This comment's not going to be as wordy as The Big Over Easy's, but there's a lot I enjoyed about this book.
I liked the date with Mary Mary and Ashley. I liked that porridge was portrayed as an illegal substance for bears. I liked the imposing Gingerbread Man and the constant debate on whether he was a cake or a cookie. I liked the reveal of The One Behind The Whole Thing. I liked that Jack Spratt ends up receiving marriage counseling from Punch (you know, the Punch and Judy puppet comedies? They're in this).

And it pains me to wait for the third one, but I know Mr. Fforde has a lot on his plate so maybe perhaps The Last Great Tortoise Race's slow pace to publication will result in another excellent Nursery Crime.

A follow-up to Fforde's first Nursery Crime Division title, The Big Over Easy, Fforde serves up more of Detective Jack Spratt, trying to catch the Gingerbreadman, a convicted murderer, who is loose on the streets of Reading. Mix in Goldilocks, giant-cucumber growing, and marriage counselors Punch and Judy, and this is a recipe for laughs in a book that functions perfectly as a whodunit.

As with many of Fforde's books, a copy editor is sometimes needed. Enjoyable, but not so many laugh-out-loud moments as in The Big Over Easy.

I picked this up based on the front cover, and was thoroughly delighted! It's my first Fforde, but now I want to read more!

Who knew porridge was such an addictive substance? This book has so many little details I really appreciate. It makes the story that much more rich. And I still didn't guess the ending. :)

Very good and intertwined wonderfully. It wasn't quite as big of a surprise ending as the Big Over Easy, but it was very enjoyable. I hope there are more to come.

Good - as are all of his in this same series - characters in between stories. Writing a similar thing with some Grimm characters, so wanted to research.

Another hoot of a book! Top notch suspense with an intricate twisting plot involving both real humans and aliens alongside "Persons of Dubious Reality". Full of outrageous puns and plot devices (as selected by the characters - plot device number 21 is a frequently used device). This is a book (and series) for the mystery/police procedural readers as well as Terry Pratchet and Douglas Adams fans.