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Chet and Bernie Mystery #3.1
Santa 365
Santa doesn’t just deliver gifts—he takes them too!—in this delightful holiday e-short featuring New York Times bestselling sleuths Chet and Bernie.He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. This year, jolly old St. Nick knows Bernie has been sleeping on preparations for a special Christmas celebration with his son Charlie. Enter Plumpy Napoleon, fresh from a short stint in prison, to save Bernie from the naughty list. Plumpy calls his latest business plan “Santa 365.” For a small fee (that only gets bigger), he’ll fill your life with holiday cheer, including elves, a festive party, gifts, and even a Christmas tree delivered right to your front door. Bernie signs on for the full yuletide experience. But after the blowout holiday bash, Bernie and Chet the dog discover one of Santa’s helpers helped himself to more than Christmas candy. The intrepid duo sets out to find the sticky-fingered perp and reclaim the stolen goods. Add in a surprise visit from Bernie’s mom, two elderly sisters seeking their own brand of justice, and an elf with a stocking full of secrets, and you have a Christmas mystery that only Chet and Bernie could possibly unwrap.
43 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2015
About the author
Spencer Quinn
43 books1,994 followersSpencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog Audrey, and is hard at work on the next Chet and Bernie adventure.
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.
Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.
Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
August 23, 2022
Santa 365
By Spencer Quinn
This was a short story but lots of fun! Chet of course is my favorite character! 😂 Cute, fun, and humorous!
By Spencer Quinn
This was a short story but lots of fun! Chet of course is my favorite character! 😂 Cute, fun, and humorous!
December 3, 2015
This digital Christmas short story has many of the things fans of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series love, but there are a couple of little hiccups. One is the fact that the story is actually too short and doesn't allow for Chet's narrative skills to really shine. The second problem is the larger of the two. I've never seen Bernie be so gullible. I don't know if he was trying to lull the crook into a false sense of security, or if he'd taken leave of his senses for the holidays.
Despite the two things I mentioned, this is still a nice little Christmas story. I give it two tails up-- because two is the best number (according to Chet).
Despite the two things I mentioned, this is still a nice little Christmas story. I give it two tails up-- because two is the best number (according to Chet).
November 6, 2015
What could be better than a Bernie and Chet Christmas short story? With 6 or 7 books in the series we get to visit with all the regulars including Suzy and Charlie. I love Chet the German Shepard narrating these stories with their PI business solving a crime. Enjoy.
November 24, 2015
I have read most of this series and this book is not up to their usual stands. Parts were confusing and even after reading over I never really understood what the plot was. It seem to be giving gifts to every one with without Santa. Often the story was told from Chet's viewpoint; other times from Bernie's. I wonder why the mention of shelter dogs lonely was mention. It didn't fix in the story.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Atria Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Atria Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own.
November 14, 2016
Completed for letter Q in an a-z challenge.
August 9, 2017
Short but could not resist any Chet story.
November 17, 2015
SANTA 365
Bernie and Chet, of the Little Detective Agency, put Plumpy Napoleon away for running a Ponzi scheme netting Plumpy over one million dollars. Because of prison overcrowding, after only eight month behind bars Plumpy is standing in Bernie’s driveway hoping to pitch his new “business plan” – a Christmas party planning service. For a nominal fee Plumpy will plan a party with all the trimmings; the tree (for a nominal fee), the food (for another slight fee increase), the gifts (with the platinum package) and for Bernie, he’ll even throw in a real live elf or two. Since it was Bernie’s Christmas to have his son Charlie he gives Plumpy’s service a try. The party is a success but when everyone clears out afterwards Bernie discovers his safe has been cleared out too. Bernie and Chet are soon on the trail of the culprit and discover some surprises along the way.
Bernie’s mom shows up unexpectedly, we get to know Charlie a little better and revisit with the rest of the characters from the series. Chet, as usual is the unreliable, yet lovable, narrator. For fans of the series this e-short is a fun must-read – just in time for the holiday season.
