The Curse of the Cockers — Gerald Hammond

The Curse of the Cockers continues the sleuthing adventures of Captain John Cunningham, Falklands veteran and champion dog breeder. Gerald Hammond's Cunningham books, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a superior series," feature the hunting lore and local Scots color that have made this author such an enduring figure on the mystery scene.
This time around, the Cunninghams' New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay, as the Scots call it) revelry is cut short by a hit-and-run accident that leaves a man dead and a terrified cocker spaniel on the side of the road. Then, as news of a particularly gruesome murder shakes his small town, Cunningham finds that one of his war buddies is the prime suspect in the hit-and-run. Soon, the dog, the "accident," and the murder come together in a nightmarish encounter with a ruthless psychopath.