To Fetch a Thief (edition 2011)

by Spencer Quinn

Series: Chet and Bernie (3)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
585	32	40,516	(3.81)	66
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. In the third book in the brilliant New York Times bestselling series featuring a lovable and wise dog narrator, Chet and Bernie go under the big top to solve the most unlikely missing persons (and animals!) case ever. Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. Bernie scores tickets to this less-than-greatest show-on-earth because his son Charlie is crazy about elephants. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm of this particular one-ring circus, has gone missing-along with her trainer, Uri DeLeath. Stranger still, no one saw them leave. How does an elephant vanish without a trace? At first there's nothing Bernie and Chet can do-it's a police matter and they have no standing in the case. But then they're hired by Popo the Clown, who has his own reasons for wanting to find out what has become of the mysteriously missing duo. After Chet takes a few sniffs in Peanut's trailer and picks up her one-of-a-kind scent, he and Bernie are in hot pursuit, heading far away from the bright lights of the traveling show and into the dark desert night. Some very dangerous people would prefer that Chet and Bernie disappear for good and will go to any lengths to make that happen. Across the border in Mexico and separated from Bernie, Chet must use all his natural strength and doggy smarts to try to save himself-not to mention Bernie and a decidedly uncooperative Peanut, too. To Fetch a Thief shows why readers everywhere have fallen head-over-paws in love with the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Top-notch suspense, humor, and insight into the ways our canine companions think and behave make this the most entertaining and irresistible book in the series yet.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	edgewood
Title:	To Fetch a Thief
Authors:	Spencer Quinn
Info:	Atria Books (2011), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:	Your library, Read 2015
Rating:
Tags:	mystery, dogs

Work Information

To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn

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Showing 1-5 of 32 (next | show all)

My least favorite of the series so far. The characters are still fun but the mystery was a little weak for me. (

)

cdaley | Nov 2, 2023 |

This third installment in the series finds Chet and Bernie hot on the trail of a missing elephant. Despite that old elephant joke that elephants are so large they don’t go missing, this one did. And the merry chase leads the duo to Mexico. Money and drugs are involved, as well as shady dealings and murder. Some dirty cops arrest Bernie, and he and Chet are separated for a while. Chet is confused, but does his best to be professional, and in the end, well there is more to follow in the Chet and Bernie series, so you know it works out, somehow. The story starts out rather slowly, but picks up speed and then finishes with a bang. They get some help from from the elephant, but really, it’s Chet who saves Bernie’s bacon, and deserves some of his own. (

)

Maydacat | May 8, 2022 |

When an elephant and her handler go missing from a circus, it is cancelled to the disappointment of PI Bernie and his son, Charlie. However, since Bernie shows up before he knows about the cancellation, he chats with the police detective who is there to find out more. Later on, Bernie (and his dog Chet, whose POV the book is from) are hired by the handler’s partner (and the circus’s clown) to find out what happened, since the police are treating this as the handler simply having taken the elephant to get away from the circus.

I really liked this one. As always, it’s fun (and sometimes humourous) to read from Chet’s perspective. This one was extra interesting to me with the animal welfare/cruelty angle of circuses. (

)

LibraryCin | Dec 27, 2021 |

I think these Spencer Quinn books about a detective and his loyal dog, Chet, are fun reads for any dog lover. The story is told through the eyes, mind, and words of Chet. Quinn has a great imagination, seeing things and describing things as you might imagine your pet could see them. Entertaining and a fun read. (

)

rsutto22 | Jul 15, 2021 |

This is the third installment to the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Chet, the dog is the best at narrating their stories. Bernie and Chet are working on a case for a circus. A missing performer and his elephant are missing. The leads do not come easy and they are traveling farther than they would like to crack the case.

Even though this is the third book in the series, it is the first one I have read. I did not feel lost and felt very connected to the characters. I love the way Chet’s voice is described and how he takes in information. Since he is a dog he gets distracted sometimes but not most of the time because he is a good dog.

I wish I had more of the books to read but I will have to remedy it another day. The end of the story did not come together as cleanly as I hoped. It seemed like things had gotten so out of hand (or paw) the author wasn’t sure how to get it back to a resolvable ending. Things got too lucky in the final chapters.

