Pelagia and the White Bulldog - Boris Akunin

Sister Pelagia, a nun in the small Russian town of Zavolzhsk, goes to investigate the death of a prize bulldog. She is used to dealing with more human mysteries, but in this case the bulldog's owner is the Bishop of Zavolzhsk's aunt. The aunt is ill with worry for her two other dogs and believes that someone is killing them deliberately so that she will die of grief. Sure enough, shortly after Sister Pelagia arrives, another of the dogs is axed to death. At the same time, there are serious changes afoot in Zavolzhsk. A Synodical Inspector arrives in town from St Petersburg. Bubentsov clearly has a hidden agenda - to increase his power within St Petersburg. ...