A Detective Gordon: A Case with a Bang

A Case with a Bang is the final book in the series of funny detective stories for early readers set in a friendly forest in which two determinedly fair police—retired-toad Gordon and the indefatigable mouse Buffy—solve the mystery and stop regularly to eat cake. Night brings a horrible humming, scraping sound in the forest. Someone has wrecked the badger’s trash can. Later, three large creatures are spotted up on the mountain. Detective Buffy discovers this seemingly small case really is a dangerous mystery—she comes back from her first investigation flat as a gingerbread, rolled over by something huge and terrifying. Back at the station, retired Detective Gordon is training a new young police assistant, and the cakes have run out in the forest bakery! While all the animals cower at the police station, Buffy remembers Gordon’s stories about trolls. Is it possible they do exist? Taking Gordon’s advice about how everyone thinks differently, she finds a way to communicate with the giant creatures—perhaps not so terrifying after all. The book leaves readers with a memorable Gordon message: Everyone thinks differently, strangers are welcome, cakes for everybody! This final instalment in the awardwinning Detective Gordon series is a multi-layered philosophical story about good detective work involving all, kindness to newcomers and doing the right thing.