A nice, simple mystery, charmingly narrated by Chet, the four legged partner of PI Bernie Little; this book is a great way to spend an enjoyable few hours. The mystery surrounds the disappearance of a teenage girl, who may or may not have run away. Bernie gnaws slowly at the mystery, almost like a dog at a bone, while Chet puts his own irrepressible spin on it. 
 In addition to the main story line, the story touches briefly on a couple of heavier topics, but does not get too preachy. One of these subject is the distressing tendency of humans to invade and change an environment and another is the sorry situation facing animals every day in "shelters".