Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Books (2007), Edition: Reprint, 378 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Mythology. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:Return to the world of the Nursery Crime Division in this novel from Jasper Fforde, the New York Times bestselling author of the Thursday Next series and The Constant Rabbit The inimitable Jasper Fforde gives readers another delightful mash-up of detective fiction and nursery rhyme, returning to those mean streets where no character is innocent. The Gingerbreadmanâ??sadist, psychopath, cookieâ??is on the loose in Reading, but thatâ??s not who Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary are after. Instead, theyâ??ve been demoted to searching for missing journalist â??Goldyâ?ť Hatchett. The last witnesses to see her alive were the reclusive Three Bears, and right away Spratt senses something furryâ??uh, funnyâ??about their story, starting with the porridge. The Fourth Bear is a delirious new romp from our most… (more)
Media reviews
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fforde is crazy; he’s all over the place. He’s aware of the conventions he’s mocking, he mocks them openly, and he still has a really decent romp of a mystery novel on his hands.
Though his characters' self-awareness may ultimately defeat the suspense of The Fourth Bear, the loss of the more standard forms of mystery magic is more than compensated for by Fforde's superb comedic skills.
Library Journal
Great fun for all fiction collections.
Booklist
Chockablock with puns, literary allusions, groanworthy asides, and playful dismantling of the police procedural . . . The Fourth Bear will appeal to fans of whimsy, silliness, or plain old nonsense.
Publishers Weekly
This sequel offers literary allusions, confusions and gentle satire, though, again like its predecessor, it lacks the snap of the author's Thursday Next series.
User reviews
LibraryThing member reading_fox
The second of the Jack Spratt serie sof Nursery Crime detective stories. Surprisingly I had though that as a paradoy of the crime genre this might start to fall a bit flat by the second book, but it doesn't. It is still incredibly funny, packed with obscure and not so obscure references and one or
the links to Thursday Next's Bookworld, become more blatent, Thursday herslef becomes even less refered to than in the previous book. Bookworld is however causing problems for Jack Spratt, he has managed to remain in "teh Real world" as an undetected Nursery Rhyme Character for many years, but the cracks are starting to appear. Suspended for duty pending a mental examination of his fitness for duty, Jack cannot be part of the investigation into the escaped pyscotic killer "the Gingerbreadman" - is he a cake or a biscuit?
Instead he provides unofficial advice to his Official Sidekick Mary Amry whom I never noticed being quite contrary. They are looking for the journalist Goldilocks,last seen at the three Bears cottage in the woods. ... hence the title, who was the fourth bear present on that fateful day? Why does any of this tie into cucumbers? - Give yourself extreme bonus points if unlike me, you managed to get the obscure reference before it is given away in the endnotes.
Packed full of stupid and funny jokes this is another treasure from Fforde. The only minor downside is that it is very very contrived. Read it somewhere private where you can freely let yourself laugh out loud!
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two very badly contrived jokes that will have you groaning out loud, when the punchline finally arrives.the links to Thursday Next's Bookworld, become more blatent, Thursday herslef becomes even less refered to than in the previous book. Bookworld is however causing problems for Jack Spratt, he has managed to remain in "teh Real world" as an undetected Nursery Rhyme Character for many years, but the cracks are starting to appear. Suspended for duty pending a mental examination of his fitness for duty, Jack cannot be part of the investigation into the escaped pyscotic killer "the Gingerbreadman" - is he a cake or a biscuit?
Instead he provides unofficial advice to his Official Sidekick Mary Amry whom I never noticed being quite contrary. They are looking for the journalist Goldilocks,last seen at the three Bears cottage in the woods. ... hence the title, who was the fourth bear present on that fateful day? Why does any of this tie into cucumbers? - Give yourself extreme bonus points if unlike me, you managed to get the obscure reference before it is given away in the endnotes.
Packed full of stupid and funny jokes this is another treasure from Fforde. The only minor downside is that it is very very contrived. Read it somewhere private where you can freely let yourself laugh out loud!
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LibraryThing member elbakerone
Introduced in The Big Over Easy, investigators Jack Spratt and Mary Mary of Reading's Nursery Crime Division return to action in The Fourth Bear, a highly amusing sequel from author Jasper Fforde. This time, the detectives are trying to track down a crazed serial killer known as The Gingerbreadman
Meanwhile, Harriet Hatchet - better known as Goldilocks - has disappeared after a strange encounter with three bears. That should come as no surprise to Spratt who is used to dealing with the odd coincidences of the Nursery Crime world, but he is baffled by the mystery of how three bowls of porridge poured at the same time could be turn out to be three different temperatures. Is it possible that there was a fourth bear?
