A mystery about a murdered shepherd… as solved by his flock of sheep? The gimmick gets you to look into Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, but the writing and the mystery keep you going. Swann’s sheep are all exceptional, and charming to no end, but they are still completely ovine. The flock’s investigative methods are a little unorthodox and their logical reasoning is based on their sheepy world view. Do they have what it takes to solve a mystery though?
The prose is as mesmerizing and as rich as poetry, despite having been translated from German. There are a few laugh-out loud moments, and some of pure melancholy.
Check out this book if you love mysteries but are tired of the genre’s usual conventions!
Ooh! Cool; sounds great. What, we only have one thing that’s filed under Sheep?! I’ll have to rectify that ASAP. Heh.
Comment by LGP — November 2, 2007 @ 4:59 pm
Boy, we could practically do this for our next “All Staff Read.” Karen told me about this and has been recommending it to quite a few people.
Comment by Laura — November 15, 2007 @ 6:39 pm