Leonie Swann - Three Bags Full

I guess you kind of know what you're going to get when you start reading a book about a flock of sheep investigating after their shepherd is found dead in the middle of their field, a spade driven straight through him (with names like Miss Maple, Cordelia and Othello no less - that last being the only black sheep in the flock). That is, tweeness and preciosity red alert! But Swann does it right, and while there is indeed much cuteness to be derived from the basic premise, and she does indeed take full toll (sheep leaping up with all four feet in the air when startled, sheep falling asleep at inopportune moments, sheep constantly eating, sheep totally misinterpreting human behaviour, etc), the overall effect is charming rather than cloying. Three Bags Full is fond, disarming, involving and frequently funny, and has a pleasant air of seriousness worn lightly and, to trot out the ol' cliche, I was sorry to leave this world of plucky, characterful ovine detectives...I find myself hoping for a sequel.