"At that moment I got hit by another crazy thought, maybe linking to the thought I couldn't quite get to just a little while back. Was Rudy-our Rudy, the one we were searching for-actually Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? All at once I knew this case was very important."

"Then a strange thought hit me: This was a Christmas case. Did that explain it?"

I think what I needed was a break from Chet and Bernie. I took a long hiatus between reading Bark to the Future and the present novel, and have yet to even purchase A Farewell to Arfs. Which is not typical for me when it comes to Spencer Quinn. Since I started reading this series, I never stopped - besides for waiting for the next book to be released. But life got the better of me, and I finally made my way back around to my beloved Chet and Bernie - what an absolute treat it was. Based on my review of Bark to the Future, I had thought it was rushed in comparison to Quinn's other works. In Up on the Woof Top, any notion of a hurried novel is dismissed. Quinn took his time with the unravelling of this story. The pacing began with a pleasantly slow start, and moved at a satisfying gradual pace. Chet's narrative was hilariously endearing, as always.

How astonishing was that? Every time you think you've hit bottom when it comes to what the human nose can't do they take it down another notch.

They gazed up at Bernie, eyes open wide in a hopeful look like they were-oh my goodness!Begging. Didn't they know begging is a no-no? Also, Bernie had no treats on him. I keep close track of things like that.

Thinking why not might not be one of my strengths. But... but could it be that turned out to be one of the reasons for the success of the Little Detective Agency, except for the finances part. What an idea!

The books-within-a-book adds another level to the book, subtly foreshadowing the relevations Bernie will make. His conversations with Ariadne about her novels and specifically Trudi were helpful in feeling even more of a connection to Quinn, as there are parallels drawn not just in the investigations, but in Ariadne's perception of herself as an author and Quinn himself's.

"You like that line?" Ariadne said.
"I do."
"Well, that's welcome feedback. When I wrote it I remember worrying that it was maybe a bit much."
"What do you mean?"
"Edging too close from drama to melodrama. With melodrama as a cliff to be avoided."
...
"I don't know anything about that," Bernie said. "Do readers even care?"
Ariadne smiled one of those mixed smiles, happy and unhappy. In the nation within our tail does that one for us, not up and stiff, not down and droopy, but in between."Critics do," she said.
"Boy oh boy," said Bernie.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I wouldn't want your job."

Sometimes Bernie reading the Trudi novel also serves as a red herring, similar to the ones that Chet's narration already so often gives, which only amps up the mystique and intrigue. That, with the change of scenery, made Up on the Woof Top so much more engaging. Instead of the usual desert landscape, Chet and Bernie venture into the mountains of Colorado for this novel, with scenes of skiing, snowshoes, and evergreens being a welcome enrichment.

After putting a pause on reading the series, I found Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn to be a refreshing and meticulously paced return, where the change of scenery to the mountains of Colorado, combined with Chet’s hilariously charming narrative and subtle layers of storytelling, made for a thoroughly engaging read. Up on the Woof Top reminded me why I fell in love with Chet and Bernie in the first place, now on to Farewell to Arfs to catch up...!