George V. Reilly

Review: The Fourth Bear

The Fourth Bear
Title: The Fourth Bear
Author: Jasper Fforde
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 382
Keywords: humor, crime, fantasy
Reading period: 16-17 December, 2007

DCI Jack Spratt runs the Nursery Crimes Division of the Reading, Berks police. In­ves­tiga­tive reporter Goldilocks is found dead, after last being seen at the three bears’ house. The Gin­ger­bread­man, a 7-foot psy­cho­path­ic cake, is rampaging around, randomly killing people. Punch and Judy have moved in next door: when they’re not beating each other up, they’re very good marriage coun­sel­lors. And enormous cucumbers are exploding under mysterious cir­cum­stances.

An extremely bizarre story, replete with puns, nursery rhymes, literary allusions, and shaggy dog stories.

En­ter­tain­ing, if silly.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Review: The Best American Crime Writing 2005 » « Review: The Boy-Bishop's Glovemaker