A year and bit ago, I discovered the delightful new Chet & Bernie mystery series that began with Dog on It, which I reviewed here (third book down).

Thereby Hangs a Tail is the second book in the series and just delightful as the first. At the risk of repeating myself, Chet is the canine half of the PI team and the story is told through his eyes.

This mystery revolves around a missing show dog named Princess and her owner, who we learn early on has been murdered. But Chet can’t convey that to Bernie and so Bernie must discover it for himself. Chet’s advanced doggie senses of hearing and smell bring interesting angles to the story. But Chet’s no superdog, as evidenced by his typically canine memory:

Bernie (gave) me a private look. I knew those looks. This one meant…something, I forget.

Although Bernie is an environmentally aware all-round nice guy, he’s not perfect either (except in Chet’s eyes). He’s flawed enough to be real, good enough to be extremely likeable.

This series is outstandingly readable, the mysteries are solid, and Chet’s observations can be laugh-out-loud funny. You will not be able to help yourself from feeling good when you’re reading Thereby Hangs a Tail. After all, as Chet says to Bernie’s observation that life is pretty good:

Pretty good? Life was great! How could anyone miss that? It was right out there every day.

I’ve already reserved the next in the series, To Fetch a Thief at my local library. May there be many more to come.

Recommended.

Links for my Canadian readers: