Three Bags Full

Soon to be a major motion picture, this funny, surprising, and internationally bestselling mystery features a new breed of detectives you’ve got to read to baaaaa-lieve.

The deluxe edition paperback will feature bonus content and hits shelves 20 years after its original release.

Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him on a hill outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, set out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world). 

Her team of investigators includes Othello, the “bad-boy” of the group; Mopple the Whale, a merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a thoughtful, if gloomy, ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep engage in nightlong discussions about the crime and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; Gabriel, the shady shepherd of a strange flock; and Father Will, a sinister priest.

With wit and heart, this clever international bestseller is a mystery to chew on—and savor.

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, was published in 2005 and became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.

Anthea Bell (1936–2018) was a translator from French and German. She translated many novels, including W. G. Sebald’s Austerlitz and Franz Kafka’s The Castle, as well as a number of novellas and stories by Stefan Zweig. She won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2012.