Category: Dogs Page 11 of 12

by Spencer Quinn
Series:Bowser and Birdie, #1

Hardcover, 293 pg.
Scholastic Press, 2015
Read: May 14 – 15, 2015

One quick sniff and I knew that BLTs were in that basket. BLTs were an odd human invention, sandwiches filled with weird tasteless stuff no one in their right mind would be interested in — except for the bacon. In case you missed that, I’ll mention it again: bacon!

This is just cute. That’s all there is to it. A cute MG novel, featuring a nice little girl with a lot of spunk and her new dog, Bowser. A fun mystery novel with a lot of heart.

Birdie Gaux is an 11-year-old mix of Flavia De Luce, Izzy Spellman, and Inspector Gadget’s niece Penny (from the original cartoon, natch). Fiery, spunky, determined, far too curious and independent, a little too comfortable with shading the truth/outright lying, with a clever dog friend. While her mother works on an offshore oil rig for months at a time, Birdie lives with her grandmother and helps in the family’s struggling bait shop. She doesn’t remember much about her father, a police detective killed in the line of duty when she was very young.

After getting Birdie her late birthday gift, our new friend Bowser, Grammy and Birdie stop at the bait shop to discover they’ve been robbed, while the comic relief employee napped a bit. The only thing taken was Grammy’s stuffed marlin — a family heirloom passed down from her father after his return from World War II. The adults — Grammy, the Sheriff, and the napper are ready to write the marlin off as a lost cause, but Birdie’s not.

Birdie and Bowser are galvanized into action — she’s sure she smells cigar smoke in the shop, and Bowser finds the remains of a cigar nearby for her, convincing Birdie that she’s right. The Sheriff is a nice enough guy, who’s more than willing to listen to Birdie’s thoughts about the case (listen — not really act upon) — but he’s not going to invest too much energy into investigating the theft of a dead fish, no matter the sentimental value. So Birdie, with the help of some friends (including the Sheriff’s son) and a nice — and easily confused — woman from the local retirement home, sets about hunting for the missing marlin (and some secrets that may be hidden within).

There’s a little danger, peril and excitement along the way, but nothing inappropriate for the age group. Bowser gets the worst of it, honestly, while Birdie is mostly safe. There’s some hints of problems looming for Grammy, some dark events in Bowser’s past, and that sort of thing. The sharper young readers will catch that, others won’t — it’ll either add some nuance and flavoring to the experience or it won’t — nothing that will affect the understanding of the story.

Quinn is much beloved around here for his series of novels about Bernie, the P. I., and his partner Chet the Dog — narrated, as this book is, by Chet. For the sake of diversity, I was hoping that Bowser wouldn’t narrate the novel in Chet’s voice. But he does — which is mildly disappointing for me, because I’d rather get the original. But as for attracting new readers — particularly a new demographic? It’s perfect. And while sure, I grumbled occasionally while reading — and here — about Bowser being Chet without the Police Dog Training, it’s still a fun voice. One that you have little trouble imagining would belong to a dog.

Not the most demanding of reads, nor the most complex of mysteries, Woof is a pleasant introduction to a new series that I hope will be around quite awhile, I look forward to getting to know Birdie, her dog, her friends and family a lot better. I imagine that soon enough, I won’t be alone, and that Quinn has found himself a whole new fan-base.

—–

3 Stars

The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron

By HCNewton

On May 7, 2015

In Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man

by W. Bruce Cameron
Series: Ruddy McCann, #1

Hardcover, 319 pg.
Forge Books, 2014
Read: May 6, 2015
Disgraced college football star, ex-con, turned hometown shame and repo man, Ruddy McCann suddenly finds himself hearing voices — well, a voice, one that claims to be a local Realtor who disappeared 8 years earlier. Ruddy eventually convinces himself that he’s not going crazy, there’s actually a ghost living inside his brain, one who used to be Alan Lottner. Alan was murdered by someone he vaguely recognizes and a complete stranger, for reasons unknown to him. He also doesn’t know why he’s in Ruddy’s mind. There are a couple of things he does know: Ruddy needs to take better care of himself and his home; and that Ruddy can help him figure out what happened to him, and why.

