What We're Reading: Rita

To Fetch a Thief: A Chet and Bernie Mystery

Spencer Quinn

This is the third title in the Chet and Bernie series, all narrated by Chet. Bernie is Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, and Chet, his partner, is a dog. Not just any dog, but a highly trained canine professional, even if he didn't make it all the way through K-9 school (something about an incident with a squirrel during the final exam). This time out, when Chet and Bernie take Bernie's son Charlie to the Drummond Family Traveling Circus, they discover that the show has been cancelled because the star of the show, Peanuts the elephant, has disappeared. Police later discover that Peanut's trainer has also gone missing, but are reluctant to pursue the matter. Charlie, who has a thing for elephants, begs Bernie to investigate, and when Popo the clown officially hires the Little Detective Agency, Chet and Bernie are off on another case. The series is well written and the plots have plenty of mystery, with a little emphasis on some serious social issues - in this case, animal rights. Chet is the true star, however, and sees more than his fair share of action. Additionally, his insights on humans and their behavior (perps and good guys alike) are amusing but insightful.

What We're Reading: Cathy

Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith

Meet Freddy de la Hay. He's an ex-sniffer dog for Heathrow Airport. He is also the newest resident at Corduroy Mansions in Pimlico, London. He joins a group of typical (odd?) Londoners who live in the flats . There is William, the wine merchant, who is trying to make his awful son Eddie move out. He's so desperate that he gets a dog (Freddy) and another roommate - a woman - to force the issue. The middle flat is occupied by 4 young women: Jenny who is secretary to the loathsome MP Oedipus Snark; Caroline, an art student; Dee, who works in a vitamin store; and Jo, who works at a wine bar. The bottom floor is occupied by the rather mysterious Mr. Wickramsinghe, an accountant. We bounce from one person to the next, following them through events both big (a near fatal accident) and small (a chewed up shoe). This book follows in the tradition of Mr. McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series.

What We're Reading: Barbara

Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish by Mark R. Levin


Rescuing Sprite is a wonderful book about the joy and heartbreak of owning a dog. Many people have heard of Mark Levin from his nationally syndicated radio show, but many may not know that in his personal life, he is a dog lover, and recently suffered the loss of one of his dogs, Sprite. Mark’s family had previously adopted another shelter dog, Pepsi, before adopting a second shelter dog, Sprite, who charmed them with his beauty and calm demeanor. However, when they adopted Sprite they had no idea that he was much older than they were told, and there was no clue that he would soon suffer from serious health problems. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog, especially a senior dog, will understand Mark’s and his family’s anguish as they watched the dog they loved as his health deteriorated and they finally had to have him put to sleep.