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Flaxborough Chronicles #4
Lonelyheart 4122
Whatever can have happened to Lil?
Flaxborough butcher Arthur Spain is worried that his sister-in-law hasn’t been in touch lately, so he pays her a visit. But Lil’s not at home, and by her porch door are a dozen bottles of curdling milk… Alarmed, he calls in the local police, D.I. Purbright and his ever-reliable Sergeant Sid Love.
It transpires Lilian Bannister is the second middle-aged woman in the town to mysteriously vanish, and the link is traced to a local lonely hearts agency called Handclasp House. So when a vulnerable-seeming lady with the charming title of Lucy Teatime signs up for a romantic rendezvous, the two detectives try extra hard to look out for her. But Miss Teatime has a few surprises of her own up her dainty sleeve!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
45 people are currently reading
114 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
June 24, 2018
Real Rating: 4.5* of five
Oh, Miss Teatime! What a devilishly well-drawn character you are. Purbright and Love, Flaxborough's finest, are wonderfully vivid characters but no one's a patch on you, Miss Teatime. What piquancy, what joie de vivre you bring as soon as you enter the stage. It is nothing short of a blast to be in your company.
Flaxborough's delights await you, series mystery fans. Come revel in quiet Englishness as nasty murderous evil grins out from the stolid stodginess of its borovian countenances. In fact, start here. You're missing nothing terribly important, in truth, and this book is simply wonderful.
Oh, Miss Teatime! What a devilishly well-drawn character you are. Purbright and Love, Flaxborough's finest, are wonderfully vivid characters but no one's a patch on you, Miss Teatime. What piquancy, what joie de vivre you bring as soon as you enter the stage. It is nothing short of a blast to be in your company.
Flaxborough's delights await you, series mystery fans. Come revel in quiet Englishness as nasty murderous evil grins out from the stolid stodginess of its borovian countenances. In fact, start here. You're missing nothing terribly important, in truth, and this book is simply wonderful.
May 15, 2018
Another great book about the Flaxborough detective. It has all the components we've come to expect now including crazy characters and a lovely warmth to the story in this case we have the introduction of the marriage bureau. A fun thing to look back on in this age of phone app dating.
A pure joy.
Thank to netgalley for the free ARC
A pure joy.
Thank to netgalley for the free ARC
April 6, 2018
I've been enjoying this old mystery series by Colin Watson being republished by Farrago. The writing is superb; the stories, old school British police procedurals from the 1960s.
Lonelyheart 4122, the fourth book in the series, concerns two women who have gone missing after consulting a marriage bureau (think forerunner of Match.com). Now a woman named Lucy Teatime has come to town and has begun using the dating service. Will she lead the police to the dastardly Romeo or will she become one of his victims?
I always enjoy Watson's way with words. My favorite of this book? "The Renault's cornering was tight as a turd in a trumpet." That's a phrase I've never heard before. :) As you can see, the writing can be very amusing as well as suspenseful.
If you like a good mystery, I highly recommend these books. Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for providing me with an arc of this great old chestnut. I did guess the solution but I still enjoyed the story immensely.
Lonelyheart 4122, the fourth book in the series, concerns two women who have gone missing after consulting a marriage bureau (think forerunner of Match.com). Now a woman named Lucy Teatime has come to town and has begun using the dating service. Will she lead the police to the dastardly Romeo or will she become one of his victims?
I always enjoy Watson's way with words. My favorite of this book? "The Renault's cornering was tight as a turd in a trumpet." That's a phrase I've never heard before. :) As you can see, the writing can be very amusing as well as suspenseful.
If you like a good mystery, I highly recommend these books. Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for providing me with an arc of this great old chestnut. I did guess the solution but I still enjoyed the story immensely.
June 18, 2018
Still up there as a good read with 4 stars, but (dare I say), not quite as good as the previous three. Hoping it's not a downward trend as I've just downloaded the fifth!
As a series however, they're a real find!
As a series however, they're a real find!
June 16, 2018
Time for Teatime...
When Arthur Spain notices that his widowed sister-in-law, Lil, hasn’t been around recently, he pops round to visit her, but his worry increases when he finds a row of full milk bottles outside her door, some curdled, suggesting she hasn’t been home for a couple of weeks. So he reports her missing and soon Inspector Purbright is worrying too, because Lil’s disappearance reminds him of another one from a few months back. Could the two missing women be connected in some way? A bit of investigation shows that both had recently signed on as clients of Handclasp House, a local dating agency...
This is the 4th entry in Watson’s Flaxborough Chronicles and the series is well into its stride by now. As always, it’s full of rather wicked humour about the weaknesses of human nature and those who exploit them. Inspector Purbright is his usual unflappable self, a detective as free from angst as even I could wish for, and with a nice line in mild sarcasm, but never cruelly employed. His sidekick, Sergeant Sid Love, hides a mind like a sink behind a cherubic countenance. And Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb remains the perfect figurehead for the force, a pillar of respectability, stolid and unimaginative.
A new client has just signed up with the dating agency. Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime is exactly the type of woman an unscrupulous man might prey on – single and new to the area, therefore without friends or family to look out for her, middle-aged and lonely, and so naive and utterly respectable herself that she’s unable to imagine unworthy motives in others. Or at least that’s how she seems on the outside, and Purbright is worried she might be the next victim. But the reader sees much of the story from Miss Teatime’s perspective, so we soon learn she’s not quite as innocent as she likes to appear. As Miss Teatime begins to correspond with a gentleman also looking for love, Purbright and Sid have to balance their investigation of the previous disappearances with their desire to prevent her from becoming the next victim. But Miss Teatime has plans of her own...
I love these books and am delighted that Farrago are re-releasing all twelve of them for Kindle. It’s the first time for years they’ve been available at reasonable prices, and that’s a necessity since once you’ve read the first one (Coffin Scarcely Used), you will undoubtedly want to binge-read the rest. Although they’re all very good, the ones in the middle are undoubtedly the best, once Watson had established all the regulars. Often humorous crime books are let down by the plotting, but each of these has a strong story and a proper investigation, so they’re satisfying on both levels. They are wickedly perceptive about middle-class English society of the ‘50s, with Watson letting the reader see through the veneer of dull respectability to the skulduggery and jiggery-pokery going on beneath. Mildly subversive, but affectionately so, they form a kind of bridge between the Golden Age and more modern crime novels, with the same class divides as in the earlier era but with the irreverence about them that came fully to the fore in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
But mostly what they are is hugely entertaining, and that’s why you should read them. And if you’ve already read them, give yourself a treat and read them all again. Highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Farrago.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When Arthur Spain notices that his widowed sister-in-law, Lil, hasn’t been around recently, he pops round to visit her, but his worry increases when he finds a row of full milk bottles outside her door, some curdled, suggesting she hasn’t been home for a couple of weeks. So he reports her missing and soon Inspector Purbright is worrying too, because Lil’s disappearance reminds him of another one from a few months back. Could the two missing women be connected in some way? A bit of investigation shows that both had recently signed on as clients of Handclasp House, a local dating agency...
This is the 4th entry in Watson’s Flaxborough Chronicles and the series is well into its stride by now. As always, it’s full of rather wicked humour about the weaknesses of human nature and those who exploit them. Inspector Purbright is his usual unflappable self, a detective as free from angst as even I could wish for, and with a nice line in mild sarcasm, but never cruelly employed. His sidekick, Sergeant Sid Love, hides a mind like a sink behind a cherubic countenance. And Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb remains the perfect figurehead for the force, a pillar of respectability, stolid and unimaginative.
A new client has just signed up with the dating agency. Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime is exactly the type of woman an unscrupulous man might prey on – single and new to the area, therefore without friends or family to look out for her, middle-aged and lonely, and so naive and utterly respectable herself that she’s unable to imagine unworthy motives in others. Or at least that’s how she seems on the outside, and Purbright is worried she might be the next victim. But the reader sees much of the story from Miss Teatime’s perspective, so we soon learn she’s not quite as innocent as she likes to appear. As Miss Teatime begins to correspond with a gentleman also looking for love, Purbright and Sid have to balance their investigation of the previous disappearances with their desire to prevent her from becoming the next victim. But Miss Teatime has plans of her own...
I love these books and am delighted that Farrago are re-releasing all twelve of them for Kindle. It’s the first time for years they’ve been available at reasonable prices, and that’s a necessity since once you’ve read the first one (Coffin Scarcely Used), you will undoubtedly want to binge-read the rest. Although they’re all very good, the ones in the middle are undoubtedly the best, once Watson had established all the regulars. Often humorous crime books are let down by the plotting, but each of these has a strong story and a proper investigation, so they’re satisfying on both levels. They are wickedly perceptive about middle-class English society of the ‘50s, with Watson letting the reader see through the veneer of dull respectability to the skulduggery and jiggery-pokery going on beneath. Mildly subversive, but affectionately so, they form a kind of bridge between the Golden Age and more modern crime novels, with the same class divides as in the earlier era but with the irreverence about them that came fully to the fore in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
But mostly what they are is hugely entertaining, and that’s why you should read them. And if you’ve already read them, give yourself a treat and read them all again. Highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Farrago.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
April 5, 2018
You won’t get much more ‘British’ in the feel of these books, and this one makes a place for itself in a seemingly straight-line path to the suspect. Originally published in 1967, there is a very definite sense of the time in some outmoded beliefs and customs, but this doesn’t lessen the enjoyment one gets from Watson’s clever use of language and wordplay to illustrate and develop the story, from characters to sly asides, the humor and sharply presented imagery engages and delights. Far from being only a story from Purbright and Love, a new character is introduced in the form of Miss Lucilla Teatime.
Arthur Spain is worried about his sister-in-law’s silence, moreso when he discovers her doorstep holding newspapers and bottles of curdled milk. He’s on to contact Purbright, now in the middle of another case involving yet another well-to-do 40-something single woman. In the search, Purbright has discovered that both women have had meetings with Handclasp House, a local dating agency owned and managed by the Staunches. (How British can