While working on this quest, Ruddy works on some repo jobs, tries to help a friend out of a jam, and attempts to help keep his sister’s bar afloat — oh, and he’s met this great gal that he can’t stop thinking about. The fact that she’s Alan’s daughter just complicates things.

Cameron doesn’t bother explaining much about how Alan and his host were linked, why it took so long for Alan to become aware, or anything like that. It doesn’t even pretend to. And that’s okay, it works, somehow — even though I wouldn’t generally stand for that kind of thing.

I didn’t find this as funny as most people seem to — I found bits amusing, I thought the characters were drawn with a comedic brush, but that Cameron played it straight — rarely going for jokes or laughs, but finding the humor in these people just living — a more grounded, and genuine kind of humor. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man is a pretty solid suspense story, with a side of romance, a few people looking for a second chance (maybe a bit of redemption), a loyal dog, and some silly characters. This one hit the spot.

—–

3.5 Stars

The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn

By HCNewton

On July 29, 2014

In Authors, Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U, Spencer Quinn

The Sound and the Furry

by Spencer Quinn
Series: Chet and Bernie, #6

Hardcover, 320 pg.
Atria Books, 2013
Read: July 23, 2014

I cannot think of another narrator in contemporary fiction as charming, as relateable, as endearing Chet — unreliable as all get out, but utterly trustworthy. I’m sure there are readers out there who are not susceptible to Chet’s canine charms, but I’m not one of them. I chuckle, I laugh, I am drawn in instantly — and as long as the stories are passable, that combination is a winner.

Thankfully, usually the stories are more than passable, which is just frosting on the cake. This time out, the Little Detective Agency finds itself on the road to New Orleans, of all places — a far cry from their normal stomping grounds. It’s good to see Quinn shake things up a little, he can’t be as dependent on things like Bernie chasing down a former C.I. or a familiar source of information. They also don’t know the lay of the land at all, and Bernie has to acclimate himself quickly.

Sure, some of Quinn’s tropes are here — Bernie not making sound financial choices, Chet causing a little trouble (tho mostly charming people), Chet getting separated for a time from Bernie (although this time it felt more organic than in any other of these books — I was a little bit into the separation before it dawned on me that, “yup, it’s about time for this”). But that doesn’t detract from the change in setting — or make it seem like less of a change. Instead, the presence of Quinn’s usual moves just underlines their universality.

It’s not uncommon for the sidekick of a detective to notice something missed by their associate — and it’s not uncommon for the sidekick to be unable to get the detective to see what they want them to/understand what they’re excited about, etc. And in almost any other detective novel where the detective is so clueless about so much of what the sidekick notices would be full of griping and complaining from the sidekick (justified griping, but griping, nonetheless). Not these books , however – except for his questionable financial decisions, Chet can’t even think of Bernie negatively, and he forgets anything that approaches negative almost instantly. This leaves the reader to chew on all the clues that Bernie’s missing while Chet’s focused on other things. I Love that. Typically, it’s the detective that has access to clues before the reader/independent of the reader (and that’s true here to an extent) but these books turn the tables on that, giving us readers the advantage.

Don’t know of its because Chet’s a dog, or if Quinn’s just that good at what he does (or some other thing), but when Chet’s in danger I get tenser than I do reading just about anything else — even if the danger’s not that great ultimately. But when Chet tussles with a certain critter in this book, I know my adrenaline levels jumped up and I read a lot faster just so I could get to the resolution of the fight.

My main (only?) problem with the book is its treatment of Suzie Sanchez. She seemed more like a refugee from Three’s Company than the reporter we’ve come to know and like. Quinn’s bounced between from treating her as a strong, capable character and this disappointment — she deserves better (as do Bernie & Chet, and the readers). If I’m drawing the right inferences from the cover image on the seventh Chet & Bernie book, it looks like he’ll give it a shot. If I’m wrong, Quinn should just write the character out of the series and start over with a new love interest.