I’m putting this one on my Christmas Reads shelf so give it four bookish trees.
* I received this ebook at no charge from Atria Publishing via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review *
This book is being released on November 24, 2015 and is available for pre-order on Amazon or from your favourite bookseller.
Before receiving this book for review I had already purchased three other Chet and Bernie short stories that I had not gotten around to reading yet. Since I was reviewing the above book I felt it was the perfect time to read the others as well.
A CAT WAS INVOLVED
Finally! Finally! Finally!
In every book of this series Chet, although his dog-memory and attention span is admittedly short term when it comes to most things, mentions the cat incident that caused him to fail the final test in K-9 school and cost him his graduation. That was bad. The cat incident almost landed Chet at the pound but it also allowed Chet to meet Bernie for the first time. That was good. It was love at first sight for both of them, a match made in heaven and the birth of the partnership that makes up Little Detective Agency.
If you are a fan of the series this short story will take you back to the beginning of the series and if you are thinking about giving this series a try this is an excellent starting point because – well – it’s the beginning of the adventure.
Five stars for this one because it finally gave me the whole story behind the infamous “cat incident”.
TAIL OF VENGEANCE
A beautiful blonde approaches Bernie about investigating her cheating boyfriend. Right away Chet gets a bad feeling about the case and it’s not the kind of case they usually work. But Lt. Stine had recommended Bernie to this young lady so Bernie takes the case. One day of work, $600 in the Agency’s coffer and the case looks done – until another client shows up asking Bernie to investigate the same cheating boyfriend, this time the referral came from Leda, Bernie’s ex-wife. Some interesting twists and turns and then suddenly the title’s meaning becomes quite clear … truly the perfect definition of the word vengeance.
Five stars for this short story because I loved the twists and turns and especially the final scene. It was completely fun to read.
THE IGGY CHRONICLES
Bernie and Chet are having a well-deserved morning of sleeping in when a knock on the door wakes them both up. Well, it wakes Chet who rouses the still snoring Bernie. Unexpected knocks are very seldom good news and this is no exception. At the door is Daniel Parsons, their next-door-neighbour and it seems Iggy, his little dog and Chet’s good friend, has disappeared under very mysterious circumstances. Chet is on instant alert and Bernie wants to help old Mr. Parsons. After a hospital visit, some disappearing jewellery, a really unusual motorcycle cop and new head of hospital security Bernie and Chet, as always, close the case.
This was my least favourite of the four short stories I read but fun none-the-less so three stars for this one.
“A Cat Was Involved” is obviously the start of the series so can certainly be read as a stand-alone story. While the others slide in comfortably between the existing books in the series they can certainly be read independent of the books and still be entertaining and easy to follow. Chet makes sure of that by giving the reader just enough back-story to make it work.
Bernie and Chet, of the Little Detective Agency, put Plumpy Napoleon away for running a Ponzi scheme netting Plumpy over one million dollars. Because of prison overcrowding, after only eight month behind bars Plumpy is standing in Bernie’s driveway hoping to pitch his new “business plan” – a Christmas party planning service. For a nominal fee Plumpy will plan a party with all the trimmings; the tree (for a nominal fee), the food (for another slight fee increase), the gifts (with the platinum package) and for Bernie, he’ll even throw in a real live elf or two. Since it was Bernie’s Christmas to have his son Charlie he gives Plumpy’s service a try. The party is a success but when everyone clears out afterwards Bernie discovers his safe has been cleared out too. Bernie and Chet are soon on the trail of the culprit and discover some surprises along the way.
Bernie’s mom shows up unexpectedly, we get to know Charlie a little better and revisit with the rest of the characters from the series. Chet, as usual is the unreliable, yet lovable, narrator. For fans of the series this e-short is a fun must-read – just in time for the holiday season.
I’m putting this one on my Christmas Reads shelf so give it four bookish trees.
* I received this ebook at no charge from Atria Publishing via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review *
This book is being released on November 24, 2015 and is available for pre-order on Amazon or from your favourite bookseller.
