Soon to be a major motion picture starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, this funny and ewe-nique mystery starring a flock of sheep is a must-read, international bestseller.

On a hillside near the quaint Irish village of Glennkill, the flock gathers around the dead body of their shepherd, George, who lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George cared deeply for the sheep, reading to them daily, and as a result they are far smarter than your average flock.

Led by Miss Maple, the sharpest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George’s killer. With an assortment of woolly investigators on the case, there are furtive missions into the village and a collection of two-legged suspects to chew over.

Dazzingly original, Three Bags Full introduces a band of detectives who are a breed apart.

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is one of the most unusual novels I have ever read. The book is set in Ireland and told from the POV of a flock of sheep headed by the cleverest sheep in the world (maybe) – Miss Maple.

The sheep wake one morning to discover their shepherd, George, lying dead in their field with a spade stuck in him. Although the police are on the case the sheep have decided it is up to them to discover who killed him and why.

The premise of the book intrigued me and the author seemed to capture the thoughts of the sheep perfectly (not that I know what or how sheep think). The idea of a load of sheep being clever enough to solve a murder gave me a laugh and so I delved right in.

From the off I noticed three things that I’m not a fan of in books that I read. Long chapters, a huge cast of characters, and slow plots. There are so many sheep/rams and human characters that a list is provided at the beginning of the book. Due to the above it took me a long time to get through it and honestly I nearly gave up more than once but I ploughed on.

The story is certainly different from books I’ve read before and it was intriguing to watch a flock of sheep solve a crime, especially when they didn’t really understand the human world and had to work out what many of the words, sentences, and items were just like they were small children just starting to discover the world.

Overall, if you are looking for a cosy crime read that is weird, unusual, and different from the norm then Three Bags Full is a book to try. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t to my liking but it had a decent plot and plenty of humour within the pages to keep most readers entertained. I also notice that it is being made into a film. I can really see this working as a movie and I look forward to watching it.

Leonie Swann is the nom de plume of a German crime writer. She went to school at Ignaz Taschner Gymnasium Dachau. She studied philosophy, psychology and English literature in Munich, and now lives in Berlin.