Amorous Accident: A Dog's Eye View of Murder - Softcover

Keating, Jean C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0967401607 ISBN 13: 9780967401607

Publisher: Astra Pubns, 1999

Synopsis

Amorous Accident:A Dog's Eye View of Murder opens on a homicide scene in Richmond, Virginia in the early 1990's. The victim is an oncologist at the prestigious Commonwealth Cancer Institute. The murder investigation is assigned to Lt. Kevin Andrews, a fifty-seven year old bachelor with a weight problem.

The research lab in which the body is found contains live animals including two dogs. When various individuals press to get the dogs, as well as the victim's research notes, Andrews suspects that the dogs may hold some key to the murder. He arranges to house the dogs where he knows they will be safe. He carries them to Williamsburg, to the home of his godson, Jonathan Colt, a science fiction writer. Colt's wife, Genna is a consulting engineer with NASA, but more importantly to Andrews' needs, a breeder and lover of all dogs, especially a tiny breed called Papillon.

The homicide coincides with the arrival of another dog in the Colt's household, a long awaited puppy -- named Amorous Accident -- born to the Colt's pampered and much-loved pair of champion Papillons. The top dog in the Colt's household, a spoiled, jealous champion called Sky, short for CH Wing's Red Sky At Morning, is not at all happy with the arrival of his son which he sees as competition for Genna's attention, but welcomes one of the lab dogs as a playmate.

Andrews initial investigation quickly identifies a host of possible suspects. Dr. Harold Ketterholt, the administrator of the Institute is very protective of the victim's wife Danielle, but also a little nervous when her name is mentioned. The victim's partner, Thomas Berkley, suggests to Andrews that Danielle was suspicious of a relationship other than professional between her husband and his secretary, Piper Morgan. Berkley is also quick to enumerate the many clashes between the victim and a fellow researcher, Dr. Matthew Langston. The victim's callous disregard for the animal subjects of his research has prompted several bitter exchanges between the victim and Langston in the past. The victim has been receiving letters in recent weeks accusing him of a child's death along with references to a poem entitled "Brown Eyes" which stresses the poignant thoughts of a dog being subjected to an overdose of drugs and treated with insensitiveness. An old patient in a wheelchair is quick to tell Andrews that the victim had the bedside manner of a barracuda and was probably the victim of some patient's revenge.

Ketterhold aggressively tries to shift the blame away from members of the institute, stressing the probability that animal rights activists are responsible. The poem "Brown Eyes" received by the victim certainly lends some support to his line of reasoning, but Genna is as quick to argue against that idea as she is to identify the owners of the smaller dog found in the lab from the tattoo on the dog. She contacts the owners and arranges to return the dog to them without concern for the legalities, promising to use her own funds to fight the institute.

The methods of the two slueths contrast the professional and the amateur. The pampered life of Genna's Sky and the endearing scenes of the care lavished upon Amorous Accident, the new-born puppy, contrast sharply throughout the book with the impending doom and callous disregard for the worth of the unclaimed dog from the lab, which Genna names Blacky. The sadness of Blacky's plight are offset by the wily antics of Andrews as he tries to solve a complex mystery while avoiding his diet.

Both human and canine characters are believable and appealing, the descriptions of Virginia in the spring are a delight, and the complex mystery is entertaining and challenging.

About this title

From the Publisher

Believable three-dimensional characters that you'll love or hate, combine with a challenging story line and a rich atmosphere to produce a delightful first novel. The cranky dieting sleuth, his furry nemesis, and his frustrating amateur helper will keep you laughing and crying at the same time.

From the Author

I have always enjoyed the mysteries/word puzzles of Agatha Christie. Her stories entertained and challenged but always played fair with the reader, providing all the clues if you could avoid the red herrings. I wanted to write such a story, but I also wanted to comment on the sadness of the callous usage of unwanted dogs in so-called research.

Anna Sewell once wrote a beautiful horse story in the voice of a horse, documenting the horrors of the use of check reins from the horse's point-of-view. Long after such practices have disappeared, after the usage of horses to pull heavy loads is gone, the book endures as one of the most beloved of children's stories, "Black Beauty". My dream is that "Amorous Accident" will endure as a delightful dog mystery long after the usage of dogs as research subjects has ended.

Edition details

• Publisher: Astra Pubns
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0967401607
• ISBN 13: 9780967401607
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 264