2.75 stars rounded up. At first this was really good and I was engrossed in the different viewpoint of a flick of sheep investigating the murder of their shepherd. But after a while the mystery kind of took a back seat into a deep dive on ovine thinking and how they see the world, and honestly it dragged a bit for me then. I did kind of power read the last third of the book as a result.

Overall, props to it for a completely off the wall different point of view, but I could have done with a little less woolly navel gazing I think, if I’m honest.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

When a shepherd is found dead in his field, killed with a spade, his sheep task themselves with finding out who his killer was. Glen was a good shepherd and looked after his flock well, treating them with care and compassion. The sheep loved him and the confusion spread amongst them when they find him dead. However, the confusion soon turned to finding their detective skills! Who would have thought that sheep were so clever at piecing together all the pieces of a murder-mystery!

This was such a strange read! I have to admit, I didn't really read the blurb before I started so wasn't expecting it to be about a flock of murder solving sheep! However, I loved them! I loved their mannerisms and found myself thinking that they were actually human as the story moved on. Their clever little ways of thinking, their emotions, the suspicions they had of everyone and even the descriptions of how they looked all added to their characters and made them a likeable bunch of animal detectives. Most of all though, they loved to gossip, and that was just the funniest thing!

For me though, whilst I love the sheep part of the storyline, I found the murder mystery part a little slow. The story of Glen's murder wasn't as interesting as what the sheep were up to, and this was always going to be where I struggled with it. However, the stories of the sheep's antics more than kept me interested and I became completely enamoured with this fluffy bunch. I finished the book wondering if sheep are really like that, and what do they really say about us when we walk past them! I'll also never look at clouds in the same way!

As a murder mystery, sorry but I'm not as keen. As a story about a flock of emotional, suspicious and good natured sheep whose views on the world were just heartwarming and wonderful...then, yes that worked for me!

The world seen through the eyes of a flock of Irish sheep. You wouldn’t think it would work but it does. Loved this book. The sheep’s beloved shepherd has been murdered, his loyal sheep dog Meg has disappeared. What will become of a flock with no shepherd to guide them. Will the evil butcher take them. The sheep decide to find the killer but are often distracted by their compulsion to eat their fields meadow herbs. It will keep you guessing until the end. First published a few years ago it is now being turned into a film. I’m curious as to just how they will do that but would certainly be interested in watch it. The different sheep characters are funny and lovable. Now I hear their is a second book set in France due for publication. I look forward the flocks forth coming adventures.

When I read the description of this book I couldn’t not read it!
The sheep wake up one morning to find their shepherd lying on the grass with a spade in his chest.

This book is as crazy as it sounds and I understand is being made into a film with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson..

The description of the sheep behaviour as individuals and as a flock were brilliant. Funny in places, pretty deep in others. It’s a really good read. A refreshingly different read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

Imagine being a sheep and finding your shepherd dead on the ground. What do you do? Why is he dead, how did he die? George was not the most usual of shepherds. He read to his sheep every day and he had dreams of taking the sheep to Europe. Sound a bit wacky? Indeed, it is rather far-fetched but in a reasonably believable way. George named all his sheep and so we come to know all their personalities as they weave their way to finding George's killer. They seem to get around reasonably well and do a fair bit of spying on the villagers, all so they can find out what's happening. It's a good thing they understand the human language.

I have read other books by Leonie Swann and enjoyed them thoroughly, so it was a no-brainer to read this. It's even more unconventional than those cozy murder mysteries but filled with much of the same sort of humor. I wasn't sure if the book would maintain its quality throughout, but I think it worked just fine in the end. We get to know many characters, both human and sheep and there's a nice interplay between some of them. Some not too ancient history is revisited along the way and an old sheep returns to the fold, so to speak. There's some sadness, quite a lot of humor and even a little bit of love thrown in. There's a major movie coming out with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson and I look forward to this story on the screen. I think it should work well there.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars and would like to thank Netgalley and Allison and Busby for giving me a free advanced reader copy. I have provided my review voluntarily.

This was a unique and quirky read that, once you get past the fact that you are reading about a herd of sheep investigating their shepherd's murder, is actually quite entertaining!

