To Fetch a Thief

A Chet and Bernie Mystery

By: Spencer Quinn

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Spencer Quinn’s quirky, best-selling tales from the four-legged perspective of K-9 school dropout Chet are unlike anything else in the mystery genre. In this third adventure, Chet once again teams with his two-legged detective partner Bernie Little to sniff out the clues in a perplexing case.

©2010 Spencer Quinn (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Here We Go Again

Bernie is short on cash again so he's doing the work he likes the least; divorce. He gets the goods on a man's wife; and on his ex-wife's current boyfriend. The client throws in circus tickets with the check and suddenly Chet and Bernie have found their next case as the elephant and her trainer have gone missing. Though the ensuing chase is much like those in the first two books they're still entertaining. Once again Bernie is hit on the head and is arrested on a bogus charge; once again Chet is captured as well, But once again he escapes and the case takes a huge step forward. I hope at some point there are at least a few changes made in the plots of the books in the series. I like this series but as good as these books are; the plot needs to change sooner or later. Still a great listening experience.

Just Fun

Love these pretty simple stories told from Chet's (the dog's) point of view. Light reading, a little angst, happy ending . . . all's well with the world - more or less.

Good listen. Again.

Would you listen to To Fetch a Thief again? Why?

Yes, it's a very easy listen and keeps you entertained. The characters are well rounded and interesting. The dog narration is well done but not a "gimmick". You soon forget he has four legs and a tail.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chet as always is the star of the stories.

Have you listened to any of Jim Frangione’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I can't remember any other books by this narrator, but he surely captures the feel of Chet in this series.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I usually listen while driving and sometimes the story is so interesting I listen in the car after I arrive at my destination,

Most excellent.

Chet & Bernie continue to amaze and astound.I love that the story is told from the perspective of of the dog.

Excellent Read For Those Who Have Dogs

Would you consider the audio edition of To Fetch a Thief to be better than the print version?

Only people who own dogs could appreciate what goes through Chet's ever changing mind. We really do want to know what goes in their little pea brains sometimes and even if the story isn't as strong as people would like it is really enjoyable. This is a book that makes you laugh out loud at times and the story line is pretty good, but that's not the point. Books should be enjoyed on your interest in the book and not on others. I have read/listen to many books that got terrible reviews and completely enjoyed them while others that got rave reviews were completely, utterly awful! So to each their own. This is a very good series, just don't get too serious about it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chet of course! Brilliant mind, ever calculating. Wait! That is really Bernie.

What about Jim Frangione’s performance did you like?

I have always thought his reading of any novel was very good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing really

Light-hearted

Any additional comments?

This series is good for cute, light reading. I find myself grinning at Chet's narration and Quinn strikes the right balance of keeping Chet smart and yet still fundamentally a dog who can't quite help himself from being won over by treats and praise or overcome by tangential thoughts of why anyone would *save* bacon or chasing wild geese when humans start talking in metaphors.

Original & Charming

The animal cruelty plot line was not my favorite of the 3, but Chet steals my heart.

Second book good as the first

I liked this second book in the series as much as the first one. A couple times it moves a little slow but it's worth sticking through. See my review for the first book, Dog On It, pretty much the same applies to this one!

Sound Quality Issue??

I like the Chet and Bernie novels--this is the third in that series. But there was a quality issue that prevented me from enjoying this particular audiobook. It was muffled and fuzzy--I even re-downloaded the book in the enhanced format to try to improve the quality, but it did not help. The story was as cute as ever, but the quality was very distracting for me.

I haven't a clue

This will probably be my last foray into the world of detective mysteries - I think I was born without the part of my brain needed to appreciate them. The premise of the story being told from a dog's point of view is cool, and the narration is great. As for the writing, I'm not really qualified to to have a valid opinion because I have read so very few mysteries it would be like judging a cooking contest without the benefit of taste buds. I will leave the final word to those with the appropriate expertise.