The Fourth Bear

The Fourth Bear (2006) by Jasper Fforde is part of his Jack Spratt Investigates series. The first book, The Big Over Easy concerns the murder of Humpty Dumpty. In this book Detective Jack Spratt (who eats no fat), and Seargent Mary Mary investigate the death of Henrietta Hatchett, aka Goldilocks.

Goldilocks visits three bears and is never seen again. It is just a simple nursery story, or is it??? Nothing is ever straightforward and simple in the Nursery Crimes Division. Spratt and Mary discover that there was a fourth bear in the tableau between Goldy, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear. They discover that the company behind the latest theme park is not all that it seems. They discover that cucumbers are not always a benign tasty lunch accoutrement. They discover love.

What is there not to like about this story? Nothing.

Labels: Fforde, fiction, literature, nursery

posted by reader kay at 2:49 PM