We’ll never see it — I don’t imagine — but Chet kept hinting at this deeper, darker story, this side of Bernie we haven’t really seen (I think we’ve gotten glimpses before, but nothing like in this book). The kind of thing that belongs in a far more hard-boiled novel than this one. And unless we get someone else’s point of view, we’ll never see this side of Bernie in full because Chet can’t really admit it to be true. But we got a few hints this time — I sure wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Bernie.

Until then, we get these light, joy-filled mysteries equal parts puzzle and entertainment. Who’d ask for more?

—–

4 Stars

Shattered by Kevin Hearne

By HCNewton

On July 15, 2014

In Authors, Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Shattered

by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7

Hardcover, 335 pg.
Del Rey, 2014
Read: June 21 – 22, 2014

If there’s any justice left in this world, Hearne’s inclusion of a 3 page “The Story so Far” recounting the main events from every book in the series should earn him many 5 star ratings, it’s something that more people should do. The last two lines of his retelling should earn him a few more.

I’m not going to be one of those, I really want to be — I spent most of the novel thinking I would be — but in the end, I have to settle with a 4-star. In the end, I think Hearne tried to do too much in too little space, hurting the overall book — think Spider-Man 3. The use of multiple POV characters might have contributed to my problems — having spent 5 (and most of the next) inside Atticus’ head, spending as much of this book outside of it gives added distance to those events not from Atticus’ POV in a way it wouldn’t have if we’d been bouncing between Atticus’ and Granuaile’s viewpoint from the beginning. That said, I’m not opposed to it — and I really liked the Granuaile chapters, and would’ve been willing to do a whole book from her POV. Even the Owen (Atticus’ Arch-Druid who was introduced at the end of Hunted) chapters were fun, but again, it made it hard to get attached to Atticus’ story.

That said, I think the Granuaile story is probably the best part of Shattered, but it would’ve been better if we hadn’t taken off to see what Atticus was up to, or laughing at Owen trying to figure out how to make his way in the 21st Century. Laksha Kulasekaran calls and asks her for help, so Granuaile and the hounds are off to India for an adventure. One that pushes Granuaile to the edge of her abilities, and to her emotional breaking point — so much so that you wonder why Atticus isn’t around. Not that she’s not capable on her own, a strong, independent woman and all that — but because she’s a rookie druid and could really use her mentor’s guidance — and as the guy who loves her, he should’ve been there to support her in this trial. Along the way, she learns a bit more about magic in general, and meets some supernatural creatures that are about as odd and fun as you could ask. If the whole novel had been this story, I’d have loved it. But the power and impact of it were dented.

While Granuaile is running around Asia, Atticus is looking into who exactly is up to no good in Tír na nÓg, stirring up trouble (rebellion?) amongst the Tuatha de Danann, trying to take out our favorite Druid and generally causing all sorts of trouble. As investigations go — it was pretty weak, and pretty easy for Atticus to suss out what’s going on. What he found on the other hand — well, that was pretty big. And Hearne capped it off with a big ol’ Celtic can of whoop-ass. It wasn’t quite Hammered‘s level of insane fight scenes, but it was close. And (tiny spoiler) neither side came out unscathed.

What exactly the ramifications of this for the Tuatha de Dannan, the druids, and the various and sundry deities we’ve met (and probably will meet)? Well, obviously, we’ll have to wait and see — but it’s going to be big.

Still — and again, sing along with me — take out a lot of the Owen goofiness and Granuaile’s story, devote that space to Atticus’ story — and this is so much better. It’s so frustrating to read something that’s so close to be great, but falters.

Enough complaining, I really did enjoy this book. What positive things can I say? Hardcover! Yay. That’s a sign of success for the series, right? I even got one signed. Doesn’t mean anything to the review, I just like to see that.

