The 20th Anniversary of Leonnie Swann's Gem, "Three Bags Full"

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 cozy 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!

Image from Goodreads

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