie discover bad things going on in the wilderness, far worse that cactus smuggling, and all connected to a strange but innocent-seeming desert festival called Arrow Bright. They unearth leads that take them back to a long-ago kidnapping that may not have been a kidnapping and threaten a ruthless and charismatic criminal with a cult following, a criminal who sees at once what Chet and Bernie mean to each other and knows how to exploit it.

Every bit as "insightful" (Booklist), "humorous" (Library Journal), and "deliciously addictive" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) as Quinn's previous books, Scents and Sensibility is a drool-worthy mystery that will have listeners everywhere begging for more.

©2015 Spencer Quinn (P)2015 Recorded Books

If you love Chet and Bernie don't read this one

What would have made Scents and Sensibility better?

I love Chet and Bernie but the ending to this one is so depressing and awful it has ruined the whole series for me. I just feel depressed.

What about Jim Frangione’s performance did you like?

Jim Frangione is the perfect voice of Chet. I can't imagine Chet any other way

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The ending just depressed me and that is not the reason I read books, if I had known I would not have read it.

Only a cliffhanger, only a cliffhanger, only...

What made the experience of listening to Scents and Sensibility the most enjoyable?
I have loved the Chet and Bernie series since the very first one. Many reviewers will suggest that a love of dogs is needed to truly love this series and that maybe so but I doubt it. Chet is so great.

What did you like best about this story?
True to his personality and character, Bernie invested himself with single determination to his case. Despite the uncharacteristic lapses and the foreboding ending I refuse to believe that Scents and Sensibility took all of Bernie.

What does Jim Frangione bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Oh Jim Frangione no one else could voice the mental wanderings, excitement, joy and loyalty of Chet, the Jet.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I did and I want the next one immediately and with a happy conclusion or I am thinking it will be, "an orange jumpsuit and breaking rocks in the hot sun" for Mr. Quinn. #Animal, #Underdog, #Funny, #tagsgiving, #sweepstakes.

Can't get enough.

I always go through a little internal debate about this series. He repeats himself a lot and uses the same scenarios over and over - and yet - they are still fun. Perhaps you have to be a dog lover. I know with my dogs, they love familiar actions. Somehow, Spencer Quinn and Jim Frangione manage to portray the freshness dogs bring to the repetitive and even mundane! While my dogs do love doing something new, they also bring the same enthusiasm to every little daily routine.

I've never read this on paper, but I suspect that Jim Frangione brings a lot to the table and makes these stories even more fun.

Enjoyed the story...............BUT

Excellent story.A bit slow paced but with lots of action ! BUT...the ending leaves a lot to be desired ! Does Bernie die ? Did they realize there was two dirty cops involved ? Did they understand where the money Bernie had on him was from and did it get back to Mr and Mrs Parsons ? All questions left unanswered. The only book in the series that ends this way. Very disappointing.Hope these questions will be answered in the next book if there is one ! D.B.

Narration was great, Chet was great

Narration was great, Chet was great, story was a downer.

I thought that some of the 'Chet-isms' were the best in a while and some quite funny. It's always fun to hear Chet's thoughts. So very doggy, so hope that my dogs have Chet thoughts.

Unfortunately the general theme and mood of the book was bleak.

I've always liked this series, hopefully the next book will be more uplifting and soon.

Always a kick to live inside Chet's head!

Story takes some unexpected turns. such a fun doversion. want the next one sooner than usual for reasons that will be apparent.

d the serie

This is supposed to be up lifting material, not so! Why kill poor Bernie? I'm so angry!

Please don't be over!

Poor Mr. and Mrs. Parsons next door. They are caught in the middle of stinky case, and it's just not fair. Mrs. Parsons starts out in the hospital, and Mr. Parsons becomes confused, trying to drive somewhere with his pajamas and only one slipper on, and he can't find the keys that are in his hand. And then there's a creep of a cop causing them more anxiety, and Mr. Parsons ends up in the hospital too. He is addled and afraid. It's so sad! Nobody should be treated that way, much less old folks. But, Bernie helps.

The plot seems to be centered on the non-eco-friendly removal of a saguero cactus. There are more of these in the story, but the emphasis on them just drops out. And the reason for the murder of a conservationist is also never really determined. But there are flashier things happening--an old kidnapping comes up again, a festival where folks wear antlers, and a huge metal saguero. The plot seems poorly thought out, and unresolved, but who cares. We love Chet and Bernie, and all they do. The separation, again, of Chet from Bernie causes some real anguish, as does the senility of Mr. Parsons, but of course, these are resolved.

As always, Jim Frangione is superb as Chet. He gets it all right. I can't imagine him reading anything else, or anyone else reading Chet!

This is the only book that ends on a sort of cliff hanger. What happens to Bernie? And Suzie? It is the last book on Audible, and the latest Chet book Quinn has written. He needs to hurry up and write the next one and get Bernie out of that questionable ending! Write faster! We need more Chet!

Another great mystery

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Spencer Quinn (Peter Abrahams) turns in another quality detective story from the perspective of everybody's favorite detective dog. Like any great sequel we get deeper into the lives and history of the characters that we're following. Quinn keeps Chet comical and this novel his inner thoughts aren't as repetitive as some of the other books have been.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Scents and Sensibility?

This book ends with a "what just happened?" "what's going on?" moment, but it is obviously open ended. Quinn does this often in this series to keep people talking and get people interested in the next book. He did this earlier, I think in Thereby Hang a Tail, when the book ended making the reader think Chet is dying of cancer. Then in the next book a tumor is removed and everything goes on as normal. Since this book ends so obviously open ended I suspect what is what's happening in this books memorable ending.

What about Jim Frangione’s performance did you like?

Frangione does such a great job at Chet's cluelessness and humor. He's not so great with female voiced and mixing up characters, but this series is really about the dog. I can't imagine anyone else playing Chet.

By far one of my favorite Authors.

I love Chet! If I haven't already mentioned that. Bernie is the kind of person we all should strive to be like with animals.