Humour
Three Bags Full - Leonie Swann - German author (First published in 2005, in English in 2007)Three Bags Full is about a flock of sheep whose shepherd in murdered. He may not have been the best shepherd, but he was theirs', and no one had the right to kill him! So led their smartest sheep, Miss Maple, they determine to solve the mystery.
The book is a little slow at times, but a new clue always turns up in time to keep things moving. And I was impressed by Swann's ability to handle such a large number of characters and keep them well differentiated. But the main appeal of the book isn't the plot, it's the sheep themselves--what they're thinking and talking about. It turns out sheep are very entertaining. Here's an excerpt that'll let you know whether it's your sense of humour or not. The sheep have just found George dead by spade-in-chest and get sidetracked into a discussion about whether he was a good shepherd:
Special Relationship: When you first hear about George he sounds like an average shepherd, not particularly affectionate towards his flock. But as the book progresses both the reader and the sheep learn just how special George thought they were, and the ending is surprisingly touching.
Further Reading: I was once asked for a recommendation of an author similar to Alexander McCall Smith, who writes the popular No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. The gentleman loved the series, and wanted something else that wasn't violent (but not too silly either). Unfortunately I hadn't yet read Three Bags Full, which would have nicely fit the bill.
I love this cover! It's so lurid!
Here's some others...
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