by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

It’s Christmas time in the Valley. Chet and Bernie of the Little Detective Agency, Little being Bernie’s last name, Chet being the dog, could use another job. Chet is puzzled when Bernie turns down work and instead, passes the job to another PI, Victor. Chet and Bernie are action oriented, Chet being the one who grabs the perp’s pants leg and hangs on, Bernie being the smartest guy in the room. Victor is a better researcher than an active PI, so it makes sense for him to take the job.

It’s time to light the Hanukkah candles and Victor, who lives in a small apartment over his mother’s garage, hasn’t shown up or answered his cell phone. His mother hires Chet and Bernie to find Victor.

Not only has Victor disappeared but his client has, too. The clues are vague, centered around an old church, Nuestra Senora de los Saguaros. It’s been closed for a long time, sold several times, and now belongs to a renovation group or so they say. One of the clues is Flight to Egypt, but no one will admit to knowing what it means.

When Victor’s mangled bicycle is found on a steep road, it appears Victor’s been hurt but no hospital has a record of him.

At the church, Bernie meets a woman who says she’s researching the church from its start. She shows up in other places as well, always with a reason, none of them very believable. There’s also a missing professor who is an expert on a painter Bernie never heard of.

And then the bodies start showing up.

Besides solving the case, there are Christmas gifts to buy for Charlie, Bernie’s son from when he was married to Leda. That was before he liked Susie, but she’s not in the picture anymore, not like she used to be. Now, there’s Weatherly, but for some reason, she’s mad at Bernie. Who could be mad at Bernie?

Will Chet and Bernie be able to find Victor, solve the mystery of the Flight to Egypt, and decorate their Christmas tree just the way Bernie likes it? Chet is sure the answer is yes.

This is the twelfth book in the popular series, all told from Chet’s point of view. He sees or smells clues Bernie misses but has no way to tell Bernie. He also has a short attention span. This is one of the harder cases to solve because nothing is what it seems and that includes the people involved. Look for Bark to the Future, coming in August 2022.

And for readers who know Chet and Bernie, yes, Bernie still has the storage unit full of Hawaiian pants.

To enter to win a copy of It’s a Wonderful Woof, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “woof,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 11, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.