A Farewell to Arfs by Spencer Quinn
Spencer Quinn has done it again with his latest A Farewell to Arfs! He succeeds in thrilling readers with gripping tales of human private investigator Bernie Little and his devoted canine companion partner Chet whose rambling inner dialogue charms.
Chet the Jet: The Canine Star of a Thrilling Series
This handsome fellow, a strong black German Shepard mix who sports one jaunty white ear, however is not a talking dog. Some say Chet is the brains of the Little Detective Agency but it may be members of the “canine nation” like pals Trixie and Iggy that started this rumor.
A Detective Like No Other
Newcomers to this wildly popular, New York Times and USA bestselling series may be surprised by the clever titles spun off from classic novels. The supposition might be these taut yet humorous detective novels are light-hearted cozy mysteries. However, the action, peril and writing bear favorable comparison with John D. MacDonald who created the “Travis McGee” books or perhaps, even Raymond Chandler whose Los Angeles based pulp fiction evolved into quintessential hard-boiled detective stories featuring the iconic “Philip Marlowe”. His characters were tough, cracked wise and the atmosphere positively crackled with dangerous excitement and anticipation. His language dazzled and use of metaphors is unequaled.
Spencer Quinn’s use of language and humor is similarly impressive. Author Stephen King is a fervent admirer who wrote, “Without a doubt, the most original mystery series currently available.”
A High-Stakes Adventure
Narrator Chet’s interpretation of human speech finds him occasionally missing some of the subtleties of a situation or is otherwise preoccupied, wandering off-plot allowing the humans to carry on their conversations. He frequently pauses in his chronicle to laud Bernie whom he considers to be not only infallible but superior in every way. Known to be distracted by cats, other canines or found food, he is 100% present when it comes time to protect his human, leaping over walls or cars and standing down criminals with a combination of glare, growl or a firm grip on some bodily part with menacing jaws.
It’s a beautiful partnership between this K-9 police academy wash-out and West Point graduate, Bernie, whose military career had been foreshortened by a major injury. Following a subsequent stint in the police force he established his own detective agency.
In A Farewell to Arfs the team tackles a number of issues including the deployment of weaponized drones and the sophisticated use of an AI deep fake application that drained neighbor Mr. Parson’s savings account. Then his adult son, Billy Parsons, vanishes and a search begins that is fraught with danger. Additional complications ensue after a recent upset between Bernie and his fiancé police officer Weatherly imperiling their marriage plans. In retrospect, he may have been a little hasty in acting as a “knight in shining armor” after beating the daylights out of Werner Irons, a perp who had struck her with a wrench as she arrested him and was out on bail in a New York minute. Like partner Chet the Jet with his cat nemesis, Bernie’s blind rage and impulse hindered rather than helped the situation. We know he is one of the good guys, a caring friend to his elderly neighbors Daniel and Edna Parsons, owners of the yappy little Iggy.
While Edna is hospitalized, Daniel received a call from their only child, Billy, asking for a short-term loan of two thousand dollars. Trusting his son, Daniel gave him his password and account information. Billy was a ne’er do-well with past run-ins with the law but would never rip off his parents. He seemed to be a reformed character with a steady girlfriend and a new business he founded to assist ex-convicts like himself to successfully re-enter society. Billy Parsons was the director of “ProCon Resources” with the motto “From Darkness to Light.”
When confronted, he denied even speaking with his dad and had not asked for money. It looks bad for him when the bank verifies the Parsons life savings were drained in a single transfer passing through an account in Billy’s name.
The determined duo faces down killers as they encounter a number of narrow escapes from life-threatening circumstances in their pursuit of the now missing errant son and the stolen funds. Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Chris Hemsworth and other action heroes past and present have nothing on Chet and Bernie. Things do not go well for all the supporting cast of characters, there will be deaths in a novel filled with unforeseen twists. Spencer Quinn cleverly inserts a mention of last year’s hit Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge when speaking with the bank’s Fraud Squad.
From Cozy Mysteries to Hard-Boiled Thrills
If A Farewell to Arfs is your introduction to Chet the Dog and Bernie the human, welcome, jump in and make this your gateway to this delightful series of 15 books which can be read in any order. As a reminder to fans old and new, Chet the Dog, aka Chet the Jet, has his own Facebook page, blog and loads of tributes posted on the Chet and Bernie Fandom webpage.
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About Spencer Quinn:
Spencer Quinn is the pen name for Peter Abrahams, the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on Cape Cod with his wife Diana and with his dogs Pearl and Dottie.
