The Dog Did It: A Whodunit
by Jim Toombs
(CreateSpace / 1-478-26078-5 / 978-1-478-26078-3 / August 2012 / 274 pages / $10.99 paperback / $9.89 Amazon / $2.99 Kindle)
Reviewed by Dr. Al Past for PODBRAM
I began The Dog
Did It -- A Whodunit (Gabe and Tigger Mystery) wondering if it was another
in the vein of Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery, by Spencer Quinn, a
mystery told from the point of view of the detective's dog, and rather
imaginatively so. I found reading that book something of a high-wire project,
with the suspension of disbelief teetering throughout. The Dog Did It is
more traditionally narrated, however, and reads well. The protagonist, Gabe
Chance is not exactly a licensed detective, and the story isn't a mystery since
we meet the bad guys early on and know what they're up to. If one needs a genre
for it, adventure would do, or maybe suspense.
Brought back to
Texas when his mother's will is probated, Mr. Chance finds that to inherit her
money he must live in her house, drive her car, and care for her dog. He does
so very reluctantly, and while reconnecting with people he knew in childhood,
finds himself ensnared in a murder which eventually leads to further dangers
for himself and others...and the dog. The story, flavored by its setting in the
famously lovely Texas hill country, costars a Jack Russell terrier, which
should appeal to dog lovers and especially to lovers of that breed. The lively
critter is based, it seems, on the author's own dog of yore, who apparently
inspired the book.
I found the story
satisfyingly entertaining, though I could have done with more details regarding
the character and history of the main character. For that matter I suspect
those not familiar with the Texas hill country could also use a bit more
description of that, too. Oddly enough, the most memorable characters were the
bad guys, one of whom was a vicious professor and another a frighteningly
dangerous (if entertaining in a shivery sort of way) sociopath.
See Also: Jim Toombs website