Big Bad Wool - (A Sheep Detective Story) by Leonie Swann (Hardcover)

About the Book

"With one solved mystery under their wooly belts, the time has come for the sheep of Glennkill to explore Europe. Together with their new shepherdess Rebecca, they move into their winter quarters in the shadow of a French chateau. But their new home is far from idyllic. A number of the sheep from the previous flock have disappeared, and deer are dying an unnatural death in the forest. The goats from the neighboring pasture have a theory: a werewolf. Could that be real, or just a fantasy? When a human falls victim, it becomes clear that even fantasies can be fatal"--

Book Synopsis

In the highly anticipated follow-up to the breakout offbeat hit Three Bags Full, an enterprising flock of sheep must get to the bottom of just who--or what--is leaving a trail of grisly destruction in its wake.

With one solved mystery under their wooly belts, the time has come for the sheep of Glennkill to explore Europe. Together with their new shepherdess, Rebecca, they move into their winter quarters in the shadow of a French chateau. But their new home is far from idyllic. A number of sheep from a previous flock have disappeared, and deer are dying unnatural deaths in the forest. The strange goats from the neighboring pasture have a theory: a werewolf. Could that be real, or just a fantasy?

When a human falls victim, it becomes clear that even fantasies can be fatal. And the last thing the sheep want is to lose another shepherd. With the help of the goats next door, they follow the werewolf's trail in a desperate attempt to save both themselves and Rebecca with sheep logic, courage, and woolpower.

This clever, tense mystery features the ultimate amateur sleuths as they ponder curious human motives, attempt to change their fortunes by eating tarot cards, and borrow a harebrained scheme from a not-so-secret spy in an attempt to thwart the beast that's been stalking them.

Review Quotes

Praise for Big Bad Wool

"This shaggy-sheep story is by turns whimsical, spooky, witty and poignant. It's worth the reader's suspension of disbelief to persevere to the triumphant finale."
--Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

"Exceedingly delightful."
--Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

"Witty . . . As in the previous book, Swann gives each of her animal protagonists a distinctive voice and personality, and she stirs up hilarious misunderstandings between the flock and their human counterparts. The mystery itself is brisk and surprising. Cozy mystery fans will be delighted."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Likely to warm the hearts and expand the horizons of readers."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A complete original."
--Booklist

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

"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

"Swann has written a surprisingly satisfying murder mystery that will appeal to PETA members and diehard crime novel fans."
--Post and Courier

"Genuinely odd and affecting . . . The best sheep detective novel you'll read all year."
--The Guardian

"It's rather as if Agatha Christie had rewritten The Wind in the Willows, and I ended by loving it."
--The Independent

About the 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, became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages, won both the PETA Award and the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, and will soon be a major motion picture. She has now published six books, including The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp, and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.

Amy Bojang is a translator of German-language literature. She has an MA in Modern and Contemporary German Studies from the University of Nottingham. In 2017, she was selected by the journal New Books in German for their Emerging Translators Programme. She lives in England.