Bernie meets the man destined to his new best friend—a hydrologist who seems to share many of the same opinions as Bernie when it comes to water usage in Phoenix. I don't think we've managed to get a novel where Bernie hasn't complained about the waste of water in the area (except maybe those two when they were back East), "we only have one aquifer." It appears that Wendell has need of a P.I., too—the two make arrangements to meet the next day to discuss it.

But when our dynamic duo shows up at Wendell's worksite office, they find him murdered. Which puts the kibosh on the bromance. Bernie naturally begins investigating—spurred to action after meeting the Sheriff's Deputy in charge of this case, if nothing else—who is one of the sorriest excuses for a law enforcement officer that I've read this year. Some quick detective work leads Bernie to a suspect—not one that he believes really did it, but he still feels compelled to hand him over to Deputy Beasley.

This was a mistake as Beasley locks in on the suspect and ignores any other possibilities. But the more that Bernie looks into things—if only to find out why Wendell wanted to hire him—the more he's convinced the suspect is innocent. Only no one—including the deputy, and the suspect's own defense attorney—will listen to him.

We Need to Talk About Chet

What is there to say about Chet the Jet? He's the same loveable, heroic champ we've come to know and love. For those who don't know—Chet's our narrator, Bernie's partner, and a 100+ pound dog. Other than a couple of sentences showing a more libidinous side to Chet than we're used to seeing, he's exactly what we've come to expect. Don't read anything into me not having a lot to say about him—he's the best dog in fiction (for my money), but there are only so many ways you can say that.

But We Can't Forget Bernie (or Anyone Else)

On the other hand, I think I've given Bernie short shrift over the years—it's easy to focus on Chet. But Bernie's more than just the guy who complains about wasting water while making horrible investment choices. He's a top-notch P.I., but like most fictional P.I.'s, his principles, independence, and lousy business sense keep him from being much of a success. His residence and devotion to Chet are most of what separates him from Elvis Cole, for example (sure, Elvis has his cat, but he doesn't take the cat with him on cases).

I felt more connected to Bernie in this novel than usual—I'm not sure if that's a reflection on me or Quinn's writing. Bernie's outrage at the treatment of the suspect (some directed at himself for getting the Deputy looking at him) drives him more than any desire for a fee or to discover what Wendell wanted.

In addition to the case and the machinations of the principles involved, there's a lot going on in Bernie's private life. He doesn't deal well with most of it, which isn't a surprise, dealing well with personal relationships isn't his trademark. It seems to affect him more in this novel than I'm used to seeing him—both positively and negatively (although, there's a lot of negative in this novel—all around).

In case you can't tell, I can't put my finger on what's different this time—but Bernie seems more human, more real, less "merely the guy who Chet is devoted to" (although he absolutely is that). Quinn puts him through the wringer in many ways here, and the novel is better for it.

It's not just with Bernie, I think that this novel has some of the most subtle and rich character work in the series (last year's Heart of Barkness) headed in this direction (growth prompted by The Right Side?). The villain of this novel is the most complex and compelling foe for these two. Beyond that, there were so many characters that showed up for a scene or two—five or six pages total—that were just dynamic. Even Malcolm, the husband of Bernie's ex-wife, Leda makes a couple of positive contributions! He's rarely been much beyond an antagonist for Bernie, a competitor for the paternal role for Bernie's son—and here he's in such a better way, I almost liked him.

Don't Forget the Kleenex.

There are three—maybe four—scenes in this book that "hit you in the feels." One only took two or three sentences to deliver the punch, and could easily be missed. But the emotional core of this novel is shown in a couple of others (some readers will be torn up by them, others will be satisfied—either reaction is warranted).

But there's one scene—it has only the most tangential tie to the plot—that will (or ought to) devastate you. I'm honestly not sure why Quinn included it, but I am so glad he did. You'll know it when you read it, I'm not going to say anything else about it. Chet was still his goofy self, but even he came across differently in it. The book is worth the purchase price for it alone.

So what did I think about Of Mutts and Men?

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I've been a fan of this series since maybe the third chapter of the first book eleven years ago. And I'll be a fan until Quinn moves on. But there's something different about this book. Still, I'm going to try to thread the needle here—this is not my favorite book in the series. However, I think it's unquestionably the best book so far. I'm not crazy about some of the longer-term arc events here—hey're the smart move by Quinn, I'll defend them, but I didn't like them.