I so wanted to like this one. I loved the idea of it but, sadly, I just couldn't get into it. It wasn't for want of trying. Several times I put it aside and read something else then came back to it but it didn't make any difference.
Truth be told, I found it slow going and had to realise that it just wasn't for me.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

I read this book in one sitting. The book is clever, unputdownable and it has some kind of humour in it. The vibe of the book is mysterious. The characters are clever. I devoured this book and it was oddly satisfying. I didn’t love the ending but loved the blend of genres including Horror, Mystery and love triangle between characters. Narrated from the perspective of Miss Maple. They are trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of George’s death. A flock of sheep is set out to find George’s k!ller while investigation unveils many layers of secrets, truth, and mystery. Something ominous is happening around them and the horror elements were spot on. I liked the whole investigation aspect and reading all about George’s ghost. The perspectives of the characters were intriguing and unique. But I must say this is a quite unique, strange, and genre blending book.

Many Thanks to the Publisher and Author.

I think I can safely state that Leonie Swann’s Three Bags Full is the only detection novel where the detectives are a flock of sheep. Although the main detective is a ewe, Miss Maple, I think it’s fair to say that several other sheep and rams were vital to the exposure of their shepherd’s death.

I’m sorry, I’ve run ahead of myself… The flock discovered their shepherd, George, dead in their pasture with a spade run through his body. They are unsure what Justice is, but they feel they need to find out who killed George and then Justice will happen.

I enjoyed the book. I think there were perhaps 2-3 characters/sheep too many who didn’t contribute to the plot progression and who simply confused matters, as they were more names to remember for what transpired to be no meaningful reason. Although the sheep can understand the words of human speech, they are not aware of the cultural aspects. So, for example, “grass” means only one (obvious) thing to the sheep but the mention of drugs earlier alerts us human readers to the potential multiple meanings of the word. We see what the sheep see but we have the added advantage of interpreting the meaning behind some human dialogue and behaviour. That still didn’t enable me to work out whodunnit – but, to be fair, the sheep weren’t 100% right either! The answer was unexpected, but sound, based upon the evidence presented to us readers.

I felt the sub-plot involving the mysterious ram, Melmoth, with his cryptic sayings and the italicised discursions, didn’t add value. The book could have been pruned by 10-20 pages and I think that focussing and tightening would have been beneficial. Nonetheless, I still recommend it!

#ThreeBagsFull #NetGalley

I read this book 20 years ago and loved it. I was expecting other but never found them.
I hope this is the start of the series and there will be more mysteries featuring this flock of clever sheeps and rams.
It's good mystery, full of humour. It's also a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I was elated to read it again and find the characters i loved
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The premise of this book seemed intriguing but didn’t really live up to its promise. There were quite a lot of characters, particularly sheep, who didn’t add much to the narrative. I felt it was slow moving and flat especially in the middle but think it will transfer to the screen successfully.

SPOILER: I loved Leonnie Swann’s mystery novel, "Three Bags Full"! I’m not always a fan of anthropomorphic stories, and I didn’t realize the POVs of the narrators of this story are sheep. When I opened this book, I was so surprised but found myself laughing out loud and thought that I have to give this book a fair shot…And I did. And I loved it!

Set in Ireland, this heartwarming story is so much more than a murder mystery; yes, it’s a story about a flock of sheep that is determined to discover who murdered their shepherd, George. And George’s complicated relationships with those who live in the smaller community of Glennkill make many a folk suspect, but that’s not really the point of this story. The most important aspects are related to the sheep: how they learn about one another, about themselves, and about the people who knew George. Furthermore, they learn how to work together and how to help other sheep (those in Gabriel’s flock).

The part of me that doesn’t like the idea of projecting human ideologies and whatnot onto animals was able to get lost in the story enough to suspend disbelief so that I could learn whether or not Miss Maple—the smartest sheep in all of Glennkill—could solve the mystery; figure out whether the sheep would ever overcome their fear of the Butcher; and discover what actually happened to Melmoth as he leaves the flock.
This is a brilliantly written story about determination and the dedication of the characters to one another, and not just the sheep as we can see from Beth’s dedication to saving George. It’s a touching account about the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

If you’re a fan of cosy mysteries, stories that have a great balance of plot and character development, and narratives written from the POV of animals, then Leonnie Swann’s touching novel "Three Bags Full"—which is celebrating its 20th anniversary—could be for you!

By the way, the foreword by A.J. Finn is hilariously punny!

Many thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review.

First published in 2005, Leonie Swann's debut is being reissued twenty years later, and it's still a wonderful read.

When their shepherd is found dead with a spade through him, his small flock of sheep are unsettled. Led by Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in the flock, they decide to bring the culprit to justice.

