The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
Although on the surface this is a gentle, easy to read, uncomplicated novel, I found it incredibly enjoyable, well written and clever. Whilst I would not classify it as detective fiction, there is a mystery at the centre of the story, and I eagerly read on, not just to discover the answer, but also to find out more about the characters. The story centres on two children, Grace and Tilly, 10 years old and at the start of their school summer holidays. Being nice, caring children who are slightly disconcerted by recent events and perhaps driven by a lack of anything else to do, they take it upon themselves to investigate the sudden unexplained disappearance of Grace’s neighbour, Mrs Creasy. Without giving too much away, Grace hits upon a method for not only finding Mrs Creasy, but preventing anyone else from disappearing, and so their mission begins. It requires them to “interview” all the neighbours who live on the cul-de-sac, which they cleverly ac...