The Curious Affair of the Third Dog

Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery #11

by Patricia Moyes

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals calls Chief Superintendent Henry Tibbett away from a holiday to help search for a missing dog. A minor mystery takes on sinister overtones when Henry investigates.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Procedural, British Literature, Dogs, Crime, International

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Moyes was born in Dublin on 19 January 1923 and was educated at Overstone girls' school in Northampton. She joined the WAAF in 1939. In 1946 Peter Ustinov hired her as technical assistant on his film School for Secrets. She became his personal assistant for the next eight years. In 1960 she wrote the screenplay for the film School for Scoundrels starring Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Alastair Sim. She married photographer John Moyes in 1951; they divorced in 1959. She later married James Haszard, a linguist at the International Monetary Fund in The Hague. She died at her home on the island of Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) on 2 August 2000.

Her mystery novels feature C.I.D. Inspector Henry Tibbett. One of them, Who Saw Her Die (Many Deadly Returns in the US) was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1971. She also wrote several juveniles and short stories.

Series:
* Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry sighed and thought wistfully of the classic murders of fiction--the aristocratic house-party, neatly cut off by snow or floods to limit the number of suspects; the multiplicity of unlikely motives and opportunities; the tortuous investigations of the amateur sleuth; and the final denouement, in which the murderer turns out to be the elderly, gentle maiden aunt--beloved by all, but unmasked as a sub-human fiend in the final chapter. (p. 9)

It is no spoiler to tell you that Inspector Henry Tibbett is out of luck in The Curious Affair of the Third Dog. There are no gentle maiden aunts to be had--the most gentle woman in the entire book is his very own wife Emmy and she's no crazy killer.

The story begins with Emmy heading to the country to spend a holiday with her sister Jane whose main occupation these days is as a representative of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The house is overflowing with foster animals (in addition to the pets who live there full-time). When Henry arrives he finds the village up in arms because one of their own has just been sent to prison for a year for reckless homicide (killing a man while under the influence) and Jane up in arms because one of the man's animals has disappeared. She had gone to his house to collect his three dogs for safe-keeping while he was in prison, but when she arrived there were only two. What happened to the third dog?

Once Henry hears the full story of the drunken homicide and learns that the missing dog is a greyhound, his official "nose" begins to twitch and he senses a connection with a case he had been investigating in London. Soon Henry's entire team is on the case--all searching for a missing hound. But Henry will be beaten, tied up, dumped in the shed of a released criminal, shot, and dressed up in drag before the crime is brought home to the proper criminals and his men find not one... but two missing greyhounds.

This one was great fun--lots of interesting information about greyhounds (and other animals), nicely understated police procedural work--making the officers' actions realistic without bogging the reader down with official details and tedious checking and double-checking. Worth the price of admission for the image of Henry dressed up in his sister-in-law's blouse and skirt with a random nurse's blonde wig in order to sneak out of hospital. We're given enough detail to solve the mystery right along with Henry, but just enough is kept back to allow for a twist or two at the end. Well done and a good reminder of why I enjoy Patricia Moyes' detective novels.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few years ago I read all the Henry Tibbits mysteries that my library carried. I was in the mood for this type of book (short without much graphic violence) so I bought a kindle version of one they don't have. I got what I was looking for. Henry Tibbett spots some unusual connections centered around greyhound racing and what initially appears to be an accidental death. He keeps his relatives and the police (and the reader) in the dark while he discovers clues that lead him to a what turns out to be a quite complicated solution involving a criminal double crossing his associates with multiple identities.

[Denise Mullins · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a hapless smalltown drunk is given jail time for vehicular manslaughter, his three dogs are placed in rescue care only to have it discovered that one, a racing greyhound, has disappeared. Thus it follows that Inspector Henry Tibbitt's radar is alerted as some similarities to this case coincide with one he's developing in London.
The ensuing chase is all handled in a decidedly light manner with little violence but lots of high jinx in this cozy that would have benefitted from some judicious editing.
I also found some of the familial relationships rather odd and unsettling when various members were in danger or required compassionate support. Perhaps this aloof impersonal tone is one that Patricia Moyes has deliberately developed for this extended family, but it was not one that worked for me.

[Blasr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read, set in the late 1960s, early 1970s and very reminiscent of the era. Good plot.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this book was well-written as a mystery, in the sense that it was possible to figure out some of what was going on just by reading. Certain aspects were a surprise at the end, but not everything. The pacing was good, and the information about greyhounds and racing was introduced naturally (rather than obtrusively - I'm looking at you, Lea Wait!).

And this is not really a review, but it appears that smoking was losing popularity by the time Moyes wrote this book, because it's not as common (and at one point Henry even turns down an opportunity to smoke!)

