The Hodgkiss and the Deadly Firedog and Other Mysteries — Peter Sinclair

Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.When Hodgkiss' daughter, Esme, and son-in-law, Detective Inspector Donald Burke, present him with a puppy from the local pound their timing could not have been worse. There is open warfare between dog owners who exercise their pets off-leash at the local oval and the sporting groups that use it. The cause of the problem ... dog owners who don't pick up. So when Hodgkiss arrives at the oval to begin his new exercise regime he finds himself knee deep in the problem. And things come to a head when the murdered body of a senior officer of the corrupt Kanundda Council is found nearby.Two greedy young ne'er-do-wells plan to rob their step-father by stealing the passwords to his bank accounts from his computer. But their bungling attempt leaves a clear trail for Hodgkiss to follow. When Hodgkiss and his friend Pat Strong visit a local garage sale they overhear a single angry phrase muttered by a man as he was leaving. Later, when the Kanundda Council agrees to hold a display of valuable books at the local library the expert who is to provide rare books for the display disappears and later is found murderer.