Customer Reviews

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Translated from German, set on the Irish coast, and featuring a flock of sheep as protagonists, this debut channels Agatha Christie, Gary Larson (of "Far Side" fame), and "Murder, She Wrote" in a story about the murder of a shepherd and his flock's attempt to unmask his killer and bring about justice. The sleuthing sheep are a great conceit, and one that, for the most part, carries the book through the somewhat meandering and slow-developing story.

Things kick off with the shepherd dead in his field with a spade through his heart. It's certainly amusing to watch the sheep try and understand the reactions of the various humans who discover the body and the reactions the killing provokes amongst the townspeople. In homage to their beloved master and inspired by a detective story he read to them, they vow to see justice done (even if they are somewhat hazy on what that means). The sheep are greatly handicapped by their limited exposure to human affairs, not to mention generally poor memories and short attention spans. However, this is somewhat balanced by their noses, which can scent lies, fear, and other human qualities. Led by the inquisitive ewe Miss Maple (that's Ms. Marple, in case you missed it...), they are soon skulking around the village, peering in windows, and eavesdropping left and right.

The book runs into a little bit of trouble in its need to maintain the sheep's perspective on events -- which makes things somewhat more oblique and drawn out than might be ideal. The central story is also sidetracked somewhat when the long-lost brother of the flock's lead ram mysteriously reappears and starts making all manner of enigmatic statements. But it's all generally entertaining enough to maintain the reader's interest until the end. Some may get added enjoyment from trying to spot the various literary allusions (such as Wuthering Heights, and gothic horror Melmoth the Wanderer), but on the whole, one's enjoyment is probably proportional to how interesting one finds the basic conceit of sheep as amateur sleuths.

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.

When I saw this murder mystery about sheep, I had to read it. I was not disappointed. Though its pace is a bit pastoral, it's a pretty good read, and the author did a great job of depicting the dynamics present in a flock of sheep.

Though the flock agrees that George wasn't the best shepherd in the world, he wasn't all that bad, and he was theirs. When his body is found lying in their meadow with a spade stuck through it, they decide they need justice. Working together with their variety of skills, the sheep decide to investigate George's murder themselves. Their suspects include the local butcher, the vicar (amusingly referred to as God by the sheep, as he occupies God's house), George's estranged wife, a neighbor named Beth who was always trying to save his soul, and another shepherd named Gabriel whom the sheep look up to at first, until they find out some very unpleasant things about him. The author did a fine job with the sheep's often warped comprehension of human conversations and actions, as well as creating very amusing interplay among the sheep. It was also a lot of fun watching the reactions of the human characters when they realized that George's sheep were no ordinary flock.

The pace is a bit slow for the first half of the book, and I was a bit disappointed by the outcome of the murder mystery aspect, but overall, it was a very enjoyable, highly creative book. There were several spots where I laughed out loud, and the author did a wonderful job in crafting the personalities of sheep. For a fun, quirky mystery tale quite different from the norm, this book is a winner.

A flock of sheep finds its shepherd dead, and the members of the flock want to figure out what happened and why. Their only limitation is -- well, that they're sheep instead of humans. In most instances, they can only react to information and events that are presented to them. They can listen to what the humans around them are saying, and they can observe human behavior, but they're hampered by not being able to ask questions or launch a traditional investigation. Miss Maple, said to be the cleverest one in the bunch, leads question and answer sessions among the sheep and keeps prodding them toward conclusions. (She earned her name by licking syrup off the shepherd's sandwiches, of course.) The sheep are not without their own special resources, though. Key among these is the importance of scents and smells, which they can analyze better than any Two Legs can. Gradually they figure out a way to unveil the person they believe to be the murderer -- by making an appearance at the Smartest Sheep in Glennkill contest at the Mad Boar tavern. But will the humans understand them?

Delightfully literal insights abound here, as the text is told from the viewpoint of the sheep. For example, they misunderstand an early conversation among the humans; and from that point on, they think the local minister's name is "God." Though the book bogs down about three-quarters of the way through, another reviewer was right on the mark by saying that the text meanders just like its main characters do. The denouement at the Mad Boar paints a scene of the senses that can only be imagined and laughed at.

This is a magnificent first novel for this German author, and the English translation seems to do justice to the original text, as it is never clumsy or stilted. An extra bonus appears at the bottom corner of the right-hand pages, where a hand-drawn sheep is seen in various poses. Handle this like a children's flip book, and you'll see the sheep leaping in animation as you go. What a lovely and playful touch!

If you read only one detective novel about a murdered shepherd told from the perspective of his sheep, translated from the German and written by a woman who looks like Emily Watson's twin this decade, this should be the one.

It's genuinely fun and funny, yet also a serious mystery, one of the best I've read in years.

Were it not for a couple hints of sex and drugs (but nothing that should get worse than a PG-13 rating) and some other serious subjects, I'd say: Get this to Pixar at once.

I recently picked up a paperback copy of this book at the Vienna airport. It is a delightful read. A note of warning, however.... Amazon doesn't seem to be aware that Glennkill and Three Bags Full are the same book. Anyone buying the recommended pair will be disappointed, and maybe angry.

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!

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.

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.

I loved this book! I'm a mystery addict and it passes all the mystery tests: murder, smart and funny investigation, surprising and believable plot twists (well, after you accept the premise that sheep can solve a mystery). The sheep work together as a team, each with their quirky personalities; almost like Chistopher Fowler's peculiar crimes unit, only they are animals.

The story starts out with a dead shepherd and a flock of distressed sheep. The people of the village are as shocked as the sheep are and no one knows who dunnit. The story is sprinkled with "sheep logic;" They overhear the villagers say that the death was "God's work," and then, when one of the sheep goes into town and witnesses the funeral, he comes back convinced that God is a very disturbing character. The funeral, which takes place at the house of God, mystifies the sheep. He tells the rest of the sheep that God has a house and a really weird garden where dead humans are planted (the cemetery).

One thing it's not: a thriller. It takes place in rural Ireland and captures the slow pace of a small village.