Mad Dogs and Scotsmen [Hardcover]

Gerald Hammond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

When Jove, a black Labrador, is stolen along with a shotgun and a mysterious briefcase, John Cunningham springs into action to find the culprit and get to the heart of the mystery.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mystery fans who love the great outdoors will find Hammond's John Cunningham stories, with their emphasis on hunting, fishing, dog breeding, and shooting, just the ticket. But mystery fans of all types will enjoy Hammond's intricate plotting, keen sensitivity to human nature, colorful characters, and deft prose. His latest has Scotsman Cunningham--dog breeder, kennel owner, and sometime sleuth--involved in a case of murder and industrial espionage. John has been boarding a black Lab named Jove for his friend Noel Cochrane. Then Noel shows up unannounced to take Jove with him to America, but in short order, Jove disappears, John's car is stolen, a woman's body is discovered, and Noel goes missing along with a briefcase full of documents that expose his company's falsification of the lab tests on a new rabies vaccine. As brisk and bracing as a walk in the Scottish Highlands, this invigorating read will enliven every mystery collection. Emily Melton

From Kirkus Reviews

In the middle of loading biochemist Noel Cochrane's black Lab dog, Jove, into his car so that Noel can remove him from quarantine for a posting to the States, John Cunninghman (Sting in the Tail, 1995, etc.) looks up to see that his car is gone, along with his shotgun, a briefcase of Noel's, and Jove. Which of these items did the woman auto thief really want? It isn't long before the coppers find a burning vehicle in a lay-by 15 miles off--but it's not John's clunker, though the dead woman inside is the thief. Why was she killed over such a modest crime; how can John recover Jove, suspected of spreading rabies ever since he was nipped from quarantine; and what's become of Noel, now as missing as his dog? With even more than his accustomed dexterity, Hammond uses a deceptively small crime as his entr‚e to a satisfyingly complex conspiracy. One of the happiest of Hammond's Highland flings. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312148186
• ISBN-13: 978-0312148188
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,871,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clever mystery full of Scottish lore..., October 22, 2001

By 

Ruth A. Caldwell "Highland Princess Mum" (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Dogs and Scotsmen (Hardcover)

Poor Cochrane has just retreived his pooch from quarantine only to have the poor doggie stolen along with his briefcase. Not only that, but the kennel owner's missing car and shotgun make the authorities jumpy. When the events lead to a murder case, as a woman's battered body is found near the burnt car, the kennel owner finds himself embroiled with trouble.
Lovely outdoors adventure in Scotland with a clever mystery involving a dog... who could ask for more?

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You'd be mad to buy this instead of some of his others, November 29, 2003

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mad Dogs and Scotsmen (Thorndike Paperback) (Paperback)

This is my fourth Hammond novel and I didn't find it to be of the same high quality as the other three I have read. This story is about a kennel owner, John Cunningham whose car is stolen from out front of his business with a quarantined dog named Jove in the back. Jove's owner Noel Cochrane was moving to America and his briefcase containing important papers was also in the vehicle along with John's shotgun. The cops aren't too happy with John, Noel disappears and bodies keep appearing while searching for the car and possible rabies filled Jove.

Sounds exciting you say. Well yeah it is in parts but there are a lot of boring needlessly lengthy chapters in between the good stuff. I have also read the Dirty Dollar, The Snatch and A Running Jump which are sensational five star rated thrillers by Hammond. This book however is not in the same league as them.