Chet Gecko is once more on the case.

Caught creating one of his classroom portraits, Chet is sent to the Principal’s office by his teacher, Mr. Ratnose. Upon arrival, Chet is given a huge surprise — Mr. Zero is nice to him! This is so far out of character for Mr. Zero, that Chet is sure the cat is an imposter. Something strange is going on and Chet decides to investigate.

This is the second book of this series I’ve read and it was fun. It is geared for ages 8-12, but the style is of the detectives of the 1940s – 1950s. Think Bogart in “Maltese Falcon” only not as gritty or adult. Chet has the fedora and trench coat to show his seriousness.

By-the-way, the cast are critters: Chet – gecko, Mr. Zero – cat, Mr. Ratnose – rat and so forth. There are also illustrations sprinkled through the book to give some aid to the mental images.

Fun, light read! ( )

Chet Gecko is a private eye who is in grade school. He's been sent to the principal's office but comes out without receiving a punishment. Who is that guy? He's sure it's not the real Mr. Zero. What is going on?

Chet is a hoot. He sounds like a 1940's Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. I chuckled at his puns which are creative. He solves the mystery but he needs help which is how he gets his Girl Friday, Natalie, who usually has to point him in the right direction. He also gets a little help from some friends at school and makes a new friend.

I like the cleverness of this series. I look forward to reading more. ( )

When the principal of his school begins acting nice to him, Chet Gecko realizes that he is an impostor and so sets out to find the real one. Case #2

This book was great. SPOILER: I found out that it wasn't the real principal. ( )