Beastly Crimes

Life in the Far Woods tends to be tranquil because the animal denizens are strictly forbidden to kill (or eat!) one another. An elderly detective, Chief Badger, oversees the community and solves its petty crimes, from stolen pinecones to plucked tail feathers. His restless assistant, Badgercat, longs for some excitement - a desperate crime, a beastly crime! The brash youngster's hopes are realized when some croaking frogs reveal the shocking news of Rabbit's murder. Wolf appears to be the most likely culprit, because - duh - he's a lone wolf without an alibi, but Badger refuses to jump to conclusions. With the help of Vulture the crime scene investigator, Mouse the psychologist, brave witness Beetlebug Buck, and other curious creatures, the woodland detectives set out to discover the truth. Newly translated from the original Russian, this fancifully illustrated volume is the first of a Beastly Crimes Books to come from this imaginative mystery series geared toward middle-grade readers. Look for the sequel, A Predator's Rights, also available from Dover Publications.

Flush with success from having solved the case of the murdered Rabbit, crotchety detective Chief Badger and his impetuous young assistant, Badgercat, anticipate the return of peace and quiet to their community. But trouble recurs with a visit from Huntington Farm's bloodthirsty security team, who bring accusations of theft and harsh demands for justice. Guard dog Muxtar and hunting hound Polkan are searching for Chicken Four, a plucky little fowl who's just discovered what happens to her sister chickens when they disappear into Nina Palna's kitchen on Fridays. Now Badger and Badgercat have to persuade Palna to stop making chicken soup and to prevent Muxtar and Polkan from taking matters into their own paws (and jaws). Filled with quirky illustrations and newly translated from the original Russian, this is the second of the Beastly Crimes Books to come from this imaginative mystery series geared toward middle-grade readers. It's the perfect read for young detectives ... and all who oppose fowl play.

The peaceful existence of the animals in the Far Woods is threatened by a crime wave in this third volume of the fanciful Beastly Crimes Book series. First, an underground art exhibition is robbed. Soon after, Marquise, a pampered, snow-white Persian, is kidnapped from the cat show. To Chief Badger and his ambitious assistant, Badgercat, all clues point to the snooty Arctic Fox as the culprit - until the emergence of Claws of Rage, a nefarious group of nonpedigreed agitators seeking vengeance against purebred, well-fed, happy-go-lucky animals. Can Chief Badger and Badgercat round up Claws of Rage members before they strike again? Will Badgercat be able to put aside his growing feelings for Marquise and uphold his duty as a Far Woods officer of the law? And what is that strange hairless animal up to? All answers lie within this gripping Beastly Crimes book, number three in the series.

In the finale of the four-book Beastly Crimes series, Chief Badger faces his most bizarre case yet, in which someone is plucking and burning the feathers of birds in the Far Woods. To make things even worse, the top suspect is his former assistant, young Badgercat. Chief Badger knows that Badgercat can't possibly be the Plucker, so who plucked Lady Cuckoo and attacked the owl twins, Chuck and Huck? Was it Warbler the barber, who's obsessed with hair, fur, and feathers? Or the sly, treacherous Arctic Fox? Was it the compulsive thief, Sneaky Sal the salamander? Or someone else? Newly translated from the original Russian, this delightfully offbeat mystery is graced by a wealth of full-color illustrations and is certain to thrill all young sleuths. Look for the previous novels in the Beastly Crimes series - In the Wolf's Lair, A Predator's Rights, and The Claws of Rage.