"I’m going over there, of course” she said, “If anyone’s in charge of Jesus it’s going to be me.”

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is in turns funny, sad, tragic and claustrophobic. It’s a story of missing cats, stolen babies, Jesus appearing in a suburban avenue and of course the mysterious disappearance of Mrs Creasy; has she been murdered or has she merely left due to the incessant heat of the Summer? 10-year-old Grace and Tilly are determined to find out.

Unfortunately, all the adults are covering up secrets and half-truths that only the missing saintly Mrs Creasy knows about. Can anyone be trusted in an Avenue where the neighbours have graduated from curtain twitching to ….. exactly how far have they gone? If God is everywhere, is he in the Avenue too and can he tell the Goats from the Sheep?

This is a surprisingly light charming story set during a heat wave in the summer of 1976 and one cold eventful winter in 1967. The children are equal parts naivety and insightful. The adults equal parts comedic and dark. The children learn the true meaning of friendship and the adults, well they get to know who really are the goats and who are the sheep.

There are a few minor faults that don’t detract from the charm of the story. Grace speaks in language to old for her age and then she seems to behave in a manner to young for her age. I also have a question re Tilly at the end of the book (you will have to read it to find out).

However, all in all, this is a recommended sweet whodunit read.