Books: Down Cemetery Road (The Oxford Investigation #1) by Mick Herron (2003)

“When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a young girl disappears in the aftermath, Sarah Tucker—a young married woman, an art conservationist, who is bored and unhappy with domestic life—becomes obsessed with finding her. Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew, as her investigation reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. What begins in a peaceful neighborhood reaches its climax on a remote, unwelcoming Scottish island as the search puts Sarah in league with a man who finds himself being hunted down by murderous official forces.” 

This Herron debut novel and works most of the way. It’s still standout piece of Robert Ludlum style thriller, but the book sort of comes to a grinding halt in towards the end of the second act before picking up again in the last quarter. So it’s not as good as his Slough House series, so it’s more of promise of what will come in later years. Still, it’s filled with Herron’s snarky, black humor, and a lot of people die, including some people that appeared important to the the narrative (though the identity of one killer was a surprise to me). 

This was the first in four novels in the Oxford Investigation series featuring Zoe Boehm –who really is a secondary character here. I wondered often while reading if Herron did not know how to end the book properly –the many meandering thoughts and too much sidetracking helped me feed into this thought- and went back a gave her a reason to suddenly pop up in the last half of the book. I liked Sarah, but I found some of her actions a bit unbelievable. But that’s what these novels do best. 

Not sure I’ll read any more of Herron's Oxford Investigations books (never say never), but there still at three more standalone thrillers I may partake.

Books: Three Bags Full By Leonie Swann (2005)

“Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him 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, sets 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, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God.” 

An odd book indeed is Three Bags Full. It’s a murder mystery told through the perspective of sheep, lead by (perhaps the smartest sheep ever), Miss Maple and her other fellow sheep, Othello, Mopple the Whale, Zora, Maude, and the elusive Melmoth. 

Brought up on a plethora of Disney films (and Bugs Bunny cartoons), the idea of a flock of anthropomorphic sheep trying to solve a murder does not require too much a suspension of belief. Sure, they seem smarter than most, but it’s still a delight to see them puzzle they through human motivations, emotions, and fear to try and solve George’s death. Part of the charm, as well, is that George used to read all sorts of books to his sheep, so they kinda of grasp the human animal in ways that help them along. 

It’s a slow-burn tale, often funny and stirring. The only issue I have with the book is how the clues are laid out, as the author (via translator Athena Bell, from the original German) makes it difficult to piece the translation from human to sheep and back again. Much of it does not add up and I found myself frustrated by the lack of clues I could put together and identify the killer (and that it turns out disappointing in the end). 

In the end, it works, because the sheep are pretty funny and book is often philosophical with sheep trying to interpret human motivations. The author wrote a sequel in 2010, and British made adaptation of this book is due in May 2026.

Books: The Ax By Donald E. Westlake (1997)

“Burke Devore (who I kept thinking as Burke Devlin, a character the late Mitchell Ryan played on DARK SHADOWS) is a middle-aged manager at a paper company when the downsizing ax falls, and he is laid off. Sadly, he finds himself in the same place many of us have- the unemployment line. Eighteen months later and still unemployed, he comes across a posting that he knows should be his new job. An intelligent man, he comes up with a new spin on his job search. But there are seven men who might take that job away. And so with agonizing care, Devore looks for the seven men in his surrounding area who could take the job that he rightfully believes should be his, and begins his own twisted take on corporate downsizing.”

 

The Ax is a great, psychological observational novel about a man who transforms himself from an everyday middle manager and into a ruthless murderer. Even Burke is surprised he can do what he does, finding new skills he never knew he had. But even he, at some points throughout the book, thinks they come far too easily.

 

Despite being released nearly twenty-nine years ago, the plot still works today. It’s has an all too plausible scenario - but one that would mostly not work in 21^st Century of home security and door cameras. Still, Burke clearly has a twisted way of examining his situation and justifying his way out of it (his coda seems to be the ends justify the means). However, there are certain moments were the reader can side with him, especially on the social commentary aspect of big business and its relentless drive for profit and dividend payments, even at the cost of its customers, as well as its staff. Additionally, I enjoyed the part where Burke muses on the upcoming millennium and what might lay in the future, circa 1997.  

 

But even the craziest person can make a good point and Burke actually makes plenty of worthy arguments in this dark journey, which also highlights Westlake's remarkable talent as genre writer. Because on one hand, he produced so many great humorous caper novels, along with those fourteen Dortmunder titles, then on the other, produce these hard-boiled character crime/suspense thriller (under his own name, as well) like The Ax.

 

Ultimately, while less a satire, it does contain some of Westlake’s dark humor. But once again, it’s the razor sharp take on a real life issues that makes this novel prescient in 1997 and in 2026.