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The Fourth Bear

By Jasper Fforde

(35)

| Hardcover | 9780670037728

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Book Description

Jack Spratt and Mary Mary return in their second adventure from the inimitable Jasper Fforde

Five years ago, Viking introduced Jasper Fforde and his upsidedown, inside-out literary crime masterpieces. And as they move from Thursday Next to Jack Spratt's Nursery Crimes, his audience iContinue

Jack Spratt and Mary Mary return in their second adventure from the inimitable Jasper Fforde

Five years ago, Viking introduced Jasper Fforde and his upsidedown, inside-out literary crime masterpieces. And as they move from Thursday Next to Jack Spratt's Nursery Crimes, his audience is insatiable and growing. Now, with The Fourth Bear, Jack Spratt and Mary Mary take on their most dangerous case so far as a murderous cookie stalks the streets of Reading.

The Gingerbreadman—psychopath, sadist, genius, and killer—is on the loose. But it isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been demoted to Missing Persons following Jack's poor judgment involving the poisoning of Mr. Bun the baker. Missing Persons looks like a boring assignment until a chance encounter leads them into the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta “Goldy” Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Mole. Last to see her alive? The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood.

But all is not what it seems. How could the bears' porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Why did Mr. and Mrs. Bear sleep in separate beds? Was there a fourth bear? And if there was, who was he, and why did he try to disguise Goldy's death as a freak accident?

Jack answers all these questions and a few others besides, rescues Mary Mary from almost certain death, and finally meets the Fourth Bear and the Gingerbreadman face-to-face.

Critics

  • THE FOURTH BEAR: A Nursery Crime

    If you have not yet entered into the worlds as seen through the eyes of Jasper Fforde, then you are truly missing out on something remarkable. He does not see the world the way others see it. Underneath the norm he finds the absurd, and the normal se ... (read full critics)

    teenreads published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

  • THE FOURTH BEAR: A Nursery Crime

    If you have not yet entered into the worlds as seen through the eyes of Jasper Fforde, then you are truly missing out on something remarkable. He does not see the world the way others see it. Underneath the norm he finds the absurd, and the normal se ... (read full critics)

    teenreads published on Mon, 13 Sep 2010

4 Reviews

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  • Ogni libro di Fforde è sempre meglio, anche se finora la serie di Thursday Next non si batte. Certo, le nursery rhymes non fanno parte del mio background culturale, ma la storia, i personaggi, i giochi linguistici sono tutti da gustare.

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    livs said on Feb 4, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • by Jasper Fforde

    I can't wait for the next NCD novel! Where does mr Fforde take his ideas I really don't know. But they work splendidly!

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    Fiore said on Nov 11, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • A Little Boring, Still So Creative

    I absolutely LOVE this author's style. Anyone who can take nursery rhymes and create murder mysteries replete with humor and satire is a major plus in my book.
    In the second installment of the Nursery Crime series, Goldilocks and the Three Bears are caught in a national conspiracy and the Gingerbre ... (continue)

    I absolutely LOVE this author's style. Anyone who can take nursery rhymes and create murder mysteries replete with humor and satire is a major plus in my book.
    In the second installment of the Nursery Crime series, Goldilocks and the Three Bears are caught in a national conspiracy and the Gingerbread Man is blood thirsty as ever. Obviously this is not a nail-biter (unless you suffer from Mother Goose phobia) but it is certainly clever.
    My only issue is that there are times when the story was a little boring and nothing irks me more in a mystery than when characters are introduced at the last minute who end up playing a pivotal role in the plot. I feel like it's a cop out and it cheapens the story.
    In any case, I do recommend this book if anything for the humor and to marvel at the twisted lives of our much beloved nursery rhymes.

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    ReadingQueen 12/17 said on Aug 10, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (35)
    • 5 stars
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    • 1 star
  • English Books
  • Hardcover 382 Pages
  • ISBN-10: 0670037729
  • ISBN-13: 9780670037728
  • Publisher: Viking Penguin
  • Pub date: Aug 03, 2006
  • Dimensions: 1355 mm x 903 mm x 258 mm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Paperback, Audio CD and eBook
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ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780670037728 Hardcover -- $12.99 ebooks.com
$24.95 -- The Book Depository
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