Sting in the Tail
By Gerald Hammond
Tail docking, practiced humanely, can give a dog an advantage in chasing pheasant through the underbrush at the well-heeled Three Oaks Kennel. But when a cheerful-if wandering-springer spaniel named Clarence returns home maliciously wounded, kennel proprietor and amateur sleuth John Cunningham smells trouble.
Several neighborly squabbles and a poacher or two hanging about the well-stocked game preserve leave Cunningham with a brace of suspects at hand. But his instinct points to something darker: an overzealously militant animal-rights activist may be cruelly at work in the area. And with an important breeder’s competition coming up and a party of wealthy American shooters on the way, bad publicity could bring disaster.
Once our well-bred sleuth gets on the scent, Sting in the Tail will delight Hammond fans new and old alike.
Gerald Hammond worked as an architect for thirty years which, he says, was quite long enough. In 1982 he accepted a nominal retirement. He lives in Scotland and spends his time shooting, fishing and writing.
