The Fourth Bear

  I love Jasper Fforde.  The Fourth Bear is the second in the Nursery Crime Division by this amazing author, and while it's not my favorite of his, it's sooooo good.  It centers around the Nursery Crime Division of the police department in Reading England, with Jack Spratt (who will eat no fat, his wife will eat no lean, though that condition has since widowed him, and he's in love with his second wife) and Mary Mary (who is quiet contrary, though I think her garden was mentioned in the first book).  The two officers investigate the death of Goldilocks, and her possible involvement with the three bears, as well as chasing the psychotic Gingerbreadman.  From porridge restrictions for bears, who are addicted to the stuff and buy it on the black market, to several bear sympathizers who work towards the right to arm bears, it's full of way to many quick jokes to catch them all the first time.  The Big Over Easy, in which Jack and Mary investigated Humpty Dumpty's murder was better, but I really hope he comes back to this series again.  I always hesitate to recommend Fforde at work, because he is so unbelievably wonderfully weird.  But if you don't mind the occasional alien (oh Ashley, hopefully he will have the pluck to ask Mary out again), or biochemical warfare with cucumbers.  No seriously, cucumbers, try one of his books.  The Thursday Next series is probably the best series in popular fiction ever (Something Rotten is my favorite, Hamlet shows up, and Landon is back!), and next year he's starting a new one.   I unabashedly love Jasper Fforde and all of his novels, but if you don't really like weird, or just find me weird, you might want to pick something else to read.