If you aren't familiar by now with Spencer Quinn's mystery series starring the famous Arizona P.I. team of Chet and Bernie, it's time to "dig" in. Narrated by Chet who has a "man" crush on his partner, the Nick Nolte type, ex-baseball player and war hero, Bernie, the crimes usually take place in the Valley of the Sun where they both live. And Chet is a very unreliable narrator, seeing as how his main contributions to the team involve leaping to disarm perps, and his keen sense of smell.
This time, their neighbor gets a phone call from his ex-con son, asking for a loan. Billy Parsons has made some bad choices, but has turned his life around, and his dad oks the loan, which is transferred by phone. When Mr. Parsons checks his bank account he finds that every penny he ever had is gone and now no one can find Billy. Bernie roughs up a guy who threatens his cop fiancee and when she makes it obvious that she wants to take care of it herself, he doesn't know if they're still getting married or not. Meanwhile, Chet has followed a kid who was supposed to get him some biscuits, through his house to a room filled with complicated sound equipment. If Chet could actually tell Bernie this, they could crack the case, but unfortunately, Chet's method of communication leaves much to be desired.
This is book 15 in the series-they can be read as stand-alones but it's much more fun to start with the first...Dog On It and follow the team's adventures from the beginning. We are so happy to know that Chet and Bernie ride again!
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
Publication date - August 6, 2024
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