Before receiving this book for review I had already purchased three other Chet and Bernie short stories that I had not gotten around to reading yet. Since I was reviewing the above book I felt it was the perfect time to read the others as well.
A CAT WAS INVOLVED
Finally! Finally! Finally!
In every book of this series Chet, although his dog-memory and attention span is admittedly short term when it comes to most things, mentions the cat incident that caused him to fail the final test in K-9 school and cost him his graduation. That was bad. The cat incident almost landed Chet at the pound but it also allowed Chet to meet Bernie for the first time. That was good. It was love at first sight for both of them, a match made in heaven and the birth of the partnership that makes up Little Detective Agency.
If you are a fan of the series this short story will take you back to the beginning of the series and if you are thinking about giving this series a try this is an excellent starting point because – well – it’s the beginning of the adventure.
Five stars for this one because it finally gave me the whole story behind the infamous “cat incident”.
TAIL OF VENGEANCE
A beautiful blonde approaches Bernie about investigating her cheating boyfriend. Right away Chet gets a bad feeling about the case and it’s not the kind of case they usually work. But Lt. Stine had recommended Bernie to this young lady so Bernie takes the case. One day of work, $600 in the Agency’s coffer and the case looks done – until another client shows up asking Bernie to investigate the same cheating boyfriend, this time the referral came from Leda, Bernie’s ex-wife. Some interesting twists and turns and then suddenly the title’s meaning becomes quite clear … truly the perfect definition of the word vengeance.
Five stars for this short story because I loved the twists and turns and especially the final scene. It was completely fun to read.
THE IGGY CHRONICLES
Bernie and Chet are having a well-deserved morning of sleeping in when a knock on the door wakes them both up. Well, it wakes Chet who rouses the still snoring Bernie. Unexpected knocks are very seldom good news and this is no exception. At the door is Daniel Parsons, their next-door-neighbour and it seems Iggy, his little dog and Chet’s good friend, has disappeared under very mysterious circumstances. Chet is on instant alert and Bernie wants to help old Mr. Parsons. After a hospital visit, some disappearing jewellery, a really unusual motorcycle cop and new head of hospital security Bernie and Chet, as always, close the case.
This was my least favourite of the four short stories I read but fun none-the-less so three stars for this one.
“A Cat Was Involved” is obviously the start of the series so can certainly be read as a stand-alone story. While the others slide in comfortably between the existing books in the series they can certainly be read independent of the books and still be entertaining and easy to follow. Chet makes sure of that by giving the reader just enough back-story to make it work.
January 24, 2023
I want to think that there is no way that Bernie would hire such a sleazy guy as Plumpy to put on any party, much less a Christmas party for Charlie. But then again, I still can't believe the tin mine investment, or the Hawaiian pants fiasco. So maybe Bernie is gullible enough to hire Plumpy. Still, it's not easy to watch Bernie in his weaker moments. Once you get past that, this is a fast moving adventure for the Little Dective agency, and it has a suitably happy holiday ending.
June 26, 2021
Whenever I need cheering up after reading depressing or tedious books, I love reading about Chet and Bernie and the Little Detective Agency. The short story is about a conman who was recently released from prison for a Ponzi scheme. His new endeavor is to provide Christmas year-round. Suddenly a party is happening, with invited guests—Bernie’s son and his girlfriend, and uninvited guest—Chet’s nosy mother. Also, Bernie’s dentist, mechanic, police department, the vet, etc. And a real-life elf!?! Whatever is afoot?
December 11, 2023
Love Chet and Bernie - this is my first audiobook version and it was even more hilarious hearing Chet’s lines out loud.
August 20, 2022
This is a Chet and Bernie short story. It can be read in a very short session. This is just a quick and funny anecdote that gives fans of Chet and Bernie a chuckle. Bernie is a little distressed that his son Charlie doesn’t believe in Santa. Just then, a perp who was in jail for a Ponzi scam, approaches them in a Santa suit telling Bernie he was paroled and is now in the Christmas party business. He convinces Bernie to throw a party for Charlie. But, it turns into another scam. Bernie must make things right. Cute.
