“I have read seven of Professor Bernard Knight’s ‘Crowner’ series set in 12th and 13th Century England (they are wonderful stories). Dead in the Dog is a labor of love for Dr. Knight and a long-planned project. It is set in Malaya in the early 1950s during the 12 year ‘war’ against Communist insurgents. Sounds like Britain’s Vietnam. Dr. Knight is one of England’s foremost forensic experts. He served in Malaya around the time period in which this story takes place.
“Captain Tom Howden, fresh out of British military training, is assigned as forensic pathologist in an isolated British military hospital in Malaya (now Malaysia). Conditions are not what he was used to in England. Hot, humid, on guard against insurgents, primitive work conditions, etc. There are two components to Tom’s new world – the military and the civilian rubber plantation owners. There are numerous romantic liaisons between married personnel and their spouses and with others not their spouses. Lots of tension points.
“This world is interrupted by the murder of one of the plantation owners. Howden is in the forefront of the investigation because he is the only forensic investigator on-site. The number of suspects is vast – both military and civilian. Tom, the local police and the military justice system try to discover the culprit. The perpetrator is a surprise.
“I did not think the story was as well-written as Professor Knight’s ‘Crowner’ series but it is interesting because of the setting and storyline. It is well worth the time to read.
“GO! BUY! READ!”
—Jim Harris, retired book sales rep
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