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Flaxborough Chronicles #1
Coffin, Scarcely Used
In the respectable seaside town of Flaxborough, the equally respectable councillor Harold Carobleat is laid to rest. Cause of death: pneumonia.
But he is scarcely cold in his coffin before Detective Inspector Purbright, affable and annoyingly polite, must turn out again to examine the death of Carobleat’s neighbour, Marcus Gwill, former prop. of the local rag, the Citizen. This time it looks like foul play, unless a surfeit of marshmallows had led the late and rather unlamented Mr Gwill to commit suicide by electrocution. (‘Power without responsibility’, murmurs Purbright.)
How were the dead men connected, both to each other and to a small but select band of other town worthies? Purbright becomes intrigued by a stream of advertisements Gwill was putting in the Citizen, for some very oddly named antique items…
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
624 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Colin Watson
64 books29 followersColin Watson was educated at the Whitgift School in South Croydon, London. During his career as a journalist he worked in London and Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he was a leader-writer for Kemsley Newspapers.
His book Hopjoy Was Here (1962) received the Silver Dagger Award. He was married, with three children, and lived in Lincolnshire. After retiring from journalism he designed silver jewellery.
As well as a series of humorous detective novels set in the imaginary town of Flaxborough, featuring Inspector Purbright, Watson also wrote and later revised a study of detective stories and thrillers called Snobbery with Violence.
His book Hopjoy Was Here (1962) received the Silver Dagger Award. He was married, with three children, and lived in Lincolnshire. After retiring from journalism he designed silver jewellery.
As well as a series of humorous detective novels set in the imaginary town of Flaxborough, featuring Inspector Purbright, Watson also wrote and later revised a study of detective stories and thrillers called Snobbery with Violence.
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July 16, 2018
Coffin Scarcely Used by Colin Watson is a 2018 Farrago publication. (This book was originally published in 1958)
What a wonderful find!!
I am happy this rather obscure mystery series has been rediscovered and propelled into the digital age.
I was unfamiliar with the series, to be honest, and was equal parts excited and skeptical about reading it. Described as a humorous mystery, and published in the fifties, I was worried it might be too silly, or too dated. I’ve also grown a little wary of mysteries or detective novels written back in this era due to extreme sexism. (Which is to be expected to some extent, and I do take the time frame into consideration, but some older titles are just too abusive in one way or another for me to be able to enjoy it.)
However, I needn’t have worried. This mystery/police procedural is an absolute delight!
Small towns are often deceptively wholesome. Flaxborough is a fine example of that. It is a small, sleepy seaside community, quite dignified, but it is hiding a shocking secret.
When a man passes away, the cause of death is barely remarked upon, it certainly didn’t raise any criminal alarms, but when his neighbor dies shortly thereafter, under rather odd circumstances, Detective Inspector Purbright is called in to investigate. What at first appeared to be an unusual way of committing suicide, may have been murder. It’s up to Purbright and Sargent Love to solve the puzzle.
This really is an exceptional mystery novel. It deals with some rather seedy topics without being graphic. In fact, one must read between the lines, since it isn’t stated outright. Still, there were conversations, about other issues that had yet to become hot button topics in the average house hold.
The humor is dry and witty, and the dialogue is razor sharp. This first installment is fairly short, and I easily read it in one sitting. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and once again, I am grateful this series is getting some recognition. Any mystery lover will appreciate this story and will be charmed by Love and Purbright. The ending was phenomenal, and a complete and rather shocking surprise!
I believe there are twelve installments in this series and I sincerely hope all of them will be formatted to digital. I am quite impressed with this little gem and would love to read every book in the series!
4 stars
What a wonderful find!!
I am happy this rather obscure mystery series has been rediscovered and propelled into the digital age.
I was unfamiliar with the series, to be honest, and was equal parts excited and skeptical about reading it. Described as a humorous mystery, and published in the fifties, I was worried it might be too silly, or too dated. I’ve also grown a little wary of mysteries or detective novels written back in this era due to extreme sexism. (Which is to be expected to some extent, and I do take the time frame into consideration, but some older titles are just too abusive in one way or another for me to be able to enjoy it.)
However, I needn’t have worried. This mystery/police procedural is an absolute delight!
Small towns are often deceptively wholesome. Flaxborough is a fine example of that. It is a small, sleepy seaside community, quite dignified, but it is hiding a shocking secret.
When a man passes away, the cause of death is barely remarked upon, it certainly didn’t raise any criminal alarms, but when his neighbor dies shortly thereafter, under rather odd circumstances, Detective Inspector Purbright is called in to investigate. What at first appeared to be an unusual way of committing suicide, may have been murder. It’s up to Purbright and Sargent Love to solve the puzzle.
This really is an exceptional mystery novel. It deals with some rather seedy topics without being graphic. In fact, one must read between the lines, since it isn’t stated outright. Still, there were conversations, about other issues that had yet to become hot button topics in the average house hold.
The humor is dry and witty, and the dialogue is razor sharp. This first installment is fairly short, and I easily read it in one sitting. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and once again, I am grateful this series is getting some recognition. Any mystery lover will appreciate this story and will be charmed by Love and Purbright. The ending was phenomenal, and a complete and rather shocking surprise!
I believe there are twelve installments in this series and I sincerely hope all of them will be formatted to digital. I am quite impressed with this little gem and would love to read every book in the series!
4 stars
September 30, 2024
This 1958 novel is a sort of cross between a police procedural and a satire of the English middle class. It was a commercial success that led to a series of 12 novels, all set in the fictional town of Flaxborough and all, as far as I know, featuring the lead character of this one, Detective Inspector Purbright. On this occasion the Inspector starts an investigation following the death of two of the town’s more prominent citizens.
The police procedure element to this is done well enough. It’s fairly clear from early on where the guilt lies, and the author all but tells us about a third of the way through. Instead the plot is really about whether Purbright can understand what exactly happened and why, and whether he can get the evidence for a conviction. It held my interest.
The novel is set amongst the middle class of Flaxborough - businessmen, GPs, solicitors, and so on. The satire is based on the idea that, beneath the surface respectability, there are actually all sorts of shenanigans going on. Also that behind the politeness of face to face interactions, there are a bunch of people who can’t stand one another. It’s a well-worn concept these days, maybe less so in 1958.
Personally I found the book amusing rather than funny, the sort of writing that brings a smile rather than a laugh. The ending was good, but earlier on some of the humour was a bit sour for my taste. The blurb for the book has an extract from a review that describes the author as writing with “a delightfully witty pen dipped in acid”. That’s not a bad description. Perhaps acidic writing just isn’t for me.
I thought the book was moderately entertaining, but I’m not intending to read any more of the series. Evidently though most of the other reviewers on here liked it, so if you’re a fan of the genre you might enjoy it more than I did.
The Wikipedia entry for this author suggests that he once sued Private Eye magazine because the latter described him as “a little known author” and “Wodehouse but without the jokes”. The author’s reaction suggests he was a tad sensitive. Perhaps it’s just as well that he lived his life before the Internet Age.
The police procedure element to this is done well enough. It’s fairly clear from early on where the guilt lies, and the author all but tells us about a third of the way through. Instead the plot is really about whether Purbright can understand what exactly happened and why, and whether he can get the evidence for a conviction. It held my interest.
The novel is set amongst the middle class of Flaxborough - businessmen, GPs, solicitors, and so on. The satire is based on the idea that, beneath the surface respectability, there are actually all sorts of shenanigans going on. Also that behind the politeness of face to face interactions, there are a bunch of people who can’t stand one another. It’s a well-worn concept these days, maybe less so in 1958.
Personally I found the book amusing rather than funny, the sort of writing that brings a smile rather than a laugh. The ending was good, but earlier on some of the humour was a bit sour for my taste. The blurb for the book has an extract from a review that describes the author as writing with “a delightfully witty pen dipped in acid”. That’s not a bad description. Perhaps acidic writing just isn’t for me.
I thought the book was moderately entertaining, but I’m not intending to read any more of the series. Evidently though most of the other reviewers on here liked it, so if you’re a fan of the genre you might enjoy it more than I did.