I really liked Orlaith, it’s good for Granuaile to have a companion like this. I also appreciated she’s not just a feminine Oberon, but she has a distinct personality and is the proverbial Lady to Oberon’s Tramp. Owen Kennedy is an amusing addition to the cast — and potentially a powerful ally for Atticus and Granuaile as things heat up — and I look forward to something more substantial from him. While she’s not my favorite character, I’m glad to see Laksha hasn’t been abandoned — nor are other folks from earlier in the series (not sure why I’m so protective of this relatively minor spoiler — but it tickled me so to see Atticus deal with ______ at ______ I don’t want ruin it for anyone else).

Oh, and of course — Oberon. Really, for people who’ve read the IDC, that’s enough to say, right? Oberon. Read that and try not to smile.

At the end of the day, when it comes to wise-crackin’, magic-throwin’ dudes, The Iron Druid takes a backseat to almost no one (there is that guy in the Chicago yellow pages . . . ), and this book almost lives up to its predecessors. Any complaints are really just a sign of how good Hearne’s been before this. Bring on IDC #8!!

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2013

In Authors, Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U, Spencer Quinn

A Fistful of Collars

by Spencer Quinn
Series: Chet and Bernie, #5

Hardcover, 320 pg.
Atria Books, 2012

Little makes me as happy as a good Chet & Bernie story — and this one fits the bill. Quinn avoids some of the pitfalls of his other books — certain scenes/plot points that are becoming more than threadbare are absent here.

The main storyline was pretty predictable, but it was well — and entertainingly — executed. The subplots are the key to this one, and most of those were handled deftly.

Good, solid entry in this series with one of the best narrative voices around — give this one a read!

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2013

In Authors, Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U, Spencer Quinn

To Fetch a Thief

by Spencer Quinn
Series: Chet and Bernie, #3

Hardcover, 307 pg.
Atria Books, 2010

What can I say about this? Read it. Love this series. At this point, I think the only “voice” I enjoy reading more in this world than Chet is Archie Goodwin, and Chet’s still with us, so he could pass Archie.

On my first read, I didn’t love it as much as the first — but slightly more than the second — in this series. I think Quinn did a bit more with Bernie’s character than he has in the past — Bernie could probably carry his own story w/o Chet now (Heaven Forbid). Less Suzie, more Charlie and the ex. Good subplot involving the latter two.

Good mystery, nice action, etc. like always. I just love these books, wish I could articulate it better and get more folks to read ’em.

—–

4 Stars

Non-Fictional Feelings for Fictional Characters

By HCNewton

On August 15, 2013

In Dogs, Harry Dresden, Harry Potter, Iron Druid Chronicles, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, News/Misc., Spenser

A slightly different post this morning, I’ve been trying some behind-the-scenes work here on the blog this morning — composition, infrastructure, design, etc. The books that I’m overdue to review are hard to write about, I’m plugging away at 4 different reviews right now that I absolutely want to get right , and that’s time-consuming. Also, Grossman’s YOU: A Novel took 2 or 3 days longer to read than I’d expected — worth the time, but it did sort of mess up my schedule. So, like I said. Something different.

—–

I saw that picture on Grammarly.com‘s facebook page*, and as one does, shared it, which prompted a friend to ask what some of my favorite fictional characters were. I decided to limit the list to fictional characters from books (a. see the picture and b. see this blog), and to characters I had “non-fictional feelings” for — Hannibal Lecter was a favorite (for 2 books, anyway), but I had no emotional attachment to him, or Evanovich‘s Ranger — fun character, but don’t really care about the guy. Here, with added commentary, is my list.