December 3, 2015
Santa 365 is a fun Christmas romp with Chet and Bernie. It is a well written and professionally edited novella.
This is a quick, fast paced mystery that is swiftly solved and remains upbeat throughout the story.
Definitely a must read for Chet and Bernie lovers.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.
This is a quick, fast paced mystery that is swiftly solved and remains upbeat throughout the story.
Definitely a must read for Chet and Bernie lovers.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.
November 27, 2015
A really short story - not up to his best but sol glad I read it
November 29, 2015
Love Chet and Bernie! Cute little 1 day read Christmas story in the C&B vein!
December 8, 2016
very quick read, but I still loved this short story nonetheless (loving the Chet & Bernie series so much right now) & was a very fitting read for being in December/the holiday season :)
December 23, 2020
Bernie’s thoughts were one of our best assets at the Little Detective Agency. I bring other things to the table.Oh Chet, how I have missed your unique voice! It's been a few years since I read a Chet and Bernie mystery, the last being Scents and Sensibility, which ended in a horrible cliffhanger! To make matters worse, Spencer Quinn then took a break. Worse still, I must have been so distraught, I forgot to rate & review it. Maybe it's time to go back a reread S&S, if not the entire series, before taking up the mantle again.
I'd forgotten some of Bernie's background. Not that he had a bum knee, or that he had terrible money sense, but that he'd gone to West Point and had pitched for Army. I've always wished for more detail about Bernie, he's so intriguing. But then, he's seen through the Chet's eyes, and Chet has a very specific point of view.
Charlie, Bernie's son, is present, but it was a bit confusing. Because "Santa 365" was written out of order, the Charlie in this story is younger than he was in the latest book. But that's ok. He's still an awesome kid.
We went into the house. There was some confusion at the doorway but I ended up being first, Charlie bouncing right back to his feet in no time.Susie was there, too. She hadn't yet moved to Washington, DC, so it was a simpler, happier time for Bernie and her.
Suzie is a gem. She’s Bernie’s girlfriend, has dark eyes that shine like our kitchen countertops when Bernie polishes them, which may have happened once.Bernie's mom also made an appearance. (But I have no quotes for her.)
And finally, there's Christmas tree, decorated with hand made (i.e., contruction paper) ornaments, because Bernie lost all the regular ornaments to his ex-wife in their divorce. Chet loved that tree!
What a beautiful tree! I had a sudden and irresistible urge to mark it. And then I was out on the patio, taking five..Have I mentioned how much I love Chet's perspective on things? It's pretty awesome.
Oh yeah. There's a mystery . Bernie sort of disregards the law, which knocks the rating down a bit, but in true Bernie form, he does some lovely things to make restitution for the crime, so I'll forgive him. I do love me some Bernie.
At least now I have a few new (to me) Chet and Bernie mysteries to indulge in in 2021.
July 2, 2020
Chet and Bernie, in a Christmas mystery only Chet and Bernie could unwrap. Or get wrapped up in, or something.
It's "every second Christmas" this year, Bernie's son Charlie is with them for the holiday. Bernie has really fallen down on the "getting ready for Christmas" thing, and they happen to run into an old perp Bernie helped lock up, now done with his short stint in jail. And Plumpy Napoleon has a new business, Santa 365. For just a small fee (which oddly keeps growing), he'll supply elves, gifts, a tree, everything! It'll be a blowout Christmas.
Of course Bernie invites Susie, and also Charlie's friend Esmé. Then Bernie's mother, Minerva, who has dumped her latest love interest, calls from the airport for him to pick her up.
It really is a grand party, but when it's time to clean up, Chet and Bernie discover that the elves were a little light-fingered. Leaving Charlie with Minerva, they hop into the Porsche to track down Plumpy, and along the way meet some other victims of his fraud and theft, including two elderly sisters who come armed.