True to Fforde's style, silly puns and wordplay abound in this comedic mystery. Though perhaps not quite as good as the first in the series, fans of Over Easy will still want to check out this sequel.
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who insists that they can't catch him.Meanwhile, Harriet Hatchet - better known as Goldilocks - has disappeared after a strange encounter with three bears. That should come as no surprise to Spratt who is used to dealing with the odd coincidences of the Nursery Crime world, but he is baffled by the mystery of how three bowls of porridge poured at the same time could be turn out to be three different temperatures. Is it possible that there was a fourth bear?
True to Fforde's style, silly puns and wordplay abound in this comedic mystery. Though perhaps not quite as good as the first in the series, fans of Over Easy will still want to check out this sequel.
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LibraryThing member PensiveCat
This is the second in the Nursery Crime novels. Definitely better than the first, and hilarious. Mary and Ashley's first date is the most interesting interplanetary relationship I've ever come across. I can't wait for the third installment in this series.
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Detective Jack Spratt and the rest of the Nursery Crimes division have got big problems: the psychotic Gingerbread man has escaped from prison, and is loose on a murderous spree in Reading. Or rather, they would have big problems, if they hadn't been bumped off the case by the higher-ups,
Review: This book was pretty much solid Fforde - wall-to-wall literary allusions and zany wackiness that somehow all fits together right at the end. Unfortunately, I picked this one up when I wasn't really in the mood for enforced wackiness, so although I can't really find any fault with the novel itself, I wound up finding it more tiresome than fun. Some of the jokes worked for me, but some felt like they were trying too hard, and when you even have your characters point out that the jokes are trying too hard, that little puff of metafictional cleverness just felt like really trying too hard.
I didn't solve the mystery on my own, but all of the pieces somehow (miraculously) did fit together and make their own kind of sense by the end. But my favorite parts of the books were neither the central story elements nor the throwaway gags, but rather the secondary plots and long-running threads. I was particularly charmed by Mary Mary's and Ashley (the alien)'s relationship, and I thought Jack's new magical self-healing car, sold to him by one strange Mr. Dorian Gray, was clever without being blaringly zany, and was used very effectively.
So: can't really fault it for anything, but also didn't really love it... although in another time and another mood, I might have had a very different reaction. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you like metafiction and are in the mood for a bunch of terrible puns and general silliness wrapped around a detective story, The Fourth Bear should fit the bill quite nicely. It's technically the second book in the Nursery Crimes series, but could easily stand alone.
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and reassigned to searching for the missing journalist Goldilocks, last known to have been investigating a competitive cucumber grower who died in a freak explosion. The three bears were the last ones to see her alive, and something about their story just doesn't add up in Jack's reckoning... but how can he explain his theories to his superiors without losing his job and being sent to the loony bin to boot?Review: This book was pretty much solid Fforde - wall-to-wall literary allusions and zany wackiness that somehow all fits together right at the end. Unfortunately, I picked this one up when I wasn't really in the mood for enforced wackiness, so although I can't really find any fault with the novel itself, I wound up finding it more tiresome than fun. Some of the jokes worked for me, but some felt like they were trying too hard, and when you even have your characters point out that the jokes are trying too hard, that little puff of metafictional cleverness just felt like really trying too hard.
I didn't solve the mystery on my own, but all of the pieces somehow (miraculously) did fit together and make their own kind of sense by the end. But my favorite parts of the books were neither the central story elements nor the throwaway gags, but rather the secondary plots and long-running threads. I was particularly charmed by Mary Mary's and Ashley (the alien)'s relationship, and I thought Jack's new magical self-healing car, sold to him by one strange Mr. Dorian Gray, was clever without being blaringly zany, and was used very effectively.
So: can't really fault it for anything, but also didn't really love it... although in another time and another mood, I might have had a very different reaction. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you like metafiction and are in the mood for a bunch of terrible puns and general silliness wrapped around a detective story, The Fourth Bear should fit the bill quite nicely. It's technically the second book in the Nursery Crimes series, but could easily stand alone.
