Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 2/21/2009 + 2307 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

First Line: "He was healthy yesterday," said Maude. Her ears twitched nervously.

George has always treated his sheep more like humans than animals. He reads to them every day, he talks to them, he makes sure they're healthy and have plenty of the best fodder and grazing. It's no wonder that his flock is upset when they find him murdered out in the field. What you may find surprising is that they vow to find George's killer.

Led by Miss Maple (the cleverest sheep in all of Glennkill, Ireland), the sheep find clues and try their best to make sense of the humans around them. The entire flock of sheepy characters have to learn to work together, and to summon all their courage, in order to find justice.

This is probably a good time to inform all of you that I normally do not like talking animal books. (At least not since I was five or six!) I have to make an exception for this one. It had me thinking, smiling and chuckling as I turned the pages.

The book begins with a cast of characters, listing each sheep by name and its characteristics, but after that initial glance, I never referred to it. Swann makes each sheep an easily remembered individual. The investigation wanders a bit from time to time, but there are flashes of brilliance in an often humorous tale. This debut by German author Leonie Swann marks her as a writer to watch.

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