Thereby Hangs A Tail by Spencer Quinn

Title:  Thereby Hangs a Tail
Author:  Spencer Quinn (pseudonym for Peter Abrahams)
Genre: Humour/Crime Fiction
Publisher:  Allen & Unwin
Publication Date: March 2009
Stand alone or series:  Series
Book Length: 309
Favourite Paragraph:  "As for what got into me, how to explain?  The facts are that suddenly I was airborne and snagging that bacon bit out of Nance's handd at the exact moment of transfer, possibly knocking Princess over, but totally by accident.  The whole thing was an accident, really.  As for the bacon: delish.

Synopsis
Bernie Little and his canine companion, Chet, are private investigators. Both have had some setbacks in life - Bernie in combat, Chet in K-9 dog-training school - but together they make up a team like no other.
In Thereby Hangs a Tail, Bernie and Chet are hired to investigate threats made against an unlikely target - a pretty, pampered show dog named Princess. What seems like a joke turns serious when Princess and her owner are abducted. And to make matters worse, Bernie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, reporter Susie Sanchez, disappears too.
When Chet gets separated from Bernie, he tries to put the pieces together, find his way home, and save the day.
With genuine suspense and intrigue, combined with humour and insight into the special bond between man and dog, Thereby Hangs a Tail is the much awaited sequel to the fantastic, funny, New York Times bestselling Dog On It. It will keep everyone talking - and chuckling.


My Thoughts
This time Chet and Bernie are hired to look after a special show dog named Princess.  She's a pampered poop and going to enter The Great Western Dog Show and has received threats against her.  Bernie and Chet get off at a rocky start with the owner, but once they work out this isn't just some prank, and Princess and Adelina have been abducted they get down to business.
I'm still amazed at how well Spencer writes his main character.  Chet's moods and traits are spot on and I found myself looking down at my dog Mischief thinking, well that seems to explain that!  Chet has a good memory compared to his owner Bernie but being a dog means different distractions get him wandering off track.  It's quite amusing.

Once again Spencer Quinn has delivered another brilliant story.  Thereby Hangs a Tail was just as good as Dog On It, if not better.  It will have you gripping the page wanting to know whats next.  A fantastic mystery.

Just a heads up on the ending, there might possibly be a cliffhanger :) but we don't have to wait long because the next installment in this series To Fetch a Thief will be out in October of this year.