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Book Cover for: The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime, Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime

Jasper Fforde

Welcome to the seedy underbelly of nursery crime. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Thursday Next series comes a rollicking novel--"as if the Marx brothers were let loose in the children's section of a strange bookstore" (USA Today).

"A wonderfully readable riot . . . cleverly plotted, magically overstuffed yet amazingly digestible . . . [for] anyone who wants the thrill of a good crime novel larded with highly literate humor."--The Wall Street Journal

Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of Reading's Nursery Crime division. He's investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, ex-convict and lover of women, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play.

Spratt and his new partner, Sergeant Mary Mary, search through Humpty's sordid past in hopes of finding the key to his death. Before long, Jack and Mary find themselves immersed in a bizarre case that reaches into the highest echelons of Reading society and business.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Penguin Books
  • Publish Date: Aug 1st, 2006
  • Pages: 400
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.62in - 5.84in - 0.71in - 0.60lb
  • EAN: 9780143037231
  • Recommended age: 18-UP
  • Categories: Mystery & Detective - Police ProceduralFairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & MythologyHumorous - General

About the Author

Jasper Fforde spent twenty years in the film business before debuting on the New York Times bestseller list with The Eyre Affair, the first book in the Thursday Next series. He is also the author of Early Riser and The Constant Rabbit; the Nursery Crime Adventures series; the Shades of Grey series; and the Last Dragonslayer series, adapted for television as a movie. He lives in Wales.

Praise for this book

"A wonderfully readable riot . . . [A] cleverly plotted, magically overstuffed yet amazingly digestible book . . . This summer's perfect beach read for eggheads." --The Wall Street Journal

"As if the Marx brothers were let loose in the children's section of a strange bookstore." --USA Today

"Pythonesque . . . Like the Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket books, this one is abundantly playful without being truly geared for children. Anyone who has ever been read a nursery rhyme . . . can appreciate Mr. Fforde's outlandish joking." --Janet Maslin, The New York Times