April 9, 2007
In this refreshingly original detective story from debut German author Swann, a flock of sheep investigates the murder of their beloved shepherd, George Glenn. Leading the effort is Miss Maple, considered the cleverest sheep in the Irish seaside village of Glennkill. She slyly "pretends" to graze while eavesdropping on suspects who come to search George's caravan for something he may have died for. When a long-lost ram recounts an incident that occurred upon his departure years earlier, Miss Maple uncovers the catalyst for George's death. The wooly troupe reveals the crime's solution in a near-Shakespearean mime at the annual "Smartest Sheep in Glennkill" contest. 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.
September 24, 2007
The mysterious death of their shepherd has sent a flock of sheep into a frenzy trying to piece together “whodunit.” Overcoming their “sheepish” ways, the members of the flock realize that they may be the only ones who can solve it. The more intelligent sheep, who have better retention or the intuition to ask the right questions, develop a list of potential suspects. As the investigation continues, the sheep quickly find the conspiracy is quite large, including a significant number of residents of Glennkill, Scotland. The delightful story is chock-full of metaphors and analogies about human behavior, interaction and memory that provide provocative insight. Bailey keeps an excellent pace and tone throughout in a light—almost benevolent—tone that keenly projects the slightly naïve perspective of the sheep. She makes indisputably clear voices for all her characters, including male voices that most would be hard-pressed to discern as coming from a woman. Tantor Media conveniently includes a handy pamphlet that lists the numerous sheep integral to the story along with a brief description of them. Simultaneous release with the Doubleday/Flying Dolphin hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 9).
June 5, 2023
This amusing ensemble cozy from Swann (Three Bags Full) features rambunctious retirees living out their twilight years at Sunset Hall, Agnes Sharp’s family home in the English village of Duck End. Sneeringly referred to by locals as a “load of senile hippies,” the residents of Sunset Hall are alarmed when the police knock on their door one afternoon. A neighbor has been shot dead on her terrace, and authorities think it might be the work of a burglar who targets elderly people. The group’s initial concern gives way to relief when the police fail to uncover another corpse they’ve been storing in their garden shed since they discovered it a few days ago and didn’t know what to do. As the group band together to solve both murders, personal secrets threaten to divide them, and each one fears they could be the next to die. Swann wittily conveys the infirmities of old age—memory lapses, vision impairment, hearing problems—alongside her characters’ flashes of insight and pluck. Though the pacing sometimes drags, cozy readers will gladly return to Sunset Hall for future installments.
August 1, 2023
Swann follows up her tour de force Three Bags Full (2007) with a very English detective story in which the human characters are nearly as marginalized as the sheep who solved their shepherd's murder. Agnes Sharp has never wanted to go gently into that good night. To serve her neighbors and keep her own social instincts humming, she's opened her home, Sunset Hall, first to Lillith Wright, then to an ever growing list of pensioners: blind former spy Bernadette; frequently addled Marshall; Winston, who uses a wheelchair; Hettie the tortoise; and Edwina, who practices yoga a great deal more mindfully than she bakes rock-hard biscuits. When the police visit to tell the residents about the fatal shooting of neighboring Mildred Puck, Agnes' overwhelming reaction is relief, because now she and her housemates can drag Lillith's corpse out of hiding and persuade Inspector Locke and Sgt. Tom Wink that both old ladies were shot by the same person. To Agnes' consternation, it turns out that they were indeed both shot by the same gun, that whoever killed them isn't finished, and that Marshall's introduced Nathan, his grandson, into the household without authorization. Agnes' memories of neighborhood dramas going back generations spark new directions for her sleuthing even as she wonders how reliable they are. Rooting the rhythms of her plot in all-too-real problems of aging--failures in mobility and memory, imprudent placements in eldercare facilities, hallucinations and confabulations, and the crowning indignity of being disbelieved or dismissed--Swann creates a world so witty and playful that readers may need to keep reminding themselves that there really is a murderer out there, or in here. An antic, moving celebration of life's final chapters.
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