Glennkill

On a hillside near the Irish village of Glennkill, a flock of sheep gathers around the body of their shepherd, George, who lies pinned to the ground with a spade. Every night he read them books, and the habit has left them sharper about human behaviour than sheep usually are. They decide to find out who killed him.

Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill, leads the investigation. Her team includes Othello, a black ram with a bad-boy reputation, and Mopple the Whale, a merino who eats constantly and forgets nothing. Zora, a pensive black-faced ewe, has a weakness for abysses. The rest of the flock joins in the nightlong debates about the crime, which stray into wild metaphysical speculation.

The sheep scout the village and meet the likely suspects. Ham is a terrifying butcher. Rebecca is a newcomer with a secret and a scheme. Gabriel is the shady shepherd of a very odd flock, and Father Will is a sinister priest.

This is a murder mystery with a comic, philosophical tone, told from the point of view of the animals. As they search, the sheep also wrestle with guilt, misdeeds and unrequited love, all of them very human troubles. The book is also published as Three Bags Full.