A Twisty Tail
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook (2014) released simultaneously with the Kindle eBook original (2014)

Tail of Vengeance (2014) is a further prequel short story by Spencer Quinn for his canine & human detective duo of Chet and Bernie. The popular series of Chet and Bernie Mysteries has been ongoing since 2009 and the 13th novel Bark to the Future was released on August 9, 2022.

The story began as detective genre standard but came with a few twists. A suspicious girlfriend asks the Bernie Little Detective Agency to investigate whether her boyfriend is cheating on her. Chet and Bernie quickly establish that the apparent rival is actually the boyfriend's wife. It gets even more complicated after that and Chet and Bernie become witnesses to a dramatic finale.

I read/listened to Tail of Vengeance through a $1 Audible sale from late July 2022. ( )

This short story ends with a bang! It fills in some gaps in the Chet and Bernie saga, but it works as a stand alone. Told from the point of view of Chet, canine extraordinaire, it abounds with humor. You don’t have to be a regular reader to enjoy the humor and excitement, but once you start the series, you will likely want to continue with it. The entertainment value goes up with the audio version superbly performed by narrator Jim Frangione. ( )

Funny little short detective story with Chet and Bernie. ( )

(Fiction, Mystery, eShort)

I can’t remember a lot about this entry in the Chet & Bernie series, and that’s a little unusual for me with these books.

So even though I seemed to have enjoyed it (I rated it 4 stars when I read it), it’s perhaps not quite up to the usual sparkling standards for this series.

4 stars anyway ( )

Followers of this series know that Chet has mentioned the Teitelbaums several times ("That's a story for another time"), and we finally get the scoop on that particular case. Oh, what a case it is-- even if you've never heard of the Teitelbaums!

Spencer Quinn's digital short stories are perfect on multiple levels. For fans, it helps tide them over until the next Chet and Bernie book. For dog lovers, there's no author better at getting inside the head of a canine. Mystery lovers have something to sink their teeth into, and those readers who can't get enough laugh-out-loud humor should be satisfied as well.

Love mysteries? Love dogs and humor? Feeling a bit hesitant to read a book written from a dog's point of view? "Tail of Vengeance" is the perfect vehicle to take for a test drive. After you've read it, chances are you'll be going back to the dealership to trade in the subcompact for the luxury sedan. ( )