Fowl Play

Nichols (Matthew Meets the Man) goes hog wild in a goofball detective story bursting with animal-themed idioms. When the window to Mr. Hound's shop is broken, he calls in the Gumshoe Zoo Detective Agency to investigate. Quentin, a goat, contacts his colleagues (Steve the monkey is in a barrel when the call comes in, while Mike the bull is in a china shop), and they head to the crime scene. "There is some definite monkey business at hand," says Reggie the fish%E2%80%94before apologizing to Steve on the next page. "No sweat," replies the monkey. "And I agree. I smell a rat." Josie (a rat) isn't offended either, and a very funny chain of comments and apologies continues. The wrap-up isn't 100% logical (the detectives realize that Mr. Hound broke his own window "and called us so you could get it fixed for free"), but that's easily written off as criminal incompetence rather than a narrative problem. It's a highly entertaining comic mystery, and the closing pages both explain the many idioms referenced and tease a potential sequel%E2%80%94if we're lucky. Ages 5%E2%80%938. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Aug.)