Swann's light touch keeps cuteness at bay, and the whimsical conceit is nicely sharpened by literary allusions and running theologial jokes.
Times
 

On a hillside near the cosy Irish village of Glennkill, a flock of sheep gather around their beloved shepherd George, who lies murdered, his body pinned to the pasture with a spade.

Fortunately, George has left behind an unusually intelligent group of sheep. Every night since they were lambs, he has read aloud to them – fairy tales, factual books about ovine disease, even detective stories – in order to help them sleep.

Faced with a real-life investigation, the flock spring into action.

They are led with fortitude by Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in Glennkill and possibly the world, She is aided by Cordelia, who loves long words; and Othello, a ram with a dark past. Together they uncover the truth behind the life and death of their shepherd. Why did George tie little packets under their bellies before they crossed the meadow? And whose blood does Ham the butcher have on his hands?

While some of the detectives insist on chewing the evidence, or even forgetting it, together they succeed in shedding the revelatory light on the inexplicable world of human beings, and even on themselves.

If you like a good murder mystery … then you'll love this original and fun philosophical tale.
OK Magazine

Refreshingly, joyously different … a witty, perceptive tale.
Sunday Telegraph

Moments of high comedy come thick and fast ...this entertaining, light-hearted mystery is told from a refreshingly novel perspective.
Daily Mail

Touching...as if Agatha Christie had rewritten The Wind in the Willows. I ended by loving it.
Independent

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