Still, there's a good mystery, you get the wonderful partnership of Chet and Bernie, probably the best use of Bernie yet, and a new depth to Quinn's writing—it's precisely what the doctor ordered. New readers will have no problem jumping in at this point, returning fans have to be pulling on their leashes to get to this. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. Also, sorry that I didn't get this posted sooner, I really did try.

4 Stars, buy it

Pretty typical mutts book. Some of the typical jokes are regurgitated. However I still love Mcdonnells love of nature and animals. I loved the superhero series, I hope that one continues. I also love when there are quotes with just a cute little drawing. And of course because I love to read, I love the mutts book club. And I always feel sad when I see guard dog chained up. Sniff. The Shakespere in the park strips are very cute and very punny too.  Overall a good Mutts book but some of it is getting repetitive.  Worth reading cause it’s so warm and fuzzy even if a bit repetitive at times.

(I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review)

This is for die-hard Mutts fans, the readers that are already familiar with the recurring characters and absolutely must have every volume in their collection. I am a Mutts fan, but more for the heart than the jokes, and for that reason this one fell flat for me. This volume is targeted to children, so perhaps I’m simply not the target audience.

I really enjoyed the first Mutts Diaries, but this book is a less enjoyable winter-themed rehash that focuses more on repetitive jokes and less on the heartfelt moments that the comic generally excels at. Gags about to much snow, hibernating for the winter, how much dogs like walks, and nut –throwing squirrels are all stretched to the breaking point, making it feel like a collection of outtakes from better volumes. Perhaps the winter theme is just too limiting; jokes that would run in the paper seasonally are suddenly grouped together and the effect is overkill.

The artwork is as adorable as ever, and Mooch, Earl, and the gang are their usual goofy selves, but this collection was too repetitive and was missing the more heartwarming moments I’ve come to love from Mutts. There were a few vignettes that stood out for their superior quality, like one where Earl comes home without his sweater and a silent panel on the next page reveals he gave it to his bulldog friend who is always tied up outside, even in the snow. Or a discussion between Mooch and Earl about deer overpopulation that circles around to comment on human overpopulation. Moments like those are what have made me a Mutts fan. This book just had too few of them.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                A few years ago, I stopped playing my city’s local paper simply because it sucked.  It really did.  I heard that it has gotten better, but I don’t know.  The only thing that I have missed from that paper was McDonnell’s Mutts.  (Yes, I know, but reading it in a newspaper is different, okay?).

                Mutt is great because Earl and Mooch and their people and friends are anyone’s pets.  Your dog or cat may look different but they either act like Earl and Mooch all the time, or act like one of the supporting animals.  It’s not like Garfield or Heathcliff.  Furthermore, McDonnell does quite a bit about animal rescue and shelters.  It’s hard not to like this strip.

                The Winter Diaries are pretty much what the gang gets up to or doesn’t get up to, in winter.  They try hibernating.  They meet a penguin, who may, just may, be a stand in for people in general, and they hang with bears.  We see what the squirrels get up to and watch Mooch try to find two identical snowflakes.

                And then there is the evil weatherman.

                At the end of the book is a brief guide to what animals featured in the comic really, truly do during the winter and what you can do to make life a bit easier for them.

                And this is what makes Mutts wonderful because it is for cat and dog lovers, not one or either, and for those who like animals in general.  It’s funny because it is true. 

                I mean, what cat owner hasn’t been spooned by the furry beast and what dog doesn’t got boing when on a walk?

    This is a very engaging mix of short doggy stories from one of dogs' very best friends, David Gordon Burke. Most of these short stories lean towards the sad and tragic with some nice yappy endings. However, Burke's raison d'être is exactly that dogs are being mistreated, in Mexico in these cases, and we humans need to do a lot about it. The problem may be acute in Mexico though hopefully improving, but that is certainly not the case in all corners of the world.
    Burke makes very good use of newspaper reports between his conventional short stories, which greatly add to the ambient feel of seriousness behind his reflections. All the stories are based on general truths from real incidents, though some have been lightly fictionalised to make them more engaging and rounded.
    The stories are well written, though the version I read had a few very inconsequential typos. There is always danger in not mentioning this, as grammar fiends seem to so enjoy destroying great writing, like this, on such thin pretences and especially if they feel 'conned' into buying.
    As one of those people that actually prefers the average dog to the average human, I am bound to empathise deeply with this book, however, I feel even strange folks such as cat lovers and rodent fanciers will find plenty here to grab their attentions, stories drawn from the street-life of Mexico.

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