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Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story |  | Author: Leonie Swann
Creator: Anthea Bell
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $13.99
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Seller: thrift_books
Rating:  53 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 341
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0767927052
Dewey Decimal Number: 833.92
EAN: 9780767927055
Publication Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd.
On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, the members of the flock gather around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George has cared for the sheep, reading them a plethora of books every night. The daily exposure to literature has made them far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George’s killer.
The A-team of investigators includes Othello, the “bad-boy” black ram; Mopple the Whale, a merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a pensive black-faced ewe with a weakness for abysses. Joined by other members of the richly talented flock, they engage in nightlong discussions about the crime and wild metaphysical speculations, and they embark on reconnaissance missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher; Rebecca, a village newcomer with a secret and a scheme; Gabriel, the shady shepherd of a very odd flock; and Father Will, a sinister priest. Along the way, the sheep confront their own all-too-human struggles with guilt, misdeeds, and unrequited love.
Three Bags Full is already an international hit. “It’s rather as if Agatha Christie had re-written The Wind in the Willows, and I ended by loving it, ”Jane Jakeman wrote in The Independent. Funny, fresh, and endearing, it introduces a wonderful breed of detectives to American readers.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
 a woolly good read July 13, 2007
Sarah O'Hara (Seattle, Washington United States)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This story is a really fun mystery told from the perspective of a few intrepid sheep. They've got a murder to find justice for, and no amount of tempting clover can keep them off the scent. I really did find the book quite clever and the author was good at constructing an engaging mystery.
The best part is how human behavior is interpreted from the sheep perspective. Through the course of their investigation they make some revelations of humans and their motivations that are both sheepy and accurate. Despite the mystery, the book is very relaxing and fun. A perfect choice for readers who love quirky stories from alternate perspectives.
Read this superb book instead of counting sheep at night July 18, 2007
Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Without a doubt this has to be the most unusual set of detectives ever conceived. Swann (a pseudonym) has managed to create a sociological and metaphysical commentary on flocks, animals, villages, communities, families, and religion--in the guise of an enjoyable mystery story set in Ireland.
Shepherd George Glenn is found dead in the middle of his beautiful pasture overlooking the sea, where he lives most of the time in a caravan with his flock of sheep on the fringes of the small isolated Irish town of Glennkill. He raises them for wool, and cares for them deeply. He feeds them special foods, reads to them, and teaches them by reading to them of sheep diseases. Most unsettling is that a spade has been driven though his body!
The sheep are dismayed, but Miss Maple, the smartest, decides they must find out what happened. A cursory investigation by the police turn up no clues, except that George had first been poisoned. One of the main handicaps for the sheep in their investigation is that they are not a part of everyday village life, and not available to overhear conversations, the way a pet dog or cat might; but there are plenty of visits to the pasture by suspects where events are discussed.
There are many odd goings on, like nighttime thieves trying to get into the caravan; and a visit in the fog by the nasty butcher Ham. When necessary Miss Maple, Mopple (the sheep in the flock famous for his memory and his appetite) or Othello (a black ram who has been out in the world, and has lived in the zoo and worked in a circus) travel the short road to the village, and listen in on conversations outside homes, Ham the butchers place, and even visit the church, attend George's funeral, and the reading of his will.
When the shepherd Gabriel moves his flock of sheep (a meat breed!) to the pasture to help care for George's flock (and keep track of the caravan), even more clues are revealed. Where did George get his money? Why is he estranged from his wife, Kate, and what exactly is his relationship with Tess? Why did Beth keep coming around trying to "convert" George? How is the flock going to find justice at the annual "Smartest sheep in Glennkill" contest at the pub?
My favorite scene was when the flock wants to drive off Gabriel and his mute and spooky meat breed sheep, and they know they have to scare him--so they imitate the symptoms of scrapie (a contagious and fatal sheep disease) and he and his flock are gone.
Armchair Interviews says: This fantastic cozy mystery has been translated into 15 languages from the original German.
Great for Sheepy people! July 30, 2008
lucydog
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I don't usually like mystery novels, but my husband bought me the book because of the sheep. The author has an excellent understanding of flock behavior. Sheep people will appreciate things like the flock's reaction to their first sight of hair sheep, and their food obsessions. I loved how their vision of the ideal shepherd is one who only wears wool from his own flock.
This is a beautifully written and challenging book. Sheep people will love it, of course, but anyone who likes novels with elements of magic and mystery will love it too.
Sheep detectives? August 4, 2008
Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Over the years there have been books with rabbits, mice, bears, and other non-humans as protagonists, but this is the first one that I have every read that features sheep. Not only sheep, but a flock determined to find out who killed their shepherd. Naturally, this takes place in Ireland, where the fantastic always seems commonplace. The writing is witty, and told from the perspective of a sheep. There are too many members of the flock for all of them to be fully fleshed out as characters, but they are, after all, sheep. The humans aren't really more detailed, but they appear to us as they appear to the sheep, even if not fully realized. The plot was interesting, and there were some intersting side stories, and I enjoyed the book very much. If you don't like animals, however, don't read the book!
sheep detectives September 11, 2008
E. McGuire (Paonia, CO United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Absolutely wonderful even if you do not have sheep but especially fun if you do.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
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