Chet the dog's naration remains as plausibly dog-like as ever in this short story, understanding what humans don't (the information carried by the scents humans can't decode nearly as well, and not understanding what humans do--the nuances of human language and social interactions.
It's a lot of fun, as usual. Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
It's "every second Christmas" this year, Bernie's son Charlie is with them for the holiday. Bernie has really fallen down on the "getting ready for Christmas" thing, and they happen to run into an old perp Bernie helped lock up, now done with his short stint in jail. And Plumpy Napoleon has a new business, Santa 365. For just a small fee (which oddly keeps growing), he'll supply elves, gifts, a tree, everything! It'll be a blowout Christmas.
Of course Bernie invites Susie, and also Charlie's friend Esmé. Then Bernie's mother, Minerva, who has dumped her latest love interest, calls from the airport for him to pick her up.
It really is a grand party, but when it's time to clean up, Chet and Bernie discover that the elves were a little light-fingered. Leaving Charlie with Minerva, they hop into the Porsche to track down Plumpy, and along the way meet some other victims of his fraud and theft, including two elderly sisters who come armed.
Chet the dog's naration remains as plausibly dog-like as ever in this short story, understanding what humans don't (the information carried by the scents humans can't decode nearly as well, and not understanding what humans do--the nuances of human language and social interactions.
It's a lot of fun, as usual. Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
July 14, 2020
I love Chet and Bernie! Read this series, buy this series. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. There are several Chet and Bernie mysteries and all of them are top-shelf. I will tell you that when the books end you will want to start the next one right away. Which is great if you start from the beginning you will have several books to tear through, but once you get to the most recently published you will be begging for the next book to be written and published. So I will let the cat out of the bag here, "whoa - a cat in a bag? I didn't smell any cat"*, Spencer Quinn is a pen name Peter Abrahams writes under. "So rest assured amigo," these are well written and will have you collard to the chetster or chat the jet if you prefer. Be advised if you don't read these books you may end up "wearing orange and breaking rocks in the hot sun."*
*Chet quote(s)
*Chet quote(s)
December 21, 2021
Santa 365
by
Spencer Quinn
Bernie, his son Charlie, and Chet the Jet return to Bernie’s home and find a former perp, Plumpy Bonaparte, (that had done time). Plumpy says that he wants to live an honest life and has an idea for a Christmas themed company called Santa 365. He talks Bernie into buying the $200 dollar package and a party is planned.
On the appointed day, Plumpy does not show up, but an elf named Elrood does. The elf delivers gifts. When Bernie goes to the safe to get cash for the payment, Elrood is waiting, nearby. After Bernie finds out that something valuable is missing, he blames Elrood and Plumpy. Chet and Bernie go in search of the goods and discover much more than they expected.
This was a great short mystery from a great team.
by
Spencer Quinn
Bernie, his son Charlie, and Chet the Jet return to Bernie’s home and find a former perp, Plumpy Bonaparte, (that had done time). Plumpy says that he wants to live an honest life and has an idea for a Christmas themed company called Santa 365. He talks Bernie into buying the $200 dollar package and a party is planned.
On the appointed day, Plumpy does not show up, but an elf named Elrood does. The elf delivers gifts. When Bernie goes to the safe to get cash for the payment, Elrood is waiting, nearby. After Bernie finds out that something valuable is missing, he blames Elrood and Plumpy. Chet and Bernie go in search of the goods and discover much more than they expected.
This was a great short mystery from a great team.
June 20, 2024
I actually like this author's shorter stuff better. Like the three 1-hr short stories & the 6 middle-grade books that I've listened to so far. The main negative thing about this one was the handling of the recovered money. Should've gone to the police, shouldn't it? And there already wasn't enough for every victim to recover everything they lost, but then Bernie takes a hefty "finder's fee"? Then he gives almost all of it away? Guy just can't stand to have any money, can he? Oh, wait--I don't remember any mention of Bernie taking his stolen property back! Maybe I missed it, listening while driving. A good enough light Xmas story.
