Strychinne for Dogs: Gask was an English dentist that emigrated to Australia, he would write crime fiction whilst waiting for patients, here is an excellent example of his work

He began his career as an author late in life. It was only in 1920 when he and his second wife and family emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia to set up a dental practice that writing took its hold.

Gask paid for the publication of his first work, ‘The Secret of the Sandhills’, which was an immediate success, both commercially and critically.

Over the next 3 decades Gask wrote over thirty books, usually featuring his detective invention Gilbert Larose, as well as short stories. Many of his works were translated, serialised and even broadcast on the radio. HG Wells and Bertrand Russell were avid fans.

In the last years of his life he was still writing, usually two novels a year.

Arthur Gask died on 25th June 1951, in Adelaide, Australia. He was 81

In this story we meet his most popular character, Detective Gilbert Larose, who, whilst on holiday, is drawn into a case of dogs being poisoned. But why would anyone do that?