I will definitely be reading another Chet and Bernie mystery. I could see these characters as a tv series or movies. Worth the read and I am happy reading out of order if I read more. (

)

lavenderagate | Mar 18, 2021 |

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When Peanut, the elephant star of the Drummond Family Traveling Circus, goes missing, along with elephant tamer Uri DeLeath, Uri's tearful clown partner, Popo, seeks the help of canine detective Chet the Jet and Chet's human partner in cracking crimes, Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, in Quinn's terrific third Chet and Bernie mystery set in "the Valley" of an unnamed Western state (after January 2010's Thereby Hangs a Tail). Sgt. Rick Torres of Missing Persons adds his considerable expertise, but it's Chet's fearless nose for clues that leads them on a strange odyssey that becomes downright hairy after Uri's found dead in the desert from the bite of an illegal African puff adder. Quinn, the pseudonym of suspense author Peter Abrahams (End of Story), radiates pure comedic genius via Chet's doggy bright narrative. You don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy this deliciously addictive series.

added by cmwilson101 | editPublishers Weekly

The most winning detective duo since Shaggy met Scooby.

added by cmwilson101 | editChristian Science Monitor

Chet the dog is the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction, and he doesn’t disappoint in this third installment in the series. Neither does Quinn, and he keeps the suspense churning as our heroes investigate a missing person—and an elephant.

added by cmwilson101 | editBoston Globe

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Spencer Quinn	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Dorfman, Anna	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Frangione, James	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Chet and Bernie (3)

Is contained in

To Fetch a Thief | The Dog Who Knew Too Much | A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn

Is abridged in

The Spencer Quinn Reader's Companion: A Collection of Excerpts from the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series by Spencer Quinn

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Lefty Award (Nominee – Watson Award for mystery novel with best sidekick – 2011)

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Canonical title

To Fetch a Thief

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The Valley (California desert?)

San Anselmo

Mexico

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Epigraph

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Diana

First words

"I smell trouble," Bernie said.

Better stop right there. Not that I doubt Bernie. The truth is, I believe everything he says. And he has such a nice big nose for a human. but what's that saying? Not much.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. In the third book in the brilliant New York Times bestselling series featuring a lovable and wise dog narrator, Chet and Bernie go under the big top to solve the most unlikely missing persons (and animals!) case ever. Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. Bernie scores tickets to this less-than-greatest show-on-earth because his son Charlie is crazy about elephants. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm of this particular one-ring circus, has gone missing-along with her trainer, Uri DeLeath. Stranger still, no one saw them leave. How does an elephant vanish without a trace? At first there's nothing Bernie and Chet can do-it's a police matter and they have no standing in the case. But then they're hired by Popo the Clown, who has his own reasons for wanting to find out what has become of the mysteriously missing duo. After Chet takes a few sniffs in Peanut's trailer and picks up her one-of-a-kind scent, he and Bernie are in hot pursuit, heading far away from the bright lights of the traveling show and into the dark desert night. Some very dangerous people would prefer that Chet and Bernie disappear for good and will go to any lengths to make that happen. Across the border in Mexico and separated from Bernie, Chet must use all his natural strength and doggy smarts to try to save himself-not to mention Bernie and a decidedly uncooperative Peanut, too. To Fetch a Thief shows why readers everywhere have fallen head-over-paws in love with the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Top-notch suspense, humor, and insight into the ways our canine companions think and behave make this the most entertaining and irresistible book in the series yet.

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Book description

In the third book in the brilliant New York Times bestselling series featuring a lovable and wise dog narrator, Chet and Bernie go under the big top to solve the most unlikely missing persons (and animals!) case ever.

We were outnumbered, some big number against two. When it comes to numbers, two is as far as I go, but it’s enough, in my opinion. . . .

“Sit,” Bernie said.

I sat. Bernie would think of something—he always did. That was one of the things that made the Little Detective Agency such a success, except for the finances part . . .

Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. Bernie scores tickets to this less-than-greatest- show-on-earth because his son Charlie is crazy about elephants. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm of this particular one-ring circus, has gone missing—along with her trainer, Uri DeLeath. Stranger still, no one saw them leave. How does an elephant vanish without a trace?

At first there’s nothing Bernie and Chet can do— it’s a police matter and they have no standing in the case. But then they’re hired by Popo the Clown, who has his own reasons for wanting to find out what has become of the mysteriously missing duo. After Chet takes a few sniffs in Peanut’s trailer and picks up her one-of-a-kind scent, he and Bernie are in hot pursuit, heading far away from the bright lights of the traveling show and into the dark desert night.

Some very dangerous people would prefer that Chet and Bernie disappear for good and will go to any lengths to make that happen. Across the border in Mexico and separated from Bernie, Chet must use all his natural strength and doggy smarts to try to save himself—not to mention Bernie and a decidedly uncooperative Peanut, too.

To Fetch a Thief shows why readers everywhere have fallen head-over-paws in love with the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Top-notch suspense, humor, and insight into the ways our canine companions think and behave make this the most entertaining and irresistible book in the series yet.

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