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parsed(2025-02-25) - pubdate: 02/25
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pub date: 1740463200
today: 1739858400, pubdate > today = true

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Three Bags Full

February 25, 2025 | Trade paperback
ISBN: 9781641296823
$24.95
Reader Reward Price: $22.46 info
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This title will be released on Feb 25, 2025. Pre-order now.

Description

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, this funny and surprising mystery features a new breed of detectives you've got to read to baaaaa-lieve.

This twentieth-anniversary deluxe paperback features a foreword by A. J. Finn, discussion questions, and more.


Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George's killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).

Her team of investigators includes Othello, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe--just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There's Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God.

With wit and heart, this clever international bestseller is a mystery to chew on--and savor.

About this Author

Leonie Swann grew up near Munich and earned degrees in philosophy, communications, and psychology from Munich University and the Munich School of Philosophy. Her debut novel, Three Bags Full, has been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books, including the Agnes Sharp series, and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.


Anthea Bell (1936-2018) was a translator from French and German. She translated many novels, including W. G. Sebald's Austerlitz and Franz Kafka's The Castle, as well as novellas and stories by Stefan Zweig. She won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2012.

ISBN: 9781641296823
Format: Trade paperback
Series: A Sheep Detective Story
Pages: 384
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2025-02-25

Reviews

Praise for Three Bags Full

"An original and clever mystery, with a flock of endearingly woolly detectives. I may never eat lamb chops again."
--Carl Hiaasen
 
"Sheep make great detectives. I loved this book."
--Robert B. Parker

"One of my favorite reading experiences of years past was Leonie Swann's debut, Three Bags Full . . . The writing sparkled with delight."
--Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

"Unique and wise and fun to read!"
--The Christian Science Monitor (A Reader's Pick)

"Refreshingly, joyously different."
--Sunday Telegraph
 
"Moments of High Comedy come thick and fast. . . . This entertaining, lighthearted mystery is told from a refreshingly novel perspective."
--Daily Mail
 
"This sheepy society--sometimes touchingly naïve, sometimes surprisingly astute--has an inexhaustible, quirky charm."
--Salon

"Anthea Bell is one of our most distinguished translators . . . So when she elects to translate an unknown young German author, we might assume that there is something special about Three Bags Full . . . The plot unravels as satisfyingly as an old woolly cardigan . . . The sheep become a parable for humanity. The characters of the human herd are nicely balanced against those of the flock; the book has charm without whimsy, and is touching without being sentimental. It's rather as if Agatha Christie had re-written The Wind in the Willows, and I ended by loving it."
--The Independent
 
"Swann has written a surprisingly satisfying murder mystery that will appeal to PETA members and diehard crime novel fans."
--Post and Courier

"With sheep as detectives Swann solves one of the major problems in crime fiction, which is how to avoid the stereotypical jaded, cynical, alcoholic deadbeat gumshoe with relationship problems. Swann's sheep are as sober as judges and work out the crime from first principles . . . Genuinely odd and affecting, and without a doubt the best sheep detective novel you're going to read this year."
--The Guardian

"Leonie Swann writes lyrically about sheep and wisdom, throwing in a bit pf philosophy and a generous dollop of gentle humor . . . Three Bags Full is appealing and amusing, with moments of sadness and poignancy. . .  Prepare to be utterly charmed."
--Shelf Awareness

"A completely original, sparklingly inventive, cleverly written story . . . A quirky, humorous, lively, weird, surprisingly dark yet joyous tale that shows how a disparate set of sheepy personalities can work together for the greater good . . . Good fun and a fine first novel from a promising new writer."
--Booklist, Starred Review

"[A] refreshingly original detective story . . . The author's sheep's-eye view and the animals' literal translation of the strange words and deeds of the human species not only create laugh-out-loud humor but also allow the animals occasional flashes of accidental brilliance."
--Publishers Weekly

"Just when you thought you'd seen a detective in every guise imaginable, here comes one in sheep's clothing . . . The sustained tone of straight-faced wonderment is magical."
--Kirkus Reviews

"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 . . . This debut by German author Leonie Swann marks her as a writer to watch."
--Kittling Books

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