New Chet and Bernie Mystery Captures
the Emotional Connection Between Man and Dog

The Dog Who Knew Too Much
by Spencer Quinn
(Atria, June 2012)

A Fistful of Collars
by Spencer Quinn
(Atria, September 2012)

Spencer Quinn, bestselling author
of the Chet and Bernie Mystery
Series, with his dog, Audrey.

Spencer Quinn

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Spencer Quinn burst onto the literary scene three novels back with bestseller Dog On It, a fresh and funny romp hailed as “pure comedic genius” by Publishers Weekly. Narrated by Chet the Dog and co-starring his favorite human, private investigator Bernie Little, Quinn’s remarkable debut prompted the Los Angeles Times to write, “Nothing short of masterful…Sequels are a given, and a must.”

To the delight of suspense lovers everywhere, Quinn returns this summer with the fourth book in the series, THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Atria June 2012), featuring the irrepressible K-9 school flunkout and his endearingly flawed ex-cop partner.

Combining suspense and intrigue with a wonderfully humorous take on the link between man and beast, Spencer Quinn’s exceptional mystery series has captured widespread praise.

In this Authorlink audio interview, the author reveals who he really is, what motivated him to write the series, and the challenges he faced in telling the story from a canine's point-of-view, without making him human.

The story begins when Bernie is invited to give the keynote speech at the Great Western Private Eye Convention, but it’s Chet that the bigshot P.I. in charge has secret plans for. Meanwhile Chet and Bernie are hired to find a kid who has gone missing from a wilderness camp in the high country.

When Dog On It first hit bookstores, no one but his agent and publishers knew that Quinn was actually Peter Abrahams, Stephen King’s “favorite American suspense novelist.” Fittingly, Dog On It would earn universal raves and launch a winning series with its dead-on portrayal of the canine-human connection. Here the acclaimed author found the happy medium between the dark contours of his adult work and the lightness of his children’s books. It would prove to be an unbeatable combination that virtually guaranteed Dog On It’s rightful place on bestseller lists, where it was followed quickly by three more rollicking Chet and Bernie mysteries.

As literary critics and readers have discovered, Chet and Bernie are an inspired team. The former is “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre” (Stephen King), not to mention a keen judge of character with the best nose in the biz. The latter is a divorced dad with an ex-military man’s crime-solving instincts but no clue about women, investing, or cash flow. Yet when the two pool their considerable talents in the Little Detective Agency, they are unbeatable crime-busters with a track record any private investigator would envy. Just ask Chet. He’ll tell you that Bernie’s always the smartest human in the room, and don’t they always find a way—despite silly setbacks often involving cats—to put the bad guys away?

Spencer Quinn is the bestselling author of Dog On It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, To Fetch a Thief, and The Dog Who Knew Too Much. His fifth book in the mystery series, A Fistful of Collars, will be released in September 2012. Spencer (or rather, Peter) lives on Cape Cod with his wife, Diana, and his dogs, Audrey and Pearl. Visit him at ChetTheDog.com.

--Doris Booth