Chet and Bernie Mystery Series by Spencer Quinn

 Lately I've needed light, entertaining reading. There's a time for serious reading, but it's not for me these days. I need stress relief. I need humour. My friend and critique partner suggested these books.

Chet and Bernie are partners in a private investigation agency.

Chet, a big black dog who flunked out of K9 school, is the unreliable narrator. Because he misunderstands human speech, taking cliches and metaphors literally, a lot of what he thinks is wrong and funny. He thinks and acts like a dog: getting easily distracted by scents, food, and other animals. In this way he often misses the train of thought of conversation. This is one way the author hides red herrings or important mystery clues: inserting them in a chain of amusing doggie thoughts.

Bernie Little is the private investigator who works with him. His quirks include: fearlessness with everyone except attractive women, fear of public speaking, and an inability to understand some of Chet's hints about things to check out.

Often Chet discovers an important clue but can't communicate this precisely to Bernie. Chet finds things that Bernie can't through his superb tracking skills, sense of smell, and hearing.

Some of the titles are: Dog On It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, To Fetch A Thief, A Fistful of Collars, Paw and Order. Oh yeah, the titles are fun, too! (I entered a contest to suggest the next title.)

If you're a writer looking for a great example of unique, strong voice and ways to add humour, you'll enjoy studying what Quinn does. 

Even if you just want some suspense flavoured with humour, I highly recommend the Chet and Bernie mystery series.