The Fourth Bear

The Fourth Bear by Jasper FFord

Category: Nursery Crime Grade: B+

Really hardly worth reviewing this one. At this point, you're either reading Jasper Fforde or you're not. He has two series going. The first is the Thursday Next mysteries. These feature a police force that is able to go in and out of literature. Makes for some interesting twists and makes you feel pretty literary, if you get the references.

The Fourth Bear is the second book in Fforde's "nursery crime" series. These are sendups of police procedurals. They focus on the detective Jack Spratt - yes, of "eats no fat" fame. In this world, nursery characters coexist with "real people" and, for the most part, their actions follow the pattern. E.g. Spratt really doesn't eat any fat. His first wife, of the "no lean" fame, is dead and his second wife doesn't know that Jack is a nursery character.

The first book, The Big Over Easy, about the murder of Humpty Dumpty, was cute and entertaining. This one isn't quite as good, mainly because this is really a one joke series, but it still holds up enough to be enjoyable. Spratt is investigating the apparent murder of Goldilocks and it seems to have something to do with the recent escape of the notorious physo-killer, the Gingerbread Man. No, that's not a nickname -- he's eight feet tall and four inches thick...

OK, its really starting to sound pretty stupid, but its fun. If you haven't read Fforde before, I'd probably recommend starting with the Thursday Next series. You'll either think its the stupidest thing you've ever read or, like me, you'll be hooked and will add Fforde to your "always buy" list.