In this 5th book in the 'Chet and Bernie' series, the detective team keeps an eye on a Hollywood star during a movie shoot. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
In the Chet and Bernie stories, Bernie Little and his hundred-plus pound dog Chet run the Little Detective Agency in Arizona.
The books are narrated by Chet, whose somewhat limited vocabulary, unfamiliarity with idioms, doggie logic, and tendency to get distracted set the stage for plenty of smiles.
Bernie is a West Point graduate, war veteran, former police lieutenant, and talented private detective. Chet is Bernie's invaluable partner, always ready to clamp his jaw on perps and drag them off by the pants.
Chet and Bernie live and work in an area called the Valley, which Chet describes as follows: "Ah, the Valley. No place like it. The Valley goes on forever in all directions, and those smells! You haven’t smelled till you’ve smelled the Valley. Hot rubber, hot pavement, hot sauce, hot charcoal ash, hot everything! Yes, even hot ice cream. Plus all kinds of grease—deep-fry grease, pizza grease, burrito grease, unwashed human skin grease, and human hair grease—not to mention the grease on my tail at this very moment. Where had that come from? I tried to remember, but not hard."
In any case, a Hollywood western starring Thad Perry is currently being filmed in the Valley, and the production company, along with Thad's bodyguard, girlfriend, and various hangers on are in town.
The local mayor lobbied hard to attract the movie production company, in hopes of attracting more Tinseltown business to the region.
Thad is handsome and a fine actor, but he has a tendency to get drunk and use cocaine. So the mayor hires the Little Detective Agency to monitor the celebrity, to keep him out of trouble and make sure he shows up for his scenes.
Meanwhile, Bernie's journalist girlfirend Suzie Sanchez is moving to Washington DC for a better job, which will necessitate a long-distance romance. Prior to leaving town, Suzie mentions hearing that movie star Thad Perry, a long-time resident of Los Angeles, spent some time in the Valley years ago.
Before long, people who know about Thad's connection to the Valley are being murdered, and Bernie and Chad investigate their deaths. The duo keep coming up on brick walls, though, since no one will admit knowing Thad visited the Valley.....ever.
Bernie and Chet keep looking though, and mysterious deliveries of envelopes filled with cash; a dead body in a dumpster; a squatter in the old flower show venue; a bartender; and more eventually point the investigators in the right direction.
There's plenty of humor in the story, starting with Bernie's purchase of a new (used) Porsche, since Bernie's cars seem to constantly burn up; go over cliffs; and crash. This time Bernie's car dealer Nixon paints palm trees on the second-hand Porsche, to match Bernie's Hawaiian shirt.
It's also fun to hear Chet talk about various perps he and Bernie put away, and how they're wearing orange jumpsuits now. For instance, when Suzie mentions 'The Big Bear' case she wrote about, Chet recalls: "Whoa. Big Bear Wilderness Camp? The sheriff? Those deputies? That judge? The mama bear? All of them breaking rocks in the hot sun by now, or very soon. Except for that mama bear, of course. Let’s not get started on her."
And of course, Chet chows down on plenty of treats and Slim Jims, which people seem to keep on hand for thier favorite canine.
This is a fun cozy mystery, good for a few smiles.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Jim Frangione, who does a very good job.
Rating: 3 stars
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