May 5, 2022
This was a quick novella of Chet and Bernie involving a former perp and Bernie's son, Charlie. He is home for Christmas and wants a visit from some elves since he no longer believes in Santa. Bernie hires the former perp and he sends out an elf to put on a Christmas party. Bernie mistakenly opens the safe in the presence of the elf and this leads to a theft. But Bernie makes quick work of this mystery, along with Chet who locates the missing cash from a former heist. Everyone is happy and Bernie throws another Christmas party. And Chet gets his slim jim.
A fun quick read.
A fun quick read.
May 23, 2022
Author Spencer Quinn packs a lot into this short story. It’s Christmas, and a small-time crook has a new gimmick: selling Christmas cheer. Bernie bites, but the party doesn’t live up to expectations. Santa doesn’t show, and his elf helper makes off with some loot. Bernie and Chet go after the duo, to make things right. After all, it’s Christmas! It’s a cute story, lighter in tone than the novels. And it’s nice to see Bernie and Chet in a holiday mood. The audio version, as usual, is well performed by Jim Frangione.
October 23, 2022
Bernie and Chet get along well with a lot of their paroled “perps and gangbangers”, but maybe they should have steered clear of Plumpy, who opens up a year-long Santa gig. Bernie ends up planning a holiday party for Charlie which not only goes awry, but leads to a little detective work. It was fun seeing normally rough-and-ready Bernie get thrown completely off his game by his mother, and I laughed out loud a few times, especially during Chet’s rant about squirrels. This one is a real feel-good-er that made me laugh and sigh happily at the end.
December 11, 2023
Meeeeeeerrrrry Chriiiiiiiiistmas!
Another delightful book by Spencer Quinn, written with his unique POV. Chet is the narrator, and while he might misunderstand things of the human variety, he can’t really be called an unreliable narrator because everything is perfectly accurate from Chet’s point of view. Chet, of course, is a 100+ pound black dog with one white ear. I laughed out loud at some of Chet’s antics.
If one is willing to suspend our rigid human way of looking at the world, then this novella and the rest of the series will both surprise and enchant.
Another delightful book by Spencer Quinn, written with his unique POV. Chet is the narrator, and while he might misunderstand things of the human variety, he can’t really be called an unreliable narrator because everything is perfectly accurate from Chet’s point of view. Chet, of course, is a 100+ pound black dog with one white ear. I laughed out loud at some of Chet’s antics.
If one is willing to suspend our rigid human way of looking at the world, then this novella and the rest of the series will both surprise and enchant.
June 4, 2020
Always love Chet and Bernie. And this little short story didn't disappoint. Chet is still the best worst observer of what is going on and makes figuring out what is really happening all the more fun. And they always get out of whatever scrapes they get into, sometimes ahead, sometimes not. This time, it was a Christmas miracle that they profited from solving the case!
July 5, 2021
What a good boy! Chet the Jet! I really love reading these stories when the POV is a dog. It's a unique way of seeing the story through to the end. It's a good thing Bernie has Chet, the best of friends and chief of security of the Little Detective Agency. I really need to catch up with this series.
August 24, 2017
I love the Chet and Bernie books. Not everyone's cup of tea but I am always waiting for the next one. Having a dog be the narrator is tricky. I have read other book that use animals, and they don't always work. To me these do. I love Chet.
June 30, 2020
Chet the dog is still the narrator but not the usual amount. We get to hear Bernie have conversations with others in this quick reading short story. Cute fun story with a little mystery which includes characters, Suzy and Charlie, that pop in and out in other books in the series.
September 20, 2022
To encourage Charlie's holiday spirit, Bernie agrees to engage Plumpy Napoleon's Santa 365 to throw a Christmas party. A short story that bridges book 3 & 4 with a dash of Chet humor and Christmas spirit. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing all the series regulars in a happy place.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews