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When I first saw the film poster for The Sheep Detectives, I was filled with immense joy. I had read Leonie Swan’s Three Bags Full, which is the book the film is based on. But when I mentioned it elsewhere, folks were surprised that such a film (much less a book with a sequel) existed. It made me realize that the premise was a bit…unusual, maybe even bananas for a herd of sheep to solve their shepherd’s murder.
I decided I wanted to find other books involving animals that are a bit screwy…in a good way. Sometimes the premise at the beginning of the book may seem over the top, or the plot goes to truly unexpected places. It may mean an animal narrator who has to solve the case and/or protect their owner. Here’s a list of eight over-the-top books in honor of the movie The Sheep Detectives, out in theaters now.
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
The Sheep Detectives has sheep, so Pony Confidential has a pony, called Pony, as the sleuth. It’s been described as a touch of the Odyssey and police procedural. When human Penny was 12, her beloved Pony was sold. Years later, bitter and resentful Pony has never forgotten the injustice and embarks on a journey to find Penny. But when Pony finds her, Penny gets arrested for a murder from her youth and Pony feels like he has to solve the case to get Penny back. It’s a bit of a nutty premise that is told from the points of view of Penny, Pony, and a host of other animals.
Dog on It by Spencer QuinnDoglovers unite! The Chet and Bernie Mystery series features a dog named Chet. He’s a well-meaning dog who isn’t always great at remembering things, but he loves his owner, Bernie, a private investigator. When Bernie takes on the case of a missing high schooler, it’s anything but straightforward. The young woman reappears and then vanishes again. The dynamic duo have to get to the bottom of this strange case, and find the disappearing and reappearing high schooler, before something terrible happens to her. It’s fun to see the world through Chet’s point of view. And best yet, Book 16, Cat on a Hot Tin Woof, just published this past April.
City of Others by Jared Poon
It starts with undead ducklings. Enough said. Benjamin Toh is like every government official who wants to make the world a better place. He’s doing the work of several people with limited funds, lots of red tape, and too many people who need help. Except he’s the middle manager for the Department for the Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS) that tries to help and manage otherworldly beings and unexplained occurrences. Things go from critical to emergency when he and his new intern learn that an entire floor in an apartment building has gone missing. Throw in a mandatory staff sports day, an ambitious businessman, and a very angry former deity, and it’s a catastrophe in the making. The book goes to some wild and weird places, and hopefully it’s the first of many novels with Ben and his team of extraordinary bureaucrats. And please, we need more undead ducklings in our imaginative world.
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Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. WattHere’s another interspecies detective duo, but this time the cat can talk. Cat Gobbelino works with his human Callum as a private detective in a world where deities and dentists run amok. Always short on cases, they get a case from a woman to steal a book back from the client’s ex-husband. They realize she’s a very determined sorcerer and the book does not want to be found. Plus, it has the power to destroy the world, and it wants to. That’s only the beginning of their weird and wild adventures. It’s the first of the seven Gobbelino London, PI series.
Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow
Here’s another mystery series with a talking cat, the glorious Marshmallow. In the first of three books in the Sassy Cat series, Mimi Lee has just opened her pet grooming business, Hollywoof, in Hollywood. She’s keen to make a good start, but things get doggone funny when her sister drops off a cat at her shop and it turns out the animal can speak. Mimi calls him Marshmallow due to his appearance, which he does not appreciate, not one bit. Acquiring a cat is one thing; another is getting accused for murdering the man she had an argument with about mistreating his Chihuahuas. Armed with her sassy cat, Mimi Lee has to clear her name or her dreams of pet grooming will be over. It’s wacky and fun. Plus, we all need a wise-cracking talking cat in our lives.
Anima by Wajdi Mouawad, translated by Linda Gaboriau
While the other books in this list lean towards the cozy, this one is more in the thriller category. A woman is dead, lying in a pool of her own blood. Her husband finds her body and becomes overcome with the need to find the murderer. Their cat starts telling him the story of her death, followed by birds and other 40+ animals as the husband goes on a road trip to find the murderer. The journey brings out the husband’s own memories of grief and war trauma. It’s a widely acclaimed book, translated into numerous languages, and has won many awards over the years.
Memoirs of a Porcupine By Alain Mabanckou
This book is more on the crime side of fiction than a mystery, but it’s a worthy inclusion, and is based on the African legend that all humans have some animal double. A Congolese boy named Kibandi discovers at age 11 that his animal double is a porcupine. While some animals encourage their humans to be better people, this animal does not. Instead of solving crime, Kibandi and his porcupine cause crime, often taking revenge on the people around them. But one day, the porcupine develops a conscience and decides to tell his story of a life of crime. It may have a wacky premise, but it’s a story about the nature of good and evil. It won the French literature equivalent of the National Book Award: the Prix Renaudot.
Cat on the Edge by Shirley Rousseau MurphyAnd for the cat lovers, here’s another mystery featuring a cat as a sleuth. Joe Grey is having a streak of bad luck. First, he witnesses a murder in an alley; second, he discovers he can understand humans. Pulled out of his normal life by these unnecessary developments, he’s got to save his nine lives by bringing the culprit to justice before the murderer can get him. It’s the first in the 21-book Joe Grey series.
I hope you’ll enjoy these bonkers stories with animal narrators or centered around animals. Maybe we’ll see even more animal-centered mysteries and thrillers in the future.
If you want more animal narrators, check out this list I wrote a few years ago on adult books with animal narrators. Or if you want some animal-themed nonfiction, check out this list of feel-good nonfiction books about animals.
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