Bark Twice for Murder

Posted: July 4, 2025
Author: John Lekich
Publisher: Orca Book

Harry is making food for the unhoused in his grandmother’s food truck when he meets and befriends Stanley, an excellent cook and teacher with only two possessions: a recipe binder and a grumpy dog named Waffles. Then Stanley turns up dead, his recipes are missing and Waffles, the dog now talking to Harry, reveals that in his past life he was a detective. Will Waffles and Harry be able to find the recipe book that offers clues for solving Stanley’s murder and take down criminal characters?

Here’s a short, quick, hilarious read involving a talking-dog detective and a murder mystery to solve. The perfect book to entice reluctant readers to finish a novel and get hooked on reading.

Harry loves to cook, but since losing his parents, he’s overdoing that passion. Or as his shrink says, “When you are sad or depressed, you overcook. Overcooking helps you cope with your feelings of loss. But you must remember that your grandmother’s house is not a cafeteria.”

Oh yes, he has a spunky grandmother who gets kidnapped after his new chef-mentor friend Stanley gets murdered, and now he has Stanley’s dog Waffles to look after, and Waffles is a dog who talks – about his former life as a human detective.

Stick with this crazy story, because no reader can resist caring about Harry and Waffles solving the Stanley’s murder, then using Harry’s culinary skills and Waffles’ smarts to get Grandma back and put the bad guys in jail without actually, maybe, poisoning anyone with Harry’s irresistible cuisine.

The climax offers a fun twist, all underpinned with Waffles’ affable but easily offended personality and Harry’s innocence, determination and love of cooking.

As Harry ponders, “I should explain that Waffles has a voice that doesn’t match his looks. Some might describe Waffles as cute. Maybe even adorable, if he is in a good mood. He’s got these big sad eyes. And fur that sticks up in all directions after it rains. Even Shaky Sam, whose hands were always shaky, could never resist petting him. But the voice of Waffles isn’t cute at all. It sounds like a bunch of rusty nails rattling around the bottom of a deep barrel.”

Waffles himself ponders, “Maybe being a dog has made me a better person.”

It’s rollicking fun and an enticing read for middle graders with a sense of humour, whether they’re traditionally enthusiastic readers or not.

– Pam Withers