A review of The Big Sheep (not a misprint)

The Big Sheep by Robert Kroese

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a funny story with a really clever mystery. It starts out a bit like a Raymond Chandler story, with a private eye taking on two cases that at first glance don't seem to be related to each other (think Farewell My Lovely) but in fact are. The detective is more like Sherlock Holmes (especially the version in the TV show Elementary) than Philip Marlowe. The humor is a bit like Ron Goulart, but better.

The damsel in distress is about as different from a Raymond Chandler character as you could get. Her life turns out to be very complicated, and mysterious. And there really is a big sheep in the story that a bunch of people want, for reasons the heroes need to figure out.

The story is set in the relatively near future, and that future is well thought out and plausible. Maybe too plausible for comfort. Parts of that future extrapolate from current events for satiric purposes.

I will definitely be seeking out more books by this author. I like my science fiction thoughtful, with a dash of humor, and there aren't many authors who can pull that off. John Scalzi is one, Ron Goulart is occasionally another, and now I can add Robert Kroese to that list.



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