(My letter that accompanies the Advance Reader Copy of CAT ON A HOT TIN WOOF, the next Chet and Bernie novel, coming April 14 and preoderable this very minute!)
There are turning points in life: one of those clichés that turns out to be true. One evening at dinner my wife said, “You should do something with dogs.” Dogs had appeared in some of my earlier books—Buster in Oblivion, for example—but in what you might call trot-on supporting roles. I knew my wife meant something else, such as … such as …? And then KAPOW! In thirty seconds the supporting beams of the whole structure to come arose in mind. One, I would write a mystery based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s design where the private eye’s sidekick tells the story in first person narrative. Two, this sidekick would be a dog. Three, and most important: this dog narrator would NOT be a talking dog. He would be as canine as I could make him, knowing nothing a dog wouldn’t know (and at the same time would be aware of things human miss, like the scent of perpy nervousness).
Chet is the dog, Bernie the PI. Chet’s an unreliable narrator but a super-reliable crime fighter, and he outgrew the sidekick role from the first word of Dog on It, the first book in the series. For newcomers, I should explain that the Chet and Bernie mysteries are not cozies. There’s darkness, and the pain of life is felt not just by Bernie but by Chet, too. But—and I think this is part of the appeal of the series, if I may say so—he quickly springs back to his reset position, and that position in all about joy in life. Is that why I often hear from readers who say Chet and Bernie have helped them through hard times? That’s been a huge and humbling surprise to me.
People ask if the series should be read in order. Answer: NO. Chet just doesn’t roll with that kind of rigid sequentiality. You could easily begin with Cat on a Hot Tin Woof. Chet would be pleased if you did because he and Bernie have never faced a more challenging case. It’s about a cat named Miss Kitty who lives with a struggling mom and her teenage daughter and has suddenly and recently become a money-making internet influencer. But now Miss Kitty is missing and must be found quickly and without anyone—her fans, her talent agency, certain Hollywood types—knowing she’s gone. Has Miss Kitty simply wandered off? Or is something more dark and dangerous going on? Dark and dangerous is what Chet and Bernie do, but would Chet prefer not to take this particular case? Very much so. His attitude toward cats is … well, I’ll let him tell it: Today was shaping up to be special. But just then, when I couldn’t have been feeling any more tip-top, I smelled cat. Were there any cats in view? Not a single one. Cats can be tricky. In fact, there’s nothing trickier. I slid down from the summit of tip-top.
Welcome—or welcome back—to the world of Chet and Bernie.
Peter Abrahams aka Spencer Quinn
12 Comments on “Dear Reader”
L’eau de Perpy Nervousness would make a great gift set paired with Hawaiian pants this holiday season. Plus, if applied with reckless abandon, it could mask the kat scent.
And we know who owns a pair of Hawaiian pants.
Greetings!
I know this reader is thankful for Mrs. A’s brilliant suggestion!
Thieves! Youse are making me laugh! :^)
Good afternoon to all!
Making youse laugh makes our hearts happy, Wose.
We don’t wear L’eau de Perpy Nervousness. No, our go-to cologne is L’eau de WTAFP and His Legal Briefs. It’s a scent reserved for confident and discerning lovable miscreants.
Just as long as those legal briefs don’t have any skid marks! (Forgive me. I just couldn’t help myself!)
The only skidding that is ever done is us getting to our court hearing on time. WTAFP isn’t only a master of negotiation, but his stalling tactics are a thing of beauty.
I am one of those readers, and OFA is helping me, as we speak, to navigate hard times. With my Huny Punkin, suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, in the Boise VA Hospice Unit, I find I cannot even watch most TV programs, especially the news, as they are so violent and troubling. I find solace in Chet’s storytelling. I escape into his world, where, even though evil exists, his upbeat faith that good will triumph soothes my soul. Escapism at its finest. ❤️
Chet and Bernie are good medicine.
Yes, I’ve been using Chet and Bernie, plus Any Carpenter, to get me through stressful times. Chet and Bernie from the start but Andy Carpenter more recently per Río’s suggestion. I have an extensive dog book list going on Amazon.
When I don’t want to read I’ve been binging The West Wing on HBO in a loop, when after the finale I start again. Plus a lot of home improvement shows on YouTube involving French Chateaus, a place I will never live and likely not even visit and a few real estate shows in Italy, although the Liberty style Villas are few and far between. Then there is the gardening. Today I planted amaryllis and harvested saffron. If all of the corms blossom I might have…half a teaspoon. If I can get them to live and then blossom again next fall, I will be thrilled as then they will multiply. The goal with the garden is to grow enough for my own needs. Looks like it’s going to rain off and on for the next week so I’ll need to start seeds soon, like between showers.
I love the C&B origin story and the flash of inspiration that resulted.
How long must we wait to read the “tail” of Miss Kitty and Chet’s self-discipline and professionalism overcoming his feline aversion?
And even though the Chet and Bernie series can be read in any order, Mom and I suggest reading them in order. The characters have developed so beautifully as the series evolves that it would be a shame to miss that part.
I heartily agree, Big Tiny!