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emmy Tibbett is staying with her sister Jane and brother in law Bill in the country, when a valuable greyhound, belonging to a local man who has been sent to prison, goes missing. Henry Tibbett becomes suspicious that this is linked to a bigger crime in London, and sets him off on an adventure in the mysterious world of greyhound racing. This is quite a fun mystery, with some surprises, though the rather melodramatic climax, with kidnappings and shootings etc, is rather more thriller than detective series.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard Patricia Moyes fare - which isn’t a bad thing. Once again, Chief Superintendent Henry Tibbett and his wife Emmy head into the English countryside in search of peace and relaxation, but find that even there murder and evildoings are just as present as they are in London. And what seemingly begins as a missing dog soon portends much worse. For a Scotland Yard high muckety-muck, Henry certainly goes it alone a lot - with the attendant peril to life and limb, but as always his unerring “nose” points him in the right direction and once again the evildoers are thwarted! Fun read.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of me wants to say that this was nothing special, but that is inaccurate. Moyes is such a good writer that she makes creating an excellent crime novel seem easy. This story moves smoothly and the solution works well. I had a great time reading this. It was a nice break from the real world. I hope there are a few more books about Inspector Tippett in which for me to lose myself.

[Allison Henle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so confused that the solution to the mystery just made me even more confused. Also, I hate it when Henry and Emmy get threatened with violence.

[Colin Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

Moyes is good, very good. As good as Agatha Christie but of the post-war rather than inter-war. Henry and Emmy Tibet make a companionable couple with which to try to figure out these clever puzzles. I always learn something and this time Its about the sport of racing greyhounds

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery, education on dog racing

Well constructed plot with interesting characters in a lovely English village. Enjoyed how the detective enlists family members to help and the twists and turns of the plot.

[Jan Hromas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trochu nepřehledné, trochu těžkopádné, trochu Hercule Poirot style. Ani překlad tomu moc nepomohl.

[Pina Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic adventure with Henry and Emmy Tibbet. Cosy pubs, a stolen greyhound , a serene village and a nosy vicar! Love it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent plot was

Plot was terrific-twists, characters & setting unique! Suspense & danger-quick action, snatch & rescue-underlying humor & humanity makes fabulous reading!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainly lighthearted and pleasantly complicated, but it does have some unfortunately dated language and attitudes mainly at the end.

[Jlnpeacock Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very delightful and interesting mystery. I enjoy the husband and wife combination.

[Lyle Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book

[Jocelie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible in every possible category.

[em · Rating 1 out of 5]

once an ex-boyfriend bought the movie porky's from the $5 bin at wal-mart and when I told my dad about it he said 'you paid about $5 too much for it' and that's how I feel about this $2.39 book I found when I was high at goodwill.

rt this was pretty enjoyable most of the time but idk what happened with that fucking dog and the last 30 pages are so horrifically overstuffed with that specifically nasty and British flavor of racism and gender panic I had to just consider this 'read' at some point. 1/5

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The curious thing about the third dog in “The Curious Affair of the Third Dog” is that she wasn’t there. At least she wasn’t when Jane Spence and her sister Emmy Tibbett went to the homestead of Henry Heathfield to collect three dogs he left behind that morning when he was certain a court appearance would not result in a prison sentence. The unlucky Heathfield was convicted of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated; his defense was that he had no memory at all of stealing a car from the local pub’s car park, driving the distance home, and crashing through the brick wall of his yard…which was where the unluckier Larry Walsh happened to be standing. Predictably, his claim of amnesia while intoxicated failed to sway the magistrate. Heathfield was detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure and the village constable turned the matter of the forcibly abandoned dogs over to RSPCA representative Jane, with Emmy in tow. Fortunately for Heathfield, and his missing third dog, sister Emmy’s husband is Chief Superintendent Henry Tibbett of Scotland Yard, who seems unable to take a few days vacation in the country without falling into some life-and-death mystery. Unable to resist the pleas of wife and sister-in-law, Tibbett agrees to look into the affair of the missing dog, which leads him to the manslaughter case, which connects to an attack in London he is investigating, and the whole thing seems mixed up with the world of Greyhound racing.

Author Patricia Moyes provides Chief Superintendent Tibbett an opportunity to learn quite a bit about Greyhound breeding, training and racing, as well as the administrative workings behind the scenes, and, of course, the reader is along for the ride. She also gives Tibbett a fairly complex mystery to solve, with multiple plotlines, a bevy of characters with conflicting motives and aims, and several hidden menaces with which Tibbett must contend. She develops the situations and characters in an entertaining and engaging fashion, then manages to tie it all together at the end, resolving all the various situations without a single loose end left hanging. In this day and age (the book was written in 1973) some readers might consider the character of Chief Superintendent Henry Tibbett a little pale…he is happily married, keeps his life on an even keel, is not haunted by past demons, does not drink to excess, does not look the other way when corruption arises, always follows the letter of the law, and does not swear a blue streak. He is, quite simply, a decent bloke who always seeks justice and does not break the law to do so, a likeable guy. He may be out of step with today’s anti-social anti-heroes, but it’s the reason I like him. The nature of the protagonist and the author’s excellent writing will always make a Henry Tibbett novel by Patricia Moyes rise to the top of my reading list when one comes my way.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Emmy goes to visit her sister Jane, and Jane's husband Bill, in the country, she inadvertently stumbles into a mystery — a mystery related to a case her husband, Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett is working on. It all begins when Harry Heathfield is jailed after a drunk driving accident — his defense being that he didn't remember anything. Jane, as a representative of the RSPCA, is contacted to take care of Harry's three dogs. But when she and Emmy arrive they only find two. Where is the third dog? Especially since it is a pedigree greyhound, complete with papers. When Henry arrives he quickly realizes the ramifications along with the connections to his own case. This book provides an interesting look into the world of greyhound racing, along with the usual denizens of that world. Recommended.