The Wikipedia entry for this author suggests that he once sued Private Eye magazine because the latter described him as “a little known author” and “Wodehouse but without the jokes”. The author’s reaction suggests he was a tad sensitive. Perhaps it’s just as well that he lived his life before the Internet Age.
May 27, 2018
For an extended review visit here https://macsbooks311.wordpress.com/20...
Coffin, Scarcely Used is a bona-fide, authentic police procedural at its finest.
Originally published in 1958, the Flaxborough Chronicles are a mid-century nod to writers such as Agatha Christie where the police are in the spotlight but the townsfolk are the real stars. The book reminded me so much of Miss Marple with the characters in the town playing such an important role in the solving of the crime and these characters are what truly bring the book to life. You think you are reading just another simple cozy until you get to know the people of the town – the good and the bad.
I found this throwback to mid-century Britain a very welcome relief from hard core crime as well as from amateur detectives who apparently know more than real detectives about solving crimes. I also really enjoyed the fact that the book was extremely well edited and well written and it executed a dry, witty humor primarily because it was from another era. These things are missing from many mystery/thrillers written today.
I highly recommend Coffin, Scarcely Used for anyone who enjoys mysteries, cozies or who is simply in the mood for some light summer reading. As for me, I’ve moved on to Book Number Two in the series. Happy Reading!
(Thank you to #Netgalley and Farrago Books for my copy)
Coffin, Scarcely Used is a bona-fide, authentic police procedural at its finest.
Originally published in 1958, the Flaxborough Chronicles are a mid-century nod to writers such as Agatha Christie where the police are in the spotlight but the townsfolk are the real stars. The book reminded me so much of Miss Marple with the characters in the town playing such an important role in the solving of the crime and these characters are what truly bring the book to life. You think you are reading just another simple cozy until you get to know the people of the town – the good and the bad.
I found this throwback to mid-century Britain a very welcome relief from hard core crime as well as from amateur detectives who apparently know more than real detectives about solving crimes. I also really enjoyed the fact that the book was extremely well edited and well written and it executed a dry, witty humor primarily because it was from another era. These things are missing from many mystery/thrillers written today.
I highly recommend Coffin, Scarcely Used for anyone who enjoys mysteries, cozies or who is simply in the mood for some light summer reading. As for me, I’ve moved on to Book Number Two in the series. Happy Reading!
(Thank you to #Netgalley and Farrago Books for my copy)
June 14, 2018
Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded up because beguiling deliciousness deserves it
Beguiling. Delicious. Simple, slightly musty words piled in attractive and pleasing patterns. Observations worthy of a PET scanner. Purbright, our PoV person, is unquestionably the smartest man in the room. Especially among the constabulary, peopled with deeply ordinary and stoutly determined men (only one woman on that side of the fence, quite a minor character but a pleasure to meet indeed). The Chief Constable is a fatuous old party, someone one would expect to meet at Dunder Mifflin's board luncheon. Although...well...wait for the very, very end of the book. Heh.
The baddies are simply scintillating in their utter, stolid salt-of-the-earth dullness. You know these types, upstanding citizens with mortgages, wood-burning fireplaces, golf bats or cricket clubs or whatever those mildly athletic things are called. Their identities are not in the least mysterious, and Purbright quite clearly suspects them from page one. No one is in doubt about their guilt, only their motive and means. It's entirely enough fun for the reader to follow Purbright and his chief henchman Love around the respectable town of Flaxborough as they circle their nervous prey. Flaxborough...not quite as addictive as Three Pines, but very close.
Don't kid yourself, a slower pace and a lower body count do not a boring book make. If you like that rape/torture tattooed woman's tales, then yes, this isn't a good fit for your reading; but if you're okay with less vividly detailed violence supplanted by snark, innuendo, and a comically old-fashioned means of making illicit money, here's you a rainy Sunday book.
Beguiling. Delicious. Simple, slightly musty words piled in attractive and pleasing patterns. Observations worthy of a PET scanner. Purbright, our PoV person, is unquestionably the smartest man in the room. Especially among the constabulary, peopled with deeply ordinary and stoutly determined men (only one woman on that side of the fence, quite a minor character but a pleasure to meet indeed). The Chief Constable is a fatuous old party, someone one would expect to meet at Dunder Mifflin's board luncheon. Although...well...wait for the very, very end of the book. Heh.
The baddies are simply scintillating in their utter, stolid salt-of-the-earth dullness. You know these types, upstanding citizens with mortgages, wood-burning fireplaces, golf bats or cricket clubs or whatever those mildly athletic things are called. Their identities are not in the least mysterious, and Purbright quite clearly suspects them from page one. No one is in doubt about their guilt, only their motive and means. It's entirely enough fun for the reader to follow Purbright and his chief henchman Love around the respectable town of Flaxborough as they circle their nervous prey. Flaxborough...not quite as addictive as Three Pines, but very close.
Don't kid yourself, a slower pace and a lower body count do not a boring book make. If you like that rape/torture tattooed woman's tales, then yes, this isn't a good fit for your reading; but if you're okay with less vividly detailed violence supplanted by snark, innuendo, and a comically old-fashioned means of making illicit money, here's you a rainy Sunday book.
March 1, 2018
I enjoy "discovering'' mystery authors that I somehow missed over the years. Colin Watson wrote a series of mystery novels, The Flaxborough Chronicles, in the 1950s. Set in a small English town, the stories follow the investigations of DI Walter Purbright. There are 12 novels in the series.
I am delighted that I found this book available for review or I might never have found this series! Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, the story is a semi-cozy mystery (no spurting blood, over-the-top cussing, or gory details, etc) and rather light, but still a police procedural. There are a few adult moments, but nothing too bad. PG-13 sort of stuff. With plenty of dry wit and humor, the mystery moves along with insights into small town life, gossip and quirky residents. I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series!
The Basics: Six months previous, a well-known resident of Flaxborough died. There really wasn't anything strange about the death, other than the smallness of his funeral (insert small town gossip here). But now, one of his neighbors has also popped off this mortal coil....and this time there is something very strange indeed. At first it appears to be a suicide, but closer inspection shows it may have been staged to hide a murder. What's going on in the seemingly sleepy hamlet of Flaxborough? DI Purbright is on the case!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a bit dated....but I love classic whodunits and this book reminded me so much of the wit and fun of Agatha Christie novels. Purbright is a delightful main character....a bit bumbling,but dedicated to his job and doing things right. He is also not swayed by social position, power or money. He wants to know the truth....no matter what that truth is. To me, Purbright is like an English version of Columbo. He might seem a bit lacking occasionally to those on the outside, but he's actually quite astute and watching/observing everything.
Great book! I will definitely be reading this entire 12-book series! The humor and mystery combine into a wonderful story! Classic mystery lovers will enjoy this series!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Farrago via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I am delighted that I found this book available for review or I might never have found this series! Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, the story is a semi-cozy mystery (no spurting blood, over-the-top cussing, or gory details, etc) and rather light, but still a police procedural. There are a few adult moments, but nothing too bad. PG-13 sort of stuff. With plenty of dry wit and humor, the mystery moves along with insights into small town life, gossip and quirky residents. I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series!
The Basics: Six months previous, a well-known resident of Flaxborough died. There really wasn't anything strange about the death, other than the smallness of his funeral (insert small town gossip here). But now, one of his neighbors has also popped off this mortal coil....and this time there is something very strange indeed. At first it appears to be a suicide, but closer inspection shows it may have been staged to hide a murder. What's going on in the seemingly sleepy hamlet of Flaxborough? DI Purbright is on the case!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a bit dated....but I love classic whodunits and this book reminded me so much of the wit and fun of Agatha Christie novels. Purbright is a delightful main character....a bit bumbling,but dedicated to his job and doing things right. He is also not swayed by social position, power or money. He wants to know the truth....no matter what that truth is. To me, Purbright is like an English version of Columbo. He might seem a bit lacking occasionally to those on the outside, but he's actually quite astute and watching/observing everything.
Great book! I will definitely be reading this entire 12-book series! The humor and mystery combine into a wonderful story! Classic mystery lovers will enjoy this series!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Farrago via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
December 31, 2018
It wasn't until I started reading this book in eBook form, I became curious enough to do some research about it.
On the face of it, it seemed to deploy a classic indie-publishing marketing strategy: catchy title, nice cover, first eBook at a bargain-basement price -- all aimed at getting readers into a funnel to buy into a long and interesting series.
I get the impression some younger writers think this generation actually invented book series. But I've known from my own reading that stretches back to Enid Blyton's Secret Seven in the 1960s, this wasn't actually true. Nor did they invent sex, or cheesecake. even the hamburger existed before McDonald's.
It was when I encountered early archaic language in Coffin, Scarcely Used, I did my research.
I was delighted to find out this novel came out in 1958, the year I was born.
It was like opening a time capsule!
Colin Watson could not have known in 1958 he'd one day be part of the eBook revolution but I am here to tell you he was certainly part of the evolution of this genre.
At the end of this book, the publisher notes Colin Watson's work isn't as fashionable as many modern police procedurals.
But I wonder how many modern police procedurals owe a debt of thanks to books like these that blazed the trail ahead of them.
The story is good, Watson was a skiful writer able to conjure the right words to draw readers into the here-and-now of a scene, and able to inject a touch of humour and emotion.
Some of the writing is unfashionable, and some of the words are archiac. Sometimes the book has the feel of an old black and white movie, with red phone boxes, linotype machines and bobbies with ridiculous helmets. I imagine the modern editor would put a red pen through much of the first chapter -- but stick with it because it gets much, much better.
PS: I read this novel on the Kindle app on my phone — which probably would have boggled Watson’s mind even more!
On the face of it, it seemed to deploy a classic indie-publishing marketing strategy: catchy title, nice cover, first eBook at a bargain-basement price -- all aimed at getting readers into a funnel to buy into a long and interesting series.
I get the impression some younger writers think this generation actually invented book series. But I've known from my own reading that stretches back to Enid Blyton's Secret Seven in the 1960s, this wasn't actually true. Nor did they invent sex, or cheesecake. even the hamburger existed before McDonald's.
It was when I encountered early archaic language in Coffin, Scarcely Used, I did my research.
I was delighted to find out this novel came out in 1958, the year I was born.
It was like opening a time capsule!
Colin Watson could not have known in 1958 he'd one day be part of the eBook revolution but I am here to tell you he was certainly part of the evolution of this genre.
At the end of this book, the publisher notes Colin Watson's work isn't as fashionable as many modern police procedurals.
But I wonder how many modern police procedurals owe a debt of thanks to books like these that blazed the trail ahead of them.
The story is good, Watson was a skiful writer able to conjure the right words to draw readers into the here-and-now of a scene, and able to inject a touch of humour and emotion.
Some of the writing is unfashionable, and some of the words are archiac. Sometimes the book has the feel of an old black and white movie, with red phone boxes, linotype machines and bobbies with ridiculous helmets. I imagine the modern editor would put a red pen through much of the first chapter -- but stick with it because it gets much, much better.
PS: I read this novel on the Kindle app on my phone — which probably would have boggled Watson’s mind even more!
March 24, 2018
Thanks to netgalley and Farrago I'm getting to read these little known gems for the first time. As per usual for me though I've managed to read them in the wrong order and read firstly book 4 before ht with this first in the series.
It doesn't matter though as each book is it's own self contained story full of beautifully written, quirky characters. It's set in the 50's and so in these moderns times gives an insight into some good old fashioned policing before the days of mass spectrometers and what ever else they use on CSI. It's about the people rather than the technology and I like that kind of thing.
Overall it's just such an enjoyable book and having now read two of them, an equally enjoyable series. They're definitely a great addiction to any fan of 'classic' crime. I've downloaded all that have been released so far and really looking forward to the next one on my list
It doesn't matter though as each book is it's own self contained story full of beautifully written, quirky characters. It's set in the 50's and so in these moderns times gives an insight into some good old fashioned policing before the days of mass spectrometers and what ever else they use on CSI. It's about the people rather than the technology and I like that kind of thing.
Overall it's just such an enjoyable book and having now read two of them, an equally enjoyable series. They're definitely a great addiction to any fan of 'classic' crime. I've downloaded all that have been released so far and really looking forward to the next one on my list
November 21, 2018
Published in 1958, this is the first in a series of mysteries, set in the seaside town of Flaxborough. The book opens with an oddly amusing account of a funeral; the funeral of respectable town councillor, Harold Carobleat, to be precise. Later, when Mr Carobleat’s neighbour, Marcus Gwill, dies in mysterious circumstances, D.I. Purbright is called in to investigate.
Why are a group of respectable, older men, suddenly under threat? A businessman, the owner of the local newspaper, a solicitor, a doctor and an undertaker, do not seem to be the usual victims of violent crime. Yet now fear seems to have overtaken them and Purbright needs to uncover the secrets in what seems a respectable group of – well, if not exactly friends, acquaintances…
This is a gentle, amusing mystery, with a good cast of characters. If you enjoy crime mysteries, which are puzzles, with little sense of danger, then you should enjoy this. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Why are a group of respectable, older men, suddenly under threat? A businessman, the owner of the local newspaper, a solicitor, a doctor and an undertaker, do not seem to be the usual victims of violent crime. Yet now fear seems to have overtaken them and Purbright needs to uncover the secrets in what seems a respectable group of – well, if not exactly friends, acquaintances…
This is a gentle, amusing mystery, with a good cast of characters. If you enjoy crime mysteries, which are puzzles, with little sense of danger, then you should enjoy this. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
May 11, 2022
In the seaside town of Flaxborough, Councilman Harold Carobleat is being buried. Cause of death, for Detective Inspector Purbright, is pneumonia.
But DI Purbright has barely left the town when he’s called back for another death. This time Marcus Gwill is the dead man and it’s looking like suicide from electrocution.
But Purbright is not feeling it. He has suspicions and he wants to investigate the death.
Is it murder? We will definitely see.
But DI Purbright has barely left the town when he’s called back for another death. This time Marcus Gwill is the dead man and it’s looking like suicide from electrocution.
But Purbright is not feeling it. He has suspicions and he wants to investigate the death.
Is it murder? We will definitely see.
June 2, 2018
I can’t understand why I’ve missed this Mr Watson chap until now! A wonderful English mystery, so beautifully written that his wordsmithery brings tears to the eyes. Whilst some parts seem dated, the whole is bright and fresh and an absolute delight to read for all who love language and/or good old-fashioned mystery stories.
Just brilliant!
Just brilliant!
February 11, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago for allowing me to read a digital galley of this novel.
In late February 2018, Farrago will begin releasing e-books of the Flaxborough Chronicles series by Colin Watson. Originally published in 1958 these gems will once again be easily available for readers of historical mysteries who enjoy a lighter touch but a seriously interesting police procedural. Colin Watson has written a series which is lightly comedic without crossing over to the satirical. One of my many favorite passages is here: "The waitress drifted near, eyed them with sad disapproval, and retired to lean against the further wall like a martyr turned down by fastidious lions."
Six months ago a prominent member of the Flaxborough community, Mr. Harold Carobleat, passed from that small town realm to another unknown one. Now there has been a death in the home of the late Mr. Carobleat's neighbor. This one has some seriously mysterious signs that set Detective Inspector Purbright and Detective Sergeant Love on a trail that seems to have no beginning that would lead to murder. Naturally that changes through the special investigative acumen of our intuitive duo.
This story kept me slightly off balance all the way through because the deeper Purbright and Love got into their investigation the more they uncovered of what was happening in sleepy little Flaxborough under all the olde English village trappings. While the story is noticeably dated by the 1958 publication time period this is still a grand mystery for readers to use in finding out if they can figure out what is going on before the police do. I freely admit that the twist at the end caught me completely by surprise.
In late February 2018, Farrago will begin releasing e-books of the Flaxborough Chronicles series by Colin Watson. Originally published in 1958 these gems will once again be easily available for readers of historical mysteries who enjoy a lighter touch but a seriously interesting police procedural. Colin Watson has written a series which is lightly comedic without crossing over to the satirical. One of my many favorite passages is here: "The waitress drifted near, eyed them with sad disapproval, and retired to lean against the further wall like a martyr turned down by fastidious lions."
Six months ago a prominent member of the Flaxborough community, Mr. Harold Carobleat, passed from that small town realm to another unknown one. Now there has been a death in the home of the late Mr. Carobleat's neighbor. This one has some seriously mysterious signs that set Detective Inspector Purbright and Detective Sergeant Love on a trail that seems to have no beginning that would lead to murder. Naturally that changes through the special investigative acumen of our intuitive duo.
This story kept me slightly off balance all the way through because the deeper Purbright and Love got into their investigation the more they uncovered of what was happening in sleepy little Flaxborough under all the olde English village trappings. While the story is noticeably dated by the 1958 publication time period this is still a grand mystery for readers to use in finding out if they can figure out what is going on before the police do. I freely admit that the twist at the end caught me completely by surprise.
March 24, 2018
4 Stars for this witty whodunnit. Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for releasing Coffin, Scarcely Used in ebook format. I had no idea when I requested the book that it was written in 1958 by Colin Watson and it was nice to discover this “new” (to me) author. This mystery is the first in a series called the Flaxborough Chronicles. Set in the fictional English town of Flaxborough, the story revolves around the murder of next door neighbors, several months apart. Inspector Walter Purbright and Sergeant Love are charged with investigating the murders.
Despite its publication date, the book doesn’t seem too dated, most likely due to the author's use of that wonderful dry British humor. While the story deals with poisoning and electrocution, Coffin, Scarcely Used is a fun read. The Flaxborough Chronicles is a twelve book series but I was unable to find any the other eleven at the library. Farrago has released several more of Watson’s books in the series however. I did find the second, Bump in the Night and third, Hopjoy Was Here on iBooks and Amazon and plan on reading them when I’m in the mood for a fun little mystery.
Despite its publication date, the book doesn’t seem too dated, most likely due to the author's use of that wonderful dry British humor. While the story deals with poisoning and electrocution, Coffin, Scarcely Used is a fun read. The Flaxborough Chronicles is a twelve book series but I was unable to find any the other eleven at the library. Farrago has released several more of Watson’s books in the series however. I did find the second, Bump in the Night and third, Hopjoy Was Here on iBooks and Amazon and plan on reading them when I’m in the mood for a fun little mystery.
February 18, 2018
Colin Watson (1920-1983) was a British writer of detective fiction. The first three titles in his Flaxborough Chronicles mystery series are now being re-released by Farrago Books, UK. This one was originally published in 1958 and was made available as a "Read Now" offering through NetGalley recently. I jumped at the chance to get a copy and also requested and was granted access to books 2 and 3 in the series, which I look forward to reading soon.
The mystery in this introductory story is quite intriguing. A group of the movers and shakers in the market town of Flaxborough, England, have lost the second of their friends in six months. But what appeared at first to be suicide by electrocution, now is believed to be murder, and another of the group requests police protection, believing he'll be next.
So few serious crimes happen in Flaxborough that Inspector Walter Purbright worries that he won't be up to the challenge of finding the murderer but he and Sergeant Love play it by the book and work the case with solid procedure. There's a lot going on here so that even if the reader thinks he's guessed the answers, he may be in for further surprises.
Some might be put off by how outdated the story seems but others like me will find that postwar period of English life delightful. Watson wrote with a dry humor and wit that is such fun and enough suspense to keep the reader turning pages as the body count mounts up. I am happy to have been introduced to a 'new' cozy English mystery writer and look forward to reading more in this series. Thank you to Farrago and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity.
The mystery in this introductory story is quite intriguing. A group of the movers and shakers in the market town of Flaxborough, England, have lost the second of their friends in six months. But what appeared at first to be suicide by electrocution, now is believed to be murder, and another of the group requests police protection, believing he'll be next.
So few serious crimes happen in Flaxborough that Inspector Walter Purbright worries that he won't be up to the challenge of finding the murderer but he and Sergeant Love play it by the book and work the case with solid procedure. There's a lot going on here so that even if the reader thinks he's guessed the answers, he may be in for further surprises.
Some might be put off by how outdated the story seems but others like me will find that postwar period of English life delightful. Watson wrote with a dry humor and wit that is such fun and enough suspense to keep the reader turning pages as the body count mounts up. I am happy to have been introduced to a 'new' cozy English mystery writer and look forward to reading more in this series. Thank you to Farrago and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity.
May 28, 2018
Excellent who done .
I love a who done it that keeps me guessing. Superb! I can't wait to read the next one. As detectives go, Purbright is intelligent and fun.
I love a who done it that keeps me guessing. Superb! I can't wait to read the next one. As detectives go, Purbright is intelligent and fun.
March 3, 2018
Quotes:
"The coroner's officer was florid, fat, catarrhal, and kindly. He greeted the editor in the manner of a butcher anxious to placate a good customer for whom he had forgotten to reserve some kidneys" p10. During the inquest, Amblesby, "The irascible and senile coroner .. made no attempt to introduce homilies on drink, gadgets, Edwardian levees, or the monstrous prodigality of the working class .. malevolently clicking his dentures and fixing Lintz with an eye like an agate dipped in sputum .. [finally] .. harmlessly slumped in a reminiscent coma" p67.
"Hillyard's teeth .. were like bruised almonds that had been hastily stuck into his mouth at an angle and left to be supported on his lower lip .. the effort [to hide] produced a preposterous pout and high-hoisted eyebrows" p39.
Policemen call door to door for witnesses:
"Every now and then, Harper (even numbers) would meet or be met by Pook (odd numbers) and compare notes on the remarkable blindness and defective hearing of the residents. .. upward of sixty householders, most of them patently inquisitive insomniacs with a keen sense of the significance of every passing footstep and every distantly slammed door .. like vacuum-cleaner salesmen doggedly canvassing a community served by gas .. a tubby, beady-eyed, and garrulous woman .. pointed .. whence the detectives had been working their hitherto unproductive way .. 'Coffee?' asked Pook enviously. 'Tea', absently replied Harper, 'I think" .. Pook was reduced to putting down .. the narrow escape of one old woman's cat from death beneath the wheels of a black van driven 'furiously and without the slightest regard for animals .. back again later' .. his benefactor was still so upset that she very nearly poured him a saucer of milk before it occurred to her that he might prefer tea" p61-2.
If a pub landlord is "not a local", he can be politically incorrect "they're all related .. when they bother to get married there's no call for half of 'em to change their names .. Arson and incest, them's their hobbies" p147.
"Bracelets are what we call handcuffs. Very slangy" p57.
Review
Quality interweaves inextricably everywhere, the smallest role, miniscule-most detail. Humor is embedded. I admire and the protagonists; I like to spend time with them, want to know them more, to share their success.
Watson scribes velvet and iron in our e-world gone plastic and aluminium. Invigorating vocabulary, singular conversation, eloquent turn of phrase glint from nearly every page. The extraordinary fluency, fluidity, and fun has me hooked on the series and leads me to quote much to share the pleasure. (Does not seem reflected in script of "Murder Most English" BBC series if preview is accurate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyTP5l... )
We visit another time, like another planet. Cigarette smoke wafts arrogantly from suspects, lazily from contemplating detectives, hospitably from offered packets. Typewriter keys clack by one-fingered amateurs. "A wing collar, ready for rapid attachment, hung on a nail above the glue pot" p53.
Flaxborough newspaper editor Marcus Gwill, generally disliked, is found in his bedroom slippers, seemingly fallen from an electric pylon, distinctive flower shapes burned into his palms. Munching from a pocket full of marshmallows seems unlikely for intended suicide, murder is likely. DI Purbright tutors pink-cheeked Sgt Love to unobtrusively tail the victim's regular business visitors, not really friends. Despite Purbright's "mounting collection of enigmas, contradictions, deductions, and doubts" p78, the "coppers .. in a perpetual draft of uncharitable thoughts" p36. defy the criminals' hopes, to "run around in ever-decreasing circles until they become their own colonic stoppages" p78.
The inner circle "exclusive like the reptile house" p27 used to include Councillor Harold Carobleat, and his wife still visits at least weekly, "more than 'a personal friend' I can't say" hedges circumspect Gwill housekeeper Mrs Poole p17. Dr Rupert Hillyard "dipsomaniac" p27, approved the verdict of natural causes. Lawyer Rodney Gloss, "straight as an acrobat's intestines" p27, asks for police protection, but gives no reason. Undertaker woodworker Nab Bradlaw constructs more than coffins, reacts fearfully when Purbright passes on the request. Finally, one admits to being present on the fatal night. Gwill requested an evening meeting, took a phone call, and never returned.
One situation drags overly long. Love follows Alderman Leadbitter, who answered ad for "pewter antique tankard" to Hillyard's upper floor (UK "first floor" p160, NA second story) cubicles. From the first "confidential growl, interspersed with asinine chuckles" p110 to "a contented gasp" p111, we can guess the consortium's "pecuniary enterprise on the side" p69 is no "rhythmical .. pump or respirator" p112 .
"The coroner's officer was florid, fat, catarrhal, and kindly. He greeted the editor in the manner of a butcher anxious to placate a good customer for whom he had forgotten to reserve some kidneys" p10. During the inquest, Amblesby, "The irascible and senile coroner .. made no attempt to introduce homilies on drink, gadgets, Edwardian levees, or the monstrous prodigality of the working class .. malevolently clicking his dentures and fixing Lintz with an eye like an agate dipped in sputum .. [finally] .. harmlessly slumped in a reminiscent coma" p67.
"Hillyard's teeth .. were like bruised almonds that had been hastily stuck into his mouth at an angle and left to be supported on his lower lip .. the effort [to hide] produced a preposterous pout and high-hoisted eyebrows" p39.
Policemen call door to door for witnesses:
"Every now and then, Harper (even numbers) would meet or be met by Pook (odd numbers) and compare notes on the remarkable blindness and defective hearing of the residents. .. upward of sixty householders, most of them patently inquisitive insomniacs with a keen sense of the significance of every passing footstep and every distantly slammed door .. like vacuum-cleaner salesmen doggedly canvassing a community served by gas .. a tubby, beady-eyed, and garrulous woman .. pointed .. whence the detectives had been working their hitherto unproductive way .. 'Coffee?' asked Pook enviously. 'Tea', absently replied Harper, 'I think" .. Pook was reduced to putting down .. the narrow escape of one old woman's cat from death beneath the wheels of a black van driven 'furiously and without the slightest regard for animals .. back again later' .. his benefactor was still so upset that she very nearly poured him a saucer of milk before it occurred to her that he might prefer tea" p61-2.
If a pub landlord is "not a local", he can be politically incorrect "they're all related .. when they bother to get married there's no call for half of 'em to change their names .. Arson and incest, them's their hobbies" p147.
"Bracelets are what we call handcuffs. Very slangy" p57.
Review
Quality interweaves inextricably everywhere, the smallest role, miniscule-most detail. Humor is embedded. I admire and the protagonists; I like to spend time with them, want to know them more, to share their success.
Watson scribes velvet and iron in our e-world gone plastic and aluminium. Invigorating vocabulary, singular conversation, eloquent turn of phrase glint from nearly every page. The extraordinary fluency, fluidity, and fun has me hooked on the series and leads me to quote much to share the pleasure. (Does not seem reflected in script of "Murder Most English" BBC series if preview is accurate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyTP5l... )
We visit another time, like another planet. Cigarette smoke wafts arrogantly from suspects, lazily from contemplating detectives, hospitably from offered packets. Typewriter keys clack by one-fingered amateurs. "A wing collar, ready for rapid attachment, hung on a nail above the glue pot" p53.
Flaxborough newspaper editor Marcus Gwill, generally disliked, is found in his bedroom slippers, seemingly fallen from an electric pylon, distinctive flower shapes burned into his palms. Munching from a pocket full of marshmallows seems unlikely for intended suicide, murder is likely. DI Purbright tutors pink-cheeked Sgt Love to unobtrusively tail the victim's regular business visitors, not really friends. Despite Purbright's "mounting collection of enigmas, contradictions, deductions, and doubts" p78, the "coppers .. in a perpetual draft of uncharitable thoughts" p36. defy the criminals' hopes, to "run around in ever-decreasing circles until they become their own colonic stoppages" p78.
The inner circle "exclusive like the reptile house" p27 used to include Councillor Harold Carobleat, and his wife still visits at least weekly, "more than 'a personal friend' I can't say" hedges circumspect Gwill housekeeper Mrs Poole p17. Dr Rupert Hillyard "dipsomaniac" p27, approved the verdict of natural causes. Lawyer Rodney Gloss, "straight as an acrobat's intestines" p27, asks for police protection, but gives no reason. Undertaker woodworker Nab Bradlaw constructs more than coffins, reacts fearfully when Purbright passes on the request. Finally, one admits to being present on the fatal night. Gwill requested an evening meeting, took a phone call, and never returned.
One situation drags overly long. Love follows Alderman Leadbitter, who answered ad for "pewter antique tankard" to Hillyard's upper floor (UK "first floor" p160, NA second story) cubicles. From the first "confidential growl, interspersed with asinine chuckles" p110 to "a contented gasp" p111, we can guess the consortium's "pecuniary enterprise on the side" p69 is no "rhythmical .. pump or respirator" p112 .
September 17, 2014
Coffin, Scarcely Used was the first in Colin Watson's brilliant series of Flaxborough Chronicles, but is not in itself brilliant. By the time it appeared in the US, three others of the series had been published here before it, and it's easy to see why the delay. Although the Flaxborough Chronicles would become among the funniest of all crime series -- I periodically re-read some of the later titles, like Broomsticks Over Flaxborough (retitled Kissing Covens in the US, one of those rare occasions where I prefer a US retitling) and Hopjoy Was Here -- on remaking the acquaintance of this novel I got the feeling that Watson was learning on the job, as it were. I giggled uproariously several times, but there were a few passages that seemed pretty stiflingly dull. (Also, of course, there's as yet no Lucilla Teatime.)
There's hasn't been much by way of murder in recent years in the coastal English market town of Flaxborough, so when local newspaper proprietor Marcus Gwill is found electrocuted next to an electricity pylon in the field behind his home the universal assumption is that his death is accidental. But Inspector Purbright begins to suspect that foul play might have been involved and, overcoming the reticence of his Chief Constable, mounts an investigation. Could the supposedly natural death just six months ago of Gwill's neighbor, Councillor Harold Carobleat, be in any way related? What precisely was Gwill's relationship with Carobleat's widow, Joan? It's well known that both dead men were thick as thieves with other local dignitaries -- lawyer Rodney Gloss, undertaker Jonas "Nab" Bradlaw and drink-sodden physician Rupert Hillyard. Since Purbright soon discovers that Gwill had mysterious income outside his earnings from the newspaper, could it be that the thievery extended beyond just appearances?
These and many other questions are answered as the self-effacing, ever-genial Purbright peels back layers of hypocrisy to reveal a secret conspiracy of such appalling seediness that his Chief Constable is quite at a loss for words.
Some of Watson's feelings about the cozy English detective story can be assessed from the title of his nonfiction book about the genre: Snobbery with Violence. (By far the most enjoyable book of its kind I've ever read, this had me regularly gasping with mirth.) So it's easy to read Coffin, Scarcely Used and its successors as subversive parodies: here we are in Miss Marple territory, but with the white gloves removed. (Of course, one could argue that the Marple oeuvre was in itself a tad subversive.) Any pillar of Flaxborough society is by definition suspect of moral corruption, whether carnal or otherwise. By contrast, Watson's series copper, Purbright, is an almost Candide-like figure -- at least in external appearance, for behind that Innocent Abroad visage there dwells a sharp brain and a keen imagination; he's a man who relishes and is amused by human failings, and never too condemnatory of lesser sins.
Purbright was really to come into full flower, as it were, with the series' second and third novels, Bump in the Night (1960) and Hopjoy Was Here (1962) -- Lucilla Teatime came along in the fourth, Lonelyheart 4122 (1967) -- but some of the support cast are already in excellent fettle, such as Purbright's sergeant, Sid Love, and the pusillanimous Chief Constable, Harcourt Chubb.
All in all, this is a book of very great interest for those who've read and loved any of the later Flaxborough Chronicles -- this is where it all came from -- but beginners might be better to enter the series with a later volume. (They can all be read quite independently so it doesn't matter which, but Broomsticks Over Flaxborough and Lonelyheart 4122 are a couple of my own favorites.) Even those who insist on starting series at the beginning will find a lot to like in Coffin, Scarcely Used, but it doesn't have the full rich delight of the later volumes.
I've just discovered from Wikipedia that
. . . to which all I can say is: Good. Anyone who can describe the distinctive Watson humor as "very Wodehouse" is a literary (and quite obviously spiteful) moron.
=====
I re-read and wrote about this novel as part of the 1958 Book Challenge mounted by the Past Offences blog.
There's hasn't been much by way of murder in recent years in the coastal English market town of Flaxborough, so when local newspaper proprietor Marcus Gwill is found electrocuted next to an electricity pylon in the field behind his home the universal assumption is that his death is accidental. But Inspector Purbright begins to suspect that foul play might have been involved and, overcoming the reticence of his Chief Constable, mounts an investigation. Could the supposedly natural death just six months ago of Gwill's neighbor, Councillor Harold Carobleat, be in any way related? What precisely was Gwill's relationship with Carobleat's widow, Joan? It's well known that both dead men were thick as thieves with other local dignitaries -- lawyer Rodney Gloss, undertaker Jonas "Nab" Bradlaw and drink-sodden physician Rupert Hillyard. Since Purbright soon discovers that Gwill had mysterious income outside his earnings from the newspaper, could it be that the thievery extended beyond just appearances?
These and many other questions are answered as the self-effacing, ever-genial Purbright peels back layers of hypocrisy to reveal a secret conspiracy of such appalling seediness that his Chief Constable is quite at a loss for words.
Some of Watson's feelings about the cozy English detective story can be assessed from the title of his nonfiction book about the genre: Snobbery with Violence. (By far the most enjoyable book of its kind I've ever read, this had me regularly gasping with mirth.) So it's easy to read Coffin, Scarcely Used and its successors as subversive parodies: here we are in Miss Marple territory, but with the white gloves removed. (Of course, one could argue that the Marple oeuvre was in itself a tad subversive.) Any pillar of Flaxborough society is by definition suspect of moral corruption, whether carnal or otherwise. By contrast, Watson's series copper, Purbright, is an almost Candide-like figure -- at least in external appearance, for behind that Innocent Abroad visage there dwells a sharp brain and a keen imagination; he's a man who relishes and is amused by human failings, and never too condemnatory of lesser sins.
Purbright was really to come into full flower, as it were, with the series' second and third novels, Bump in the Night (1960) and Hopjoy Was Here (1962) -- Lucilla Teatime came along in the fourth, Lonelyheart 4122 (1967) -- but some of the support cast are already in excellent fettle, such as Purbright's sergeant, Sid Love, and the pusillanimous Chief Constable, Harcourt Chubb.
All in all, this is a book of very great interest for those who've read and loved any of the later Flaxborough Chronicles -- this is where it all came from -- but beginners might be better to enter the series with a later volume. (They can all be read quite independently so it doesn't matter which, but Broomsticks Over Flaxborough and Lonelyheart 4122 are a couple of my own favorites.) Even those who insist on starting series at the beginning will find a lot to like in Coffin, Scarcely Used, but it doesn't have the full rich delight of the later volumes.
I've just discovered from Wikipedia that
Watson was the first person to successfully sue Private Eye for libel, for an article in issue 25 when he objected to being described as: ���the little-known author who . . . was writing a novel, very Wodehouse but without the jokes���. He was awarded ��750.
. . . to which all I can say is: Good. Anyone who can describe the distinctive Watson humor as "very Wodehouse" is a literary (and quite obviously spiteful) moron.
=====
I re-read and wrote about this novel as part of the 1958 Book Challenge mounted by the Past Offences blog.
February 6, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed Coffin, Scarcely Used. It is exceptionally well written and a decent mystery to boot.
Originally published in 1958, this book introduces Inspector Purbright of the Flaxborough police. Flaxborough is a (fictional) small coastal English town where outward respectability conceals Untoward Goings-On. The discovery of a second body, this time a murder staged as a suicide causes Purbright and the equally admirable sergeant Sid Love, to investigate. They are a very engaging pair, with Purbright as a seemingly slightly hapless, polite investigator, and the whole thing is a pleasure to read.
It is decently, if slightly implausibly, plotted. The characters are well drawn, with pointed wit but genuine thoughtfulness, so that although it is genuinely funny in places, it has an essential believability and insight into the character and mores of the time which make it a very involving read as well as just an entertaining one. It's perhaps a bit like a much less donnish Michael Innes or a 1950s version of Simon Brett in tone. I marked this little exchange between Purbright and Mr Smith, the local bank manager which gives a flavour of the style:
'"We should be glad to have your help, sir…"
Mr Smith inclined his head and continued to register delight. "Anything we can do, we shall only be too pleased."
"…in a somewhat delicate matter," Purbright added, and the tiniest flake of frost settled upon Mr Smith's manner.'
If you like that, you'll like the book. I like it very much, and I'm looking forward to catching up with more of Inspector Purbright, whom I haven't read before. I'm grateful to Farrago Books for making available and introducing me to a third series of excellent but nearly forgotten books which are very well written and entertaining, the others being Miss Seeton and the Bandy series by Donald Jack. All are warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
Originally published in 1958, this book introduces Inspector Purbright of the Flaxborough police. Flaxborough is a (fictional) small coastal English town where outward respectability conceals Untoward Goings-On. The discovery of a second body, this time a murder staged as a suicide causes Purbright and the equally admirable sergeant Sid Love, to investigate. They are a very engaging pair, with Purbright as a seemingly slightly hapless, polite investigator, and the whole thing is a pleasure to read.
It is decently, if slightly implausibly, plotted. The characters are well drawn, with pointed wit but genuine thoughtfulness, so that although it is genuinely funny in places, it has an essential believability and insight into the character and mores of the time which make it a very involving read as well as just an entertaining one. It's perhaps a bit like a much less donnish Michael Innes or a 1950s version of Simon Brett in tone. I marked this little exchange between Purbright and Mr Smith, the local bank manager which gives a flavour of the style:
'"We should be glad to have your help, sir…"
Mr Smith inclined his head and continued to register delight. "Anything we can do, we shall only be too pleased."
"…in a somewhat delicate matter," Purbright added, and the tiniest flake of frost settled upon Mr Smith's manner.'
If you like that, you'll like the book. I like it very much, and I'm looking forward to catching up with more of Inspector Purbright, whom I haven't read before. I'm grateful to Farrago Books for making available and introducing me to a third series of excellent but nearly forgotten books which are very well written and entertaining, the others being Miss Seeton and the Bandy series by Donald Jack. All are warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
March 27, 2018
You've got to love the title alone! Clever, humorous mystery, the reason for the crimes a little dated, but that must be forgiven. Lots to like here, including the fine writing and the distinctive characters. The solution and the amusing final lines bring it all home. It's taken me a long time to at last open the gate to the Flaxborough Chronicles and very happy I did. I'll be back to visit again.
June 13, 2018
Perskaičiau daug atsiliepimų apie šią knygą ir visi buvo labai geri, ir dabar jaučiuosi truputį kalta, kad man ji nelabai patiko.
Istorija gera, tempas nelabai greitas, bet tinka, atomazga netikėta - bet mėgautis kažkaip trukdė stilius. Nors apskritai man patinka įmantresni pasakymai ir visa ta lengvai old-timey kalba, be to, kiekvienas sakinys atskirai įdomus, pastabus, su humoru - bet bendras įspūdis liko kažkoks pretenzingas. Na, ką padarysi, gal tiesiog neatitaikiau knygos prie nuotaikos.
Istorija gera, tempas nelabai greitas, bet tinka, atomazga netikėta - bet mėgautis kažkaip trukdė stilius. Nors apskritai man patinka įmantresni pasakymai ir visa ta lengvai old-timey kalba, be to, kiekvienas sakinys atskirai įdomus, pastabus, su humoru - bet bendras įspūdis liko kažkoks pretenzingas. Na, ką padarysi, gal tiesiog neatitaikiau knygos prie nuotaikos.
September 1, 2018
This should have been a really great book and an enticing read, but somehow it just dragged on for me and I never was able to get fully engaged with it. Honestly, I had a hard time even making myself finish and truthfully do not remember a lot of what went on. It just became more of an obligation than a joy to read and so I'm not left with fond memories. I think perhaps I will try again at another time and see if I fare any better with this author because I really do find the premise interesting.
February 23, 2018
I have been enjoying classic-style detective stories set in British villages and country house parties, lately. Yes, its a bit of a niche thing. I've nearly run through my library's offerings of authors/series I recognize so obviously it was time to explore new to me authors/series. I caught a glimpse of this title and, what do you know, I'd inadvertently discovered one I was unaware of that's been around for donkey's ages.
Coffin, Scarcely Used is the opening story in a series featuring Inspector Furbright, his sergeant, Sid Love, and a whole quirky seaside community of folks. I'm not sure what time frame these are, but its definitely not recent modern though, it does fall into modern age.
So, there is a death to start things off, but not a murder. No suspicions until the next door neighbor bites it, by electrical shock, no less. Furbright doesn't buy the whole accidental electrocution or suicide theories or, the crazed housekeepers rantings about a restless spirit on the loose. With humor and wit and cleverness he teases through fact from lie with each encounter with the dead man's friends and family. Gwill was not well liked and he had been up to something secretive before his death.
I enjoyed having the large pool of suspicious characters and the fun twists to the puzzle. I saw through most of the lies and the misdirections, but one final twist was a lulu. I liked the detective and laughed several times at the wry humor and the play between detective and sergeant and even between detective and his boss, the chief constable.
It's definitely a chance to step back into simpler times for just a good mystery. I was glad to note that there are several in this series and I will happily keep picking them up. If British old-style detective murder mysteries are your thing, this one is a good bet.
I rec'd this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Coffin, Scarcely Used is the opening story in a series featuring Inspector Furbright, his sergeant, Sid Love, and a whole quirky seaside community of folks. I'm not sure what time frame these are, but its definitely not recent modern though, it does fall into modern age.
So, there is a death to start things off, but not a murder. No suspicions until the next door neighbor bites it, by electrical shock, no less. Furbright doesn't buy the whole accidental electrocution or suicide theories or, the crazed housekeepers rantings about a restless spirit on the loose. With humor and wit and cleverness he teases through fact from lie with each encounter with the dead man's friends and family. Gwill was not well liked and he had been up to something secretive before his death.
I enjoyed having the large pool of suspicious characters and the fun twists to the puzzle. I saw through most of the lies and the misdirections, but one final twist was a lulu. I liked the detective and laughed several times at the wry humor and the play between detective and sergeant and even between detective and his boss, the chief constable.
It's definitely a chance to step back into simpler times for just a good mystery. I was glad to note that there are several in this series and I will happily keep picking them up. If British old-style detective murder mysteries are your thing, this one is a good bet.
I rec'd this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
March 21, 2018
Originally written in the 1950’s, this opportunity to read a ‘classic’ British mystery was not to be missed. Clever word-play, a touch of humor that never ventures into satirical send-ups and plenty of twists that add layers of possibility as you puzzle out the culprit, the story was atmospheric and engrossing. And the sense of multiple stories and agendas behind the scenes in this picturesque English village.
In this story, the market town of Flaxborough is finding a curious decrease in the group of movers and shakers: losing two members in a six month period. The second death just happens to be the neighbor of the first, and the investigation by DI Purbright and DS Love turn up several clues that point to murder. Being a particularly thorough man, Purbright’s digging along several possible trails leads to the uncovering of several ‘not as they appear at first look” situations that lead to a darker, and possibly menacing element in the village. Completely engaging as each new revelation is explored as others surface, the challenge in solving the puzzle before Purbright and Love do is a seriously difficult one – never once leading me to expect the twist at the end.
Yes, the attitudes are slightly dated, but the flow and language, similes and metaphors are poetic and clever: adding to the reader’s visualization and enjoyment. Bringing the sensibilities of a Christie novel, the story is about uncovering a motive and reason, rather than focusing on the more salacious elements of gore, gunshots and fast-paced chases. If you enjoy a British murder mystery, particularly those that harken back to the ‘good old days’, this is a series to put on your shelf.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
In this story, the market town of Flaxborough is finding a curious decrease in the group of movers and shakers: losing two members in a six month period. The second death just happens to be the neighbor of the first, and the investigation by DI Purbright and DS Love turn up several clues that point to murder. Being a particularly thorough man, Purbright’s digging along several possible trails leads to the uncovering of several ‘not as they appear at first look” situations that lead to a darker, and possibly menacing element in the village. Completely engaging as each new revelation is explored as others surface, the challenge in solving the puzzle before Purbright and Love do is a seriously difficult one – never once leading me to expect the twist at the end.
Yes, the attitudes are slightly dated, but the flow and language, similes and metaphors are poetic and clever: adding to the reader’s visualization and enjoyment. Bringing the sensibilities of a Christie novel, the story is about uncovering a motive and reason, rather than focusing on the more salacious elements of gore, gunshots and fast-paced chases. If you enjoy a British murder mystery, particularly those that harken back to the ‘good old days’, this is a series to put on your shelf.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
April 4, 2018
Six months ago, Councillor Harold Carobleat, of the town of Flaxborough, died unexpectedly, but otherwise unremarkably. His heart failed, his physician, Dr. Hillyard signed the death certificate, and his widow had him quietly buried. His business was quietly closed up.
Now his next door neighbor, Marcus Gwill, publisher of the Flaxborough Citizen is dead, found electrocuted at the foot of a power pole. Suicide? A bizarre accident? An equally bizarre murder? Inspector Purbright, of the Flaxborough Constabulary, has to look into this death, however unfamiliar such investigations are in quiet Flaxborough.
It's not long before he and his assistant, Sergeant Love, have many questions about the other respectable citizens who are also neighbors of the two dead men, including Dr. Hillyard, physician to both men, and George Gloss, solicitor to both men.
This book was first published in 1957, and reflects its time, but it's a solid, interesting mystery. Purbright and Love are interesting, likable characters, and others, including the Chief Constable and a couple of the uniformed constables, show signs that as the series progresses (there are at least two more books), they may become so.
The "of its time" social mores caveats include the roles and status of women, and the fact that, as far as I can tell, Every. Single. Person. Smokes.
Nevertheless, an enjoyable light mystery.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Now his next door neighbor, Marcus Gwill, publisher of the Flaxborough Citizen is dead, found electrocuted at the foot of a power pole. Suicide? A bizarre accident? An equally bizarre murder? Inspector Purbright, of the Flaxborough Constabulary, has to look into this death, however unfamiliar such investigations are in quiet Flaxborough.
It's not long before he and his assistant, Sergeant Love, have many questions about the other respectable citizens who are also neighbors of the two dead men, including Dr. Hillyard, physician to both men, and George Gloss, solicitor to both men.
This book was first published in 1957, and reflects its time, but it's a solid, interesting mystery. Purbright and Love are interesting, likable characters, and others, including the Chief Constable and a couple of the uniformed constables, show signs that as the series progresses (there are at least two more books), they may become so.
The "of its time" social mores caveats include the roles and status of women, and the fact that, as far as I can tell, Every. Single. Person. Smokes.
Nevertheless, an enjoyable light mystery.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
May 13, 2023
A clever mystery.
May 25, 2018
Enjoyable whodunnit set in a small English town in the 1950's. I wasn't familiar with Colin Watson's books before getting this one from NetGalley, but I enjoyed the characters and the humor he incorporated. The setting and the post-WWII timeframe were interesting and the plot was anything but predictable!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.
December 19, 2018
3.5 stars - fun and funny, with very personable, dry-witted police detectives Purbright and his sidekick Sgt. Love. Good premise, skewers the hypocrisy of a small seaside town’s “leading citizens” with a clever criminal conspiracy, but dragged in the middle, I found myself skimming to find out whodunnit to whom - never a good sign! But being a huge fan of Christopher Fowler’s Peculiar Crimes Unit, I am very willing to be patient with the first in a series which promises much enjoyment, and give further books a read. (Wilson only wrote so many books and Fowler only puts out one a year, maybe). Recommended to fans of dry British humor in their Golden Age mysteries and police procedurals.
August 10, 2019
I was delighted to be able to buy this gorgeous edition of the first of the Flaxborough Chronicles. As I had started with the stunning Hopjoy Was Here, I wondered how Colin Watson would introduce his town and its characters.
He gets stuck straight in. It's not Hopjoy and gets quite hard to follow at times with its respectable professional version of 'butcher, baker, candlestick maker' cast but it is good with plenty of dry humour and laughs out loud. He sets his stall out good and early with the title and opening so there are no prizes for guessing at least some of the plot, but that's not really the point.
He gets stuck straight in. It's not Hopjoy and gets quite hard to follow at times with its respectable professional version of 'butcher, baker, candlestick maker' cast but it is good with plenty of dry humour and laughs out loud. He sets his stall out good and early with the title and opening so there are no prizes for guessing at least some of the plot, but that's not really the point.
June 15, 2020
Loved it! Purbright could have been the inspiration for Columbo!
Not only this book is comedic in nature but have elements of a farce as well. A comical crime mystery farce perhaps? ( sorry channeling Watson) The characters are well developed and like the actors in a farce they are always full of surprises as they exaggerate their actions and dialogue.
The plot is extremely elaborate. No linear writing here, but everything that it is done or said is explained in details as the book progresses. This is a great mystery full of twists and turns, Colin Watson is a masterful storyteller.
I will certainly read the rest of the series!
Not only this book is comedic in nature but have elements of a farce as well. A comical crime mystery farce perhaps? ( sorry channeling Watson) The characters are well developed and like the actors in a farce they are always full of surprises as they exaggerate their actions and dialogue.
The plot is extremely elaborate. No linear writing here, but everything that it is done or said is explained in details as the book progresses. This is a great mystery full of twists and turns, Colin Watson is a masterful storyteller.
I will certainly read the rest of the series!
February 10, 2021
Wonderfully written with great character descriptions, intricate plot and wicked humour.
The Flaxborough Chronicles, of which this is the first, are a must read for mystery lovers who appreciate English writing at its best.
The Flaxborough Chronicles, of which this is the first, are a must read for mystery lovers who appreciate English writing at its best.
April 16, 2020
Anybody new to the Flaxborough Chronicles by British writer Colin Watson might not be aware of the author's body of work. Born in 1920, dying in 1983, Watson wrote twelve Flaxborough novels in total, renowned for their dry comic styling, set in the small fictional town of Flaxborough, widely believed to be based on Boston in Lincolnshire. Watson worked as a journalist in the area and the characters in his books are rumoured to be caricatures of people he met during his journalistic time.
There are two main people in the novels - Inspector Walter Purbight, a solid, good old English chap type bloke who is a decent, if not slightly dull, fictional police detective. The other is Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime, the sometimes ladylike, sometimes gloriously vulgar, conwoman with a liking for dominoes, whisky and the finer things in life.
These two are less of a pairing and more of a coincidence when it comes to Flaxborough daily life, but each, in their own way, add a glorious sense of very British-ness to what's a quintessentially British, slightly batty, ever so mildly sexist (remembering the timing of the writing) series of novels that I return to time and time again to kickstart my brain into a love of reading when I've lost the plot.
COFFIN, SCARCELY USED is the opening salvo of the series, written in 1958, introducing in a perfect, low key manner, Inspector Walter Purbright, who finds himself investigating a most unexpected crime spree in the quiet, respectable little town of Flaxborough, particularly as the spree is amongst it's leading citizens. Starting out with the supposed natural death of esteemed councillor Harold Carobleat, followed by the distinctly odd electrocution of newspaper owner Marcus Gwill, a very unlikely scenario of illegal goings on starts to reveal itself.
Remember, when you're reading these novels, that this was written in 1958, so there are some mildly sexist stereotypes with most of the women either devious or hysterical, but it is fortunately, on the mild side, played mostly for humour rather than as a blatant put down. Having said that, the stuffed shirt men don't always come off much better and the digs at the "commercial classes" are there if you look closely as well.
The humour, and the sense of caricature is the vital part of these novels, although the plots themselves are well developed, with plenty of red herrings, and more than enough intrigue to keep the reader interested and guessing.
As mentioned though, I have used this series for years now, after first discovering it in the mid 1970's, as a way of kickstarting a jaded reading brain. They are fun, they are more than a bit daft, but they are well crafted, endlessly entertaining and just the thing, particularly if you're a fan of the very best of British, slightly dotty, entertainment.
The full series, in order is:
Coffin, Scarcely Used (1958)
Bump in the Night (1960)
Hopjoy Was Here (1962)
Lonelyheart 4122 (1967) (in which Miss Lucilla Teatime makes her first appearance)
Charity Ends at Home (1968)
The Flaxborough Crab (1969) - U.S: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Broomsticks over Flaxborough (1972) - U.S: Kissing Covens
The Naked Nuns (1975) - U.S: Six Nuns and a Shotgun
One Man's Meat (1977) - U.S: It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog
Blue Murder (1979) (Miss Teatime does not make an appearance in this one)
Plaster Sinners (1980)
Whatever's Been Going on at Mumblesby? (1982)
It's also worth reading his study of interwar thrillers (if you can find a copy) Snobbery with Violence which Watson wrote in 1971.
There are two main people in the novels - Inspector Walter Purbight, a solid, good old English chap type bloke who is a decent, if not slightly dull, fictional police detective. The other is Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime, the sometimes ladylike, sometimes gloriously vulgar, conwoman with a liking for dominoes, whisky and the finer things in life.
These two are less of a pairing and more of a coincidence when it comes to Flaxborough daily life, but each, in their own way, add a glorious sense of very British-ness to what's a quintessentially British, slightly batty, ever so mildly sexist (remembering the timing of the writing) series of novels that I return to time and time again to kickstart my brain into a love of reading when I've lost the plot.
COFFIN, SCARCELY USED is the opening salvo of the series, written in 1958, introducing in a perfect, low key manner, Inspector Walter Purbright, who finds himself investigating a most unexpected crime spree in the quiet, respectable little town of Flaxborough, particularly as the spree is amongst it's leading citizens. Starting out with the supposed natural death of esteemed councillor Harold Carobleat, followed by the distinctly odd electrocution of newspaper owner Marcus Gwill, a very unlikely scenario of illegal goings on starts to reveal itself.
Remember, when you're reading these novels, that this was written in 1958, so there are some mildly sexist stereotypes with most of the women either devious or hysterical, but it is fortunately, on the mild side, played mostly for humour rather than as a blatant put down. Having said that, the stuffed shirt men don't always come off much better and the digs at the "commercial classes" are there if you look closely as well.
The humour, and the sense of caricature is the vital part of these novels, although the plots themselves are well developed, with plenty of red herrings, and more than enough intrigue to keep the reader interested and guessing.
As mentioned though, I have used this series for years now, after first discovering it in the mid 1970's, as a way of kickstarting a jaded reading brain. They are fun, they are more than a bit daft, but they are well crafted, endlessly entertaining and just the thing, particularly if you're a fan of the very best of British, slightly dotty, entertainment.
The full series, in order is:
Coffin, Scarcely Used (1958)
Bump in the Night (1960)
Hopjoy Was Here (1962)
Lonelyheart 4122 (1967) (in which Miss Lucilla Teatime makes her first appearance)
Charity Ends at Home (1968)
The Flaxborough Crab (1969) - U.S: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Broomsticks over Flaxborough (1972) - U.S: Kissing Covens
The Naked Nuns (1975) - U.S: Six Nuns and a Shotgun
One Man's Meat (1977) - U.S: It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog
Blue Murder (1979) (Miss Teatime does not make an appearance in this one)
Plaster Sinners (1980)
Whatever's Been Going on at Mumblesby? (1982)
It's also worth reading his study of interwar thrillers (if you can find a copy) Snobbery with Violence which Watson wrote in 1971.
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