Archie Goodwin — this is the name that jumped immediately to mind. Archie’s the big brother I never had — the quick, agile wit; the athleticism; the way with the ladies — and the rest of the things that older brothers so often exemplify to those of us who never had one (on the other hand, we didn’t have to share a bedroom). ‘Course he makes the list.
Spenser — it’s almost impossible to spend as much time in a guy’s head as I have Spenser’s (or Archie’s) and not have some sort of emotional bond there. Everything I said about Archie applies here too, actually.
Harry Dresden — Chicago’s resident Wizard P. I. He feels like a friend. Hanging with Harry for a night of RPGs, Double Whoppers, and McAnally’s beer sounds ideal.
Scout Finch — she’s plucky, honest, a born-reader, and loves her pa (even when she doesn’t understand him). She’s had a soft spot in my heart longer than most of the people on this list.
Hermione Granger — sure, her famous buddy still gets all the press. But it’s this brave, clever, stubborn and resourceful gal who’s the most consistent hero in the series — and the one you can count on for genuine emotional moments. (this isn’t to take away anything from Ron, Luna, Albus, Neville, Sirius, Dobby, etc. — but Hermione alone manages to do it in every book in the series)
Chet Little / Oberon — it felt like a cheat listing these separately, and it just looked wrong to leave one of them off the list. So…I cheated. Both of these charming gentlemen will win you over within a few pages (in Dog On It and Hounded, respectively), and after you spend a few books with them, they’ll have stolen your heart. They make you laugh, they make you worry — and in Hunted, Oberon commits himself to one of the bravest acts I’ve seen, and choked me up a bit. The humans these guys live with almost make the list just on their testimony.
Angela Gennaro — if you hadn’t grown attached to Angie already, especially after Darkness, Take my Hand‘s events, there’s just no way you can’t fall apart with her at the end of Gone, Baby, Gone

Let me hear from you, reader/follower/happener-upon-this-post — who do you have non-fictional feelings for?

—–

* I looked but couldn’t find the source for this, otherwise I’d have cited it. If you know who should get the credit, please let me know.

Suspect by Robert Crais

By HCNewton

On July 26, 2013

In Authors, Dogs, Elvis Cole/Joe Pike, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert Crais

Suspect by Robert Crais
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was a little leery of this book, I haven’t been all that satisfied with Crais’ standalones — Hostage was okay, Demolition Angel was enjoyable, but I haven’t been able to read more than 50 pages of The Two Minute Rule. But, hey, it’s Crais (and about a dog!), so I had to give it a try.

So glad I did. If you don’t come out of the first few pages deeply invested in Maggie, I fear you may not have a soul. Not that Scott’s story and character aren’t compelling enough, it’s just Maggie’s the star of the show and the heart of the novel, make no mistake. The action’s intense, the plot moves along well, and the suspense is real. Great read.

The fact that this is part of the Cole/Pike-verse is an added bonus.

I don’t think this is the best Crais novel (and I’ve read them all–except most of Two Minute Rule), but given the way this worms into your heart, it’s probably my favorite. I hope there’s more to come. Or at least an appearance from these two in a future Cole novel.

Recommended for fans of David Rosenfelt and Spencer Quinn.

Hexed by Kevin Hearne

By HCNewton

On July 1, 2013

In Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hexed by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #2

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While dealing with the fallout from Hounded, Atticus finds himself in even more trouble–this time there’s a very nasty coven that wants to come in and take over the Tempe area–and their first step will be eliminating all other magic practitioners.

So our hero has to suck up his prejudice against witches and team up with the very same group that threatened him last time out to defend the home turf and maybe even clean up some long unfinished business.

The whole cast of characters from the first book are back for more–plus a couple of new faces. Fast, fun, and full of excitement, The Iron Druid Chronicles delivers again.

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

By HCNewton

On July 1, 2013

In Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #1

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took no time at all for this book to grab me, and another 15 pages for me to fall in love with this. Right off the bat we get a solid action sequence, get the basics of our hero’s magic system, and meet a goddess. Not a bad start–it helps a lot that Atticus’ personality and charm comes through right away and draws you in.

Then we get a talking dog. Technically a dog (Oberon the Irish Wolfhound) that can communicate telepathically with Atticus, but why get picky? Oberon’s snarky, smart and pop culturally savvy–he runs a close second behind Harry Dresden’s Mouse for coolest pooch in Urban Fantasy. I’d be willing to read a book that’s nothing but Atticus and Oberon hanging out.

Throw in a helpful werewolf pack, a friendly vampire, a troublesome local coven, and a fight with an ancient Celtic deity and you get yourself a dynamic intro to what seems to be one of the best Urban Fantasy series around.