[Jay Maxfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy Patricia Moyes prose style and the humour of her novels and one could easily classify her as a 60s - 80s style Agatha Christie. Like Christie she has her hits and (not misses) but mediocre novels. This unfortunately, is one of her mediocre novels UNLESS you like dogs and/or dog racing in which case it's probably a must read. As you can tell by my rating I'm neither.
In this novel we see Henry & Emmy having a weekend away at Emmy's sister and brother-in-law's home in what appears to be the peaceful village of Gorsemere. However if you are a Moyes reader you know that means some criminal case is happening or about to happen and that Henry and often Emmy are unable to resist putting their noses into the mystery. This time it is all tied around a missing third dog that needs to be collected & looked after by Emmy's sister who is the local RSPCA Officer ("cruelty woman" as often used by the locals). We get to learn a lot about dog racing which will either interest you or not - Moyes tackles the theme lightly - just enough so you can understand what's going on.
As with all of Moyes novels that I have read and reviewed so far - she doesn't play fair with the reader and the only way to know whodunnit is to guess (this aspect of Moyes I don't like and irritates me as a classical crime reader). However her characterisation and humour more than make up for this weakness of not playing fair with reader. I would advise if you are new to Moyes and not particularly interested in dog racing to start with her novels: Who saw her die? AND Who is Simon Warwick? first as these are in my opinion her best novels that I have read.
I would give this book 6 out of 10 purely because I am not interested in dog racing.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett and his wife, Emmy, look forward to a peaceful vacation while visiting Emily's sister in the country village of Gorsemere. However, an emergency phone call involves Henry is a search for a missing dog and quite unexpectedly leads him into a baffling web of crime. A series of seemingly unrelated events--a local man's accidental act of murder, a shootout in a London stadium, and some scandalous behavior among England's nobility--draws Henry into the sinister behind-the-scenes world of dog racing, where the deadly seriousness of the big-money stakes provokes a lethal confrontation.

I really liked this book. I love this author and can't find her books in print anymore. This one was worth the search. It was full of twists that kept you guessing. Highly recommended.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#11 in the Inspector Henry Tibbett series. As curious as the title is the fact that this is the only title I've read in this 19 book series. Just as curious is that I never followed up on this entry although I did not find it as slow as most British police procedurals.

Henry Tibbett, and wife Emmy, are visiting her sister at their country home. Sister Jane is involved in animal rescue and is taking care of two dogs owned by a local jailed for vehicular homicide - but there were supposed to be three dogs. Chief Inspector Tibbett has an ongoing case at Scotland yard involving two gangs involved in dog-racing. Of course the cases intersect.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title promises old school coziness by suggesting a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The writing style has an attractive wittiness, which holds the attention for quite some time, as this plot takes a while to get going, and the UK village setting promises some body in the library fun. Then, once we know what this third dog thing is all going to be about, it turns into a cops and robbers tale that isn’t all that interesting. Well, you might like it if you are in to greyhound racing.

I will give this author another throw because she writes really well. But this one was, ultimately, not all that.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting title in this series, but one that definitely shows marks of being a book of its time. Henry and Emma are as pleasurable as always, and the additional development of Emma's sister Jane and her husband into fully fledged characters after appearing briefly in a prior book is fun. Readers of this series always get a deep dive into a specific topic, this time greyhound racing. But unfortunately the resolution and the villain relie on old stereotypes that have passed their sell by date.

[Teri Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series. They remind me of the cozy mystery series set in the 1920s and 1930s , yet they are set in the 1960s/1970s. Inspector Henry Tibbet is a marvelous character and I enjoy how the author shows some, but not all of his deduction process. I enjoy how the author varies the settings - each one feels unique. The reveal was a total surprise to me, which makes reading the story more enjoyable. Will be reading all of the books in this series.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd really liked Falling Star, but this one was just dull. The bad guys were obvious and Inspector Tibbett didn't belong out in the country. Both he and his mystery belong in the city.

[Sarah "Kat" · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a series worth reading. The writing is very good and the settings, mostly England, are beautiful. The main character is no nonsense with a great Brit name Henry Tibbetts! I will add the rest of the series to my to read list. There are ~20 more! Patricia Moyes passed in 2006? I think, but there is a lot to still read.

[David C Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tibbett goes to the dogs. Couldn’t resist. A seemingly ordinary drunk driving fatality in his sister in law’s little village sets Henry after rival dog racing rings. There’s a lot of deception and doubling here, from substituting dogs to cross dressing. Interesting also is the old attitude that drunk driving isn’t really serious, even if someone dies!