I really wanted to like Philipp Schott's Fifty-Four Pigs; A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery (#1,107). I managed to plow my way through the entire book, but honestly, I did not like Dr. Peter Bannerman, the veterinarian who is the principal character in this series. Maybe if you're a fan of The Good Doctor on TV, you'll like this series. If his dog Pippen (the greatest sniffer on earth according to Peter) played the lead in this book, maybe I would have felt differently.
One frosty day Dr. Bannerman is calling on one of his farm clients when he sees and hears an explosion coming from his friend Tom's farm. When he pulls in, Tom's hog barn has been destroyed in a tremendous blast. His fifty-four prized pigs have been vaporized. When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigate, they turn up human remains as well. But was the explosion accidental, or was it deliberate?
Once Peter picks up a thread to explore, there's no stopping him, though others out there are equally determined to prevent the truth from surfacing.
Although the cover blurb recommends this "lighthearted mystery" to readers of Alexander McCall Smith, I think the writer of that blurb missed the point. Although I very much enjoy lighthearted mysteries, I found Fifty-Four Pigs to be too ponderous to qualify for that title. At least he or she had the sense to not compare this book with James Herriott's beloved vet series. I'm afraid Fifty-Four Pigs will be the only book in this series I will make time to read. There's much more and much better out there.
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