Leonie Swann Author Talk

Gallery Events Space

The UNITED, SOHO Press, and Martin House Books host internationally bestselling author Leonie Swann for a special book discussion/movie screening event for her “original and clever” (Carl Hiaassen) sheep detective novel, Three Bags Full. Leonie will discuss her celebrated novel before she joins audiences for an opening week screening of The Sheep Detectives, which stars Hugh Jackman, et al. The book talk at 3pm is free (registration required) and a 4pm screening of The Sheep Detectives will follow, though tickets for the screening must be purchased separately through the UNITED website. 

Copies of Three Bags Full will be available for purchase after the author talk.

About the Book

Soon to be a major motion picture (The Sheep Detectives with Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Galitzine, and Emma Thompson), this funny and surprising mystery features a new breed of detectives you’ve got to read to baaaaa-lieve. 

This refreshed deluxe paperback features a foreword by internationally bestselling author A. J. Finn, discussion questions, and bonus materials.

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.

About the Movie

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

About the Author

Leonie Swann grew up near Munich and earned degrees in philosophy, communications, and psychology from Munich University and the Munich School of Philosophy. Her debut novel, Three Bags Full, was published in 2005 and became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.