A Dog Called Hero

 

A Dog Called Hero by Katy Birchall (Scholastic) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781761729577

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

If you’re as old as I am, you’ll probably remember the likes of Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, the Famous Five and the Hardy Boys, all adventures and mysteries with crimes to be solved. All featuring children doing the work that adults couldn’t seem to get their heads around. Some featuring canine sidekicks.

Fast-forward to 2026, and enter Haley and ex-police dog, Hero, and we have a more up-to-date version of the child sleuth ‘helping out’ when a crime unfolds.

Haley’s father was a successful detective until he was killed in the line of duty, leaving behind Haley and her mum, a caterer who employs young ex-criminals trying to reform.

Hero was forced into early retirement after his handler left the force, and Hero wouldn’t work with anyone else.

By chance, Haley meets Hero, and the pair form an instant bond – both loners who are selective about who they spend time with. In fact, Haley would much rather lose herself in her beloved mystery and crime novels than head out to parties and school fetes. When her mum agrees to adopt Hero, Haley decides to continue his training as a detective dog, and Hero shows he still has what it takes to sniff things out.

When Haley’s mum lands an important catering job – feeding an exclusive guest list at the private showing of the Whittaker Diamond – and the babysitter cancels at the last minute, Haley and Hero find themselves tagging along, somewhat reluctantly.

But then, when Amelie Whittaker goes to retrieve the diamond from the safe to show her guests one more time, she discovers the box is still in the safe – but the diamond is not.

Enter Haley and Hero.

In writing A Dog Called Hero, author Katy Birchall has tapped into the cosy crime trend – albeit for a middle-grade audience. Her characters are relatable, and the situations they find themselves in are somewhat believable (in the cosy crime world), and the story travels along at a nice pace as we find out about Haley, her mum and dad and, of course, Hero.

The promised excitement in the blurb, however, does not occur until a third of the way into the book – but the tension does ramp up from that point on with an intriguing cast of guests allowing the reader to make their own assumptions and accusations as they, along with Haley and Hero, try to discover ‘who stole the Whittaker diamond’.

Naturally, as expected in this genre, the head detective is rather incompetent, so it’s left for Haley and Hero to unravel the crime and guide the police to the truth.

Despite being set in London (where the author resides with her own retired service dog), Australian children will relate to the setting, and certainly to Haley’s connection with Hero.

A Dog Called Hero is a perfect introduction to cosy crime for readers aged 9–12 years – particularly those who want a break from fantastical worlds and magic with something a little closer to their own life experiences and grounded in contemporary reality.