Ex-army Captain John Cunningham, a Falklands war veteran, is making the transition back into civilian life. After investing in a property in the Lowlands, Three Oaks Farm, Cunningham starts kennels for breeding and training gun dogs. The farm is in the middle of dog-breeding country. Neighbour Joe Little raises Labradors; Laura Daiches and Olive Cory, who live next to each other, also raise … other, also raise spaniels, but strictly for show – and never fail to express contempt for Cunningham’s working dogs.
But the dog breeding world proves to be a ruthlessly competitive business, where enemies are easily made. Especially when a rival breeder is murdered, and Cunningham is framed for the crime…
Gerald Hammond is a retired architect and the creator of the mystery series featuring John Cunningham, a dog breeder in Scotland, and Keith Calder, a gunsmith. He also writes under the pseudonyms Arthur Douglas and Dalby Holden.
more
Folks interested in dogs and the British countryside will enjoy this book. Quick read, decent mystery
A murder mystery wrapped in a comprehensive view of a recovering invalid with a penchant for training hunting dogs, all of which takes place in Scotland, now that is a refreshing change of pace (at least for American readers.) An excellent read for thiose who appreciate dog training, while ferreting out the miscreant, and occasionally puzzling through local speech idioms. The characters are well fleshed and believable.
Not much happens in this book but it is an interesting story.
I enjoyed reading this story where the kennel girl plants the evidence for the detectives (and everyone else) to come to the right decission.
Interesting mystery
While the book was essentially a mystery, it did teach me a lot about running a kennel and about dog training. With a neat premise and simple language, the author gets through the story in a simple way as the mystery unfolds amidst the happenings of the MC’s mysterious ailment and how he deals with it, in the aftermath. The characters especially were a beautiful plus point in the story.
Overall, enjoyable read.