It’s never too late for a fresh start – whether you’re on two legs or four…
When burnt-out city vet Leona Lennox moves to the market town of Fiddlers Green determined to set up a dog rescue centre, recently divorced Desmond Leaks takes an instant shine to her and makes a rash promise to get his college band back together for some fundraising gigs.
Although The Wild Boys haven’t played together in years, Desmond and his best friend Johnny have no trouble persuading their old drummer to reform as The Stray Dogs. But charismatic frontman Darcus McGuire, the magic ingredient in the original line-up, is harder to track down, and Desmond is strangely reluctant to try.
After a disastrous first gig and objections by the neighbours, the future of the rescue centre looks ever more uncertain. But the residents of Fiddlers Green are not to be underestimated, particularly when the fates of their four-legged friends are at stake.
And meanwhile, the elusive Darcus McGuire might just be ready to make a comeback…
Lost dogs and lost people alike find new beginnings and unexpected routes to happiness in this gorgeously uplifting story filled with Ruth Hogan’s trademark wit and warmth.
My Review
I’ve read (or listened to) all of Ruth’s books, a couple of them twice. But nothing could have prepared me for The Stray Dogs. Because I am a dog lover – I have a two-year-old Jack Russell called Patch who would give Margot and Jerry a run for their money any day in the naughty stakes – and I’m a sucker for a tale (or tail) of furry friendship.
And there are plenty of furry – and feathered – friends in The Stray Dogs. It’s actually the name of the band that reforms after twenty or more years, having evolved from the original The Wild Boys. Now in their fifties, Desmond, Johnny, Joe and the elusive Darcus are no longer boys, or even wild.
Fleeing the pressures of city life, Leona Lennox moves to the market town of Fiddlers Green, where she intends to set up a dog rescue centre. But everything seems to be working against her. There’s the horrible neighbour Mimi Gobshite, the lack of funds, and an angry client from her last day at the vets. Can The Stray Dogs raise enough money from their gigs to keep the centre going?
But because this is Ruth Hogan, life in Fiddlers Green (in the words of Meera Syal) isn’t all Ha Ha Hee Hee. We also follow a dog called simply Dog, whose life so far has been tragic and cruel. Can Dog still find hope and the will to survive? And is romance in the air for Leo?
I loved this so much, as did a fellow book club member, that we are going to change our December read from Robert Harris to The Stray Dogs.
About the Author
From Ruth herself: ‘I was born in the house where my parents still live in Bedford: my sister was so pleased to have a sibling that she threw a thrupenny bit at me. As a child I read everything I could lay my hands on: The Moomintrolls, A Hundred Million Francs, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the back of cereal packets and gravestones. I was mad about dogs and horses, but didn’t like daddy-long-legs or sugar in my tea.
‘I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a ‘proper’ job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was bloody inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was The Keeper of Lost Things.
‘I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering partner (who has very recently become my husband – so I can’t be that bad!) I am a magpie, always collecting treasures, and a huge John Betjeman fan. My favourite word is ‘antimacassar’ and I still like reading gravestones.’