First they need to find out what justice is.

The small flock had a good relationship with their shepherd, George. He read them stories. Sometimes stories about sheep diseases which they didn't enjoy, and sometimes there was a detective story, which George didn't like so didn't finish. But mostly he read trashy historical romance stories where all the women seemed to be called Pamela. The sheep enjoyed the Pamela novels. But with no shepherd, who will now read to them? And who would want to hurt him?

The sheep have an understanding of what they fear. The butcher. The wolf. But to unravel the death of their shepherd requires them to consider what humans fear.

The flock are shown to have their own logic and their own ideas of what counts as important information and it was really enjoyable to see a murder investigation from a completely new perspective.

This is a quiet, thoughtful novel, beautifully written, and we as readers try to solve the puzzle but with information seen and processed through sheep minds, who are not as uncomplicated as we might believe. There are certainly some villagers in Glennkill that won't underestimate the flock after their escapades here.

The novel is hilarious and thought-provoking in equal measure. While there are plenty of hilarious escapades and genuine laugh out loud moments, there are also moments that make you stop and consider and think about things from a new angle.

Three bags full: of mystery, gentle humour and sheepy shenanigans!

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher, Allison & Busby, for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of this novel.

I went into Three Bags Full expecting a quirky, clever mystery with a unique twist—sheep solving a murder. Unfortunately, while the premise is intriguing, the execution left a lot to be desired.

The book follows a flock of sheep trying to uncover the mystery behind their shepherd’s death. While this idea had potential for charm and humor, I found the storytelling slow and meandering. The sheep’s perspectives, though creative, often made the narrative feel disjointed and overly whimsical in a way that didn’t fully engage me. The humor didn’t land, and the pacing dragged, making it hard to stay invested.

Additionally, while the mystery itself had some interesting elements, the resolution felt underwhelming. I struggled to connect with the characters—both human and ovine—which made it difficult to care about the outcome.

Overall, Three Bags Full had an interesting concept but failed to hold my attention. If you enjoy slow, whimsical mysteries with an unconventional perspective, it might work better for you.

*Thank you to NetGalley, and Allison & Busby, for sending me a copy of this book and allowing me to read it. This review is left voluntarily and entirely my own opinion.*

A unique quirky cozy mystery well written at times hilarious.A group of sheep yes sheep are the detectives trying to discover who killed their human shepherd master.Should make an interesting fun film.#netgalley#threebagsfull.

This was excellent, a little bit mad and thought provoking all at the same time. A murder mystery looked into by a flock of sheep. The sheep all had their personalities and foibles and their role in the tale bringing clarity on the dead body but also the world that the sheep inhabit. The book shines a light on the odd and mad things that humans do and questions it all, as the sheep don’t know human reasoning - be the God, relationships or the meaning of life and depression. This is a topsy turvy look at happiness and meaning,

An udderly original take on your run of the mill cosy mystery genre!
When their shepherd, George, is found dead, the clever Miss Maple leads the flock in solving the crime. Using what they’ve learned from George’s bedtime stories, they investigate the humans in their village.
The book is full of quirky characters and funny moments, making it an enjoyable and unusual read. I’m looking forward to seeing the film!

Well this is a wonderfully quirky and unique murder mystery . It is a slow burn and there are a lot of characters ( sheep) to keep up with, but it is an enjoyable read. I can't wait to see the film adaptation.

Okay. So who didn't want the sheep.in baby to have their own spin off? Well this was that but soooo much better. It was also a woven light mystery of the miss Marple vibe to it too.
So, a shepherd is killed..and of course what do we expect next from a book. A group come along to solve the murder,right? Yup... oh but obviously this group are his sheep. Yes you read it right,his sheep! And so let yourself go,put aside the cynicism(which is easy once you start) I loved each of these sheep characters. It was like humans. They all reperesented a different personality. And I think for once my thoguhta are,that put into film this will be just as good or even better.
I'm not sure how to review this apart from give it a go because you'll be glad you did.

When George Glenn's flock wake up one morning they are shocked to find George not only dead, but someone has stuck a shovel in him as well.. They decide to investigate and find who killed George. Led by Miss Maple they use all their powers of deduction and the things George taught them from the Pamela books he used to read to them. The Butcher seems a likely character, but there is also God, the tall thin man who lurks about the village.
An interesting read mainly from the point of view of the flock. Fun.