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  • The Fourth Bear

  • Nursery Crime Adventures, Book 2
  • By: Jasper Fforde
  • Narrated by: Luke Thompson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (202 ratings)

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The Fourth Bear

By: Jasper Fforde
Narrated by: Luke Thompson
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Summary

The second Nursery Crime detective novel by the best-selling author Jasper Fforde.

The Gingerbreadman: Psychopath, sadist, genius, convicted murderer and biscuit is loose in the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been reassigned due to falling levels of nursery crime, and The NCD is once more in jeopardy. That is, until a chance encounter during the Armitage Shanks literary awards at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club lead Jack and Mary on the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldilocks' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. She had been about to break a story involving unexplained explosions in Herefordshire, Pasadena and the Nullabor Plain; The last witnesses to see her alive were 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 bear's porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Was Goldy's death in the nearby 1st World War themepark of Sommeworld a freak accident? And is it merely chance that the Gingerbreadman pops up at awkward moments?

But there's more. What does a missing scientist with a terrifying discovery in subatomic physics, a secret weapon of devastating power, a reclusive industrialist known only as the Quangle Wangle and Colonel Danvers of the National Security all have in common?

©2019 Jasper Fforde (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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What listeners say about The Fourth Bear

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Loved it!

Funny, imaginative, comically dark in places. The references never end, leaving more to find with every re-reading. Overall a brilliant book!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superiour sequel, brilliantly performed.

Full of humour and cleverness, with a good mystery at it's supremely silly heart. Magic

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fforde fantastic

Great novel well read. What more would I want. Now I have to find 6 more words before I can post this.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

If you like Fforde's style of surreal humour then you'll probably like this. I personally liked the big over easy (book one in this 'nursery crime' series) better as at times I felt like this book was just a little bit to pleased with itself and a couple of the characters felt a bit different in this book which jarred slightly to begin with. Still, am enjoyable listen overall and if you liked book one then I imagine you'll like this one too.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of my favourite books.

I hope there will be another third nursery crime novel.
The reader is good too.

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solves the mystery of the three bears

this book is a work of comic genius. it forever addresses the unanswered questions regarding the story of the three bears

it also is a supremely well crafted detective story

love it

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another fabulous tale

I just love the world created by Fforde wish there were more NCD books

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very good

very good story that i was happy to revisit in audio book format. great writing

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