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LibraryThing member gerleliz
Another fun romp through Nurseryland
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
My first encounter with Mr. Fforde's work didn't set my reading buds tingling but as I already had the sequel to [The Big Over Easy] I thought I'd give it another go as I do like the concept idea of poking fun at the crime/mystery genre. The Nursery Crimes series certainly does that with the NCD
The humour in the book seemed to gel with me more this time around but I think it was also that the narrative flowed better that made this one more enjoyable than the last. The characters were fleshed out some more and the off-the-job asides were well interjected. Punch and Judy as new neighbours anyone? Or perhaps having qualms about going on a date with an alien. Problems that Jack and Mary Mary have to deal with in their respective home lives. A third book is due in about 2014 and I now feel much happier about continuing with this series and will pick that one up when it's released.
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(Nursery Crimes Division) of the Reading police investigating various cases which include competitive cucumber growing, unlicensed porridge deals amongst the bear population & the disappearance of Goldilocks. The one case that wasn't given to the department though was the escape of the notorious Gingerbread Man. Seven foot of psychotic, mass-murdering biscuit (or should that be cake) is once again loose on the streets and despite being one of the officers to catch him last time, Jack Spratt can't officially get involved and has been put on sick leave pending a psych evaluation after events in his last case didn't exactly go that well. Red Riding Hood and her grandmother didn't appear to enjoy being eaten by the big bad wolf apparently.The humour in the book seemed to gel with me more this time around but I think it was also that the narrative flowed better that made this one more enjoyable than the last. The characters were fleshed out some more and the off-the-job asides were well interjected. Punch and Judy as new neighbours anyone? Or perhaps having qualms about going on a date with an alien. Problems that Jack and Mary Mary have to deal with in their respective home lives. A third book is due in about 2014 and I now feel much happier about continuing with this series and will pick that one up when it's released.
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LibraryThing member atimco
Though the Humpty case (told in The Big Over Easy) was a great success for the budget-strapped Nursery Crime Division, it wouldn't be the NCD without a crisis on hand. Currently the department is under fire for using a minor as bait to catch a villainous PDR (Person of Dubious Reality) who snips
In typical Ffordian style, The Fourth Bear features a bewildering number of random characters and happenings, including: Goldilocks (who is a reporter for The Toad), the Three Bears, the highly competitive, cutthroat world of cucumber growing, the psycho killer Gingerbreadman, unlikely marriage counselors Punch and Judy, SommeWorld (a theme park based on WWII), and last but not least, Jack's coming-to-grips with his own status as a PDR. Not to mention Madeleine's.
This story sees Ashley the Rambosian alien come into his own, as he finally plucks up courage to ask Mary out for a date (with surprising results). Oh, and he also helps save Reading in a heroic act of self-sacrifice. I'm glad we don't lose him altogether for future books.
Once again, I could have done without the crudeness scattered here and there throughout the book. It doesn't add much, as far as I can see. I don't recommend the audiobook version read by Simon Vance; though I generally like Vance's narration, he made Jack sound so pompous that I turned it off and read the print version instead to keep my mental images intact.
Though this story overall is a bit weaker than the first book, I like how Fforde continues to explore and experiment in his literary world. It's fun to see him push against (but never quite break) the fourth wall, with comments like "Jack was immediately convinced by so-and-so's brilliant reasoning, as you should be," and "it's full of holes!" (referring to cucumbers, but with a joke about the plot). Fun stuff, and I'll continue reading the series. Anyone know when the next one comes out?
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the thumbs off thumbsuckers. In addition, the NCD's head Jack Spratt has been sidelined for mental health reasons after being swallowed—whole—by a wolf impersonating a grandmother in bed. Add to this a string of unexplained explosions involving cucumber growers, the escape of the notorious murderer the Gingerbreadman, and new next-door neighbors Punch and Judy, and you have a The Fourth Bear, Jasper Fforde's latest installment in the Jack Spratt Investigates series. In typical Ffordian style, The Fourth Bear features a bewildering number of random characters and happenings, including: Goldilocks (who is a reporter for The Toad), the Three Bears, the highly competitive, cutthroat world of cucumber growing, the psycho killer Gingerbreadman, unlikely marriage counselors Punch and Judy, SommeWorld (a theme park based on WWII), and last but not least, Jack's coming-to-grips with his own status as a PDR. Not to mention Madeleine's.
This story sees Ashley the Rambosian alien come into his own, as he finally plucks up courage to ask Mary out for a date (with surprising results). Oh, and he also helps save Reading in a heroic act of self-sacrifice. I'm glad we don't lose him altogether for future books.
Once again, I could have done without the crudeness scattered here and there throughout the book. It doesn't add much, as far as I can see. I don't recommend the audiobook version read by Simon Vance; though I generally like Vance's narration, he made Jack sound so pompous that I turned it off and read the print version instead to keep my mental images intact.
Though this story overall is a bit weaker than the first book, I like how Fforde continues to explore and experiment in his literary world. It's fun to see him push against (but never quite break) the fourth wall, with comments like "Jack was immediately convinced by so-and-so's brilliant reasoning, as you should be," and "it's full of holes!" (referring to cucumbers, but with a joke about the plot). Fun stuff, and I'll continue reading the series. Anyone know when the next one comes out?
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LibraryThing member ben.wildeboer
Fforde's storytelling is much like DCI Spratt in this book: "more or less sane" while brilliant the entire time. Who else could tie together champion cucumbers, a 7 foot tall maniacal Gingerbread Man, a car dealer making deals with Mephistopheles, and anthropomorphic bears into novel that begs to
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be read in as few sittings as possible? Show Less
LibraryThing member BeckyJG
The Fourth Bear, the second Nursery Crime mystery, opens in Obscurity and begins with a giant cucumber and a tremendous explosion. The action picks up from there. Once again, DCI Jack Spratt and DS Mary Mary are on the case. And, once again, the case is much larger than it initially appears. The
As in the previous book, the joy in this one comes again and again from the little throwaway references...what can I say, they just make me happy. Here's one: Spratt buys a used car from Dorian Gray, a questionable car dealer who cuts him a too-good-to-be-true deal. Can you guess what happens to the portrait that resides in the car's boot? Here's another: Punch and Judy move in next door to the Spratts and save their marriage.
Read Jasper Fforde for a light, sly, jokey, and most of all fun experience.
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Gingerbread Man has escaped from the nuthouse, Goldilocks is brutally murdered, and somehow all these things are deliciously linked to one another.As in the previous book, the joy in this one comes again and again from the little throwaway references...what can I say, they just make me happy. Here's one: Spratt buys a used car from Dorian Gray, a questionable car dealer who cuts him a too-good-to-be-true deal. Can you guess what happens to the portrait that resides in the car's boot? Here's another: Punch and Judy move in next door to the Spratts and save their marriage.
Read Jasper Fforde for a light, sly, jokey, and most of all fun experience.
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LibraryThing member hklibrarian
Yet again another fascinating book by the genius of Jasper Fforde. He is funny, smart, bizarre, and has an incredible mind. Can't wait for the next istallment (and yes that means his other series too--with Thursday Next).
LibraryThing member readafew
Jack Spratt is BACK! (with two t's). Jack and Mary are trying to recover the NCD from a bad episode with the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, when the Gingerbreadamn escapes from prison and starts a murderous rampage again. Jack is taken off duty for a psych eval and Mary Mary is put in
This was a great book and actually had me laughing out loud several different times. The humor is great. Don't be fooled by the Nursery Rhymes patina, these books really aren't for young kids. Enjoyable from cover to cover.
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charge of the NCD. Things get even more convoluted in this one than the last and quite a few self referential jokes. This was a great book and actually had me laughing out loud several different times. The humor is great. Don't be fooled by the Nursery Rhymes patina, these books really aren't for young kids. Enjoyable from cover to cover.
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LibraryThing member yarmando
On page 318, Jack says, "It seems a very laborious setup for a pretty lame joke, doesn't it?" That could pretty much describe the whole series. But I love it. This fractured fairy tale world, with its acrobatic puns and meta-narrative witticisms are right up my alley.
LibraryThing member Gateaupain
I do hope everyone has noticed that Tuesday is lurking in Mary Mary's flying boat
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
In the second outing for Detectives Jack Spratt (two Ts) and Mary Mary of the Nursery Crime Division, the Ginger Bread Man has escaped, bears are getting into illegal porridge, and Jack's wife discovers he's a PDR (personage of dubious reality).
Fun continuation of the mystery series. Fforde does a
Fun continuation of the mystery series. Fforde does a
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good job of interweaving classic nursery rhymes with crime fiction. While I like his Thursday Next series better, this is satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member SimonW11
The jokes are often not very original and are generally signalled well in advance. But the characters are engaging and it is well plotted.
could do with a better proofreader/editor though. the confusing of words like ancestors and descendants. really should be caught before publication.
could do with a better proofreader/editor though. the confusing of words like ancestors and descendants. really should be caught before publication.
LibraryThing member cmc
For some reason, after ordering this book from the U.K. and eagerly awaiting its arrival, I wasn’t completely enthusiastic about reading it. Until I picked it up and read a few pages, and was completely sucked in.
The Fourth Bear is brilliant. Like the previous “Nursery Crimes Division” book,
This volume features anthropomorphic bears, a serial killing baked good, Sommeworld (a theme park dedicated to WW I’s Battle of the Somme), and the usual interference from Spratt’s superiors.
True to fform, there’s a lot of winking done in the direction of the audience by the characters, who are perhaps too well aware that they are in a book. (This series was visited by Fforde’s original character, Thursday Next, in a book from that series.)
Bear is silly, features painful puns, wacky meta-discussions, and mocking sendups of other detective fiction. It’s a fun and fast read (you won’t want to put it down), that will make you look forward to the next book in the series. (As well as the next book in the Next series!)
The Fourth Bear is brilliant. Like the previous “Nursery Crimes Division” book,
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The Big Over Easy, Bear focuses on the work of Detective Inspector Jack Spratt, his assistant, Detective Sergeant Mary Mary, and their constant battle with evil perpetrated by nursery rhyme characters in and around Reading, Berkshire, England.This volume features anthropomorphic bears, a serial killing baked good, Sommeworld (a theme park dedicated to WW I’s Battle of the Somme), and the usual interference from Spratt’s superiors.
True to fform, there’s a lot of winking done in the direction of the audience by the characters, who are perhaps too well aware that they are in a book. (This series was visited by Fforde’s original character, Thursday Next, in a book from that series.)
Bear is silly, features painful puns, wacky meta-discussions, and mocking sendups of other detective fiction. It’s a fun and fast read (you won’t want to put it down), that will make you look forward to the next book in the series. (As well as the next book in the Next series!)
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LibraryThing member swelldame
Fabulous, absolutely fabulous! Ever since Jasper Fforde arrived on the literary scene with his sublimely ridiculous Eyre Affair, I have been a fan of his work. His books are always delightfully absurd, yet also very well written and intellectually challenging. It’s not always easy to stay abreast
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of the convoluted plot-twists and literary acrobatics. But that’s half the fun. While not as well developed and complete as the Thursday Next universe, Fforde’s imaginary world of nursery rhyme lives is definitely entertaining. Who else would imagine the Gingerbread Man as a cold-blooded murderer or Punch and Judy as slightly temperamental marriage counselors? Show Less
LibraryThing member justine
Another very enjoyable romp through Fforde's Reading, England inhabited with nursery rhyme characters on both sides of the law.
LibraryThing member erinclark
I truly enjoyed this book. Several times I actually caught myself laughing out loud! Jasper Fforde has a terrific sense of humor and a wonderfully ingenious way with words. I mean 'Cucular Energy', that was just too good;) Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member kaelirenee
Fforde took the characters from his "Big Over Easy" novel and continues their stories. Nothing gets stale, there are still plenty of laughs, and lots of room for new characters. After reading BOE, I realized I needed to pull out my Mother Goose books to refresh my memory on some of the more obsure
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characters he mentions-like Solomon Grundy. With this book, a good understanding and appreciation of Grimm is more useful-but really, it's a hillarious book without that knowledge. A great read for anyone already in love with Fforde's writing-but don't hop into this one without reading BOE first. It's called a sequel for a reason. Show Less
LibraryThing member JustAGirl
Jack Spratt and Mary Mary are back in the sequel to The Big Over Easy. There are parts of this story that I thought weren't as good as the first book and parts that I thought were better. It's another great detective story, over and above the laugh out loud humour on every page, and a seven foot
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tall serial killing Gingerbread Man has to be read to be believed. I can't wait for the next in this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member sunny
Not his best, but still very entertaining.
LibraryThing member tronella
This book is set in the Nursery Crime Division of the Reading police force, who are trying to recapture the escaped serial killing biscuit cake fiend, the Gingerbreadman. It follows on from The Big Over Easy, and I liked it a lot. Fantasy/crime is a bizarre genre, but he does it well.
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
I don't like much fiction but I love this series! It is intelligent and pure fun! I liked this better than the first book in the series.
LibraryThing member jmeisen
Funny and inventive, but sometimes the author is too fond of his own cleverness. If you like Jasper Fforde you'll enjoy it, but it's not one of his best. (Also, if the Thursday Next novels are fiction in Jack Spratt's universe, and Jack originated in a Thursday Next novel, what world is Jack in?
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For that matter, what world are we in? And where is the ambiguity? [Over there, in a box.]) Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2006
Physical description
378 p.; 5.1 inches
ISBN
0143038923 / 9780143038924