Good start on a new about Scotland and dog breeding. ( )

Ex-army Captain John Cunningham, has joined civilian life by buying a property in the Scottish Lowlands - Three Oaks Farm, to start kennels for breeding and training working springer spaniels. Then there is a murder.
Quite a bit of the story is about the dogs and guns, a slow paced murder mystery, though it is well-written and does have likeable characters. A good start to a new series. ( )

This is the first book by Scottish writer Gerald Hammond that I've read, and it won't be my last. Dog in the Dark is characterized by a well-plotted mystery, three fleshed-out primary characters that readers grow to know and like, and a simple, straightforward prose style that's like slipping into your favorite pair of flannel pajamas on a cold winter night.

John Cunningham isn't your usual main character. He's hounded by a mysterious ailment that strikes suddenly and repeatedly, leaving him weak and in bed. He's smart and observant, and when he isn't solving the mystery, he's sharing lots of lore on dog training and breeding.

Gerald Hammond's writing isn't flashy, and it's not going to make you sit back and murmur, "Wow!" It's not the kind of writing that wins tons of awards. But sometimes quiet is the best. Sometimes quiet slips a lot more past you. When I finished reading Dog in the Dark, I sat back and thought to myself, "Now, I really liked that! I want more." ( )

The first Cunningham story. I lucked out and found it at a yard sale. There are very few Hammonds around in the US - I found him when I was living in the UK. Berkeley Library has quite a few, more than I've seen in any other library. I own a few - two Calders and a Cunningham. Someday I'll have them all. It's always fun seeing how things get started - and reading this explained a heck of a lot about Cunningham I hadn't understood when I started the series in the middle. This is about my fourth reading of it, and I'm still learning stuff about that household... ( )