One morning, arriving in their meadow, the sheep find George impaled on a spade.  They get together and, talking among themselves (they just can’t talk to people); they agree they are in the perfect position to figure out the identity of the murderer.  Humans will talk freely in front of the sheep, never suspecting the sheep are listening intently to their conversations and processing all they learn.  

The sheep pay close attention to widow Kate and Beth Jameson, Gabriel O’Rourke and Abraham Rackham, though the latter two they monitor closely because they are both in the business of slaughtering sheep (for food, not sport). Once the sheep have reached a conclusion, they must find away to let the humans know who did it; they agree the only way to communicate is to participate in the talent portion of the “Smartest Sheep in Glennkill” contest.

At face value, many may be uncertain about a mystery with investigating sheep, but the sheep are quite engaging and very literate.  They make wry observations about the humans they are investigating and draw some clever conclusions.  The planning the sheep do, including how they are going to convey messages to humans, does drag a little bit sometimes, but overall the plot moves at a brisk pace.  

Readers stopping to wonder whether Three Bags Full is an allegory or social commentary may miss out on the fun, but for others, these musings may be half the fun.  This is an oddly entertaining mystery that will draw in readers to become fully immersed in the tale and readers will find themselves rooting for heroes and heroines they would have never expected.  Three Bags Full is a fun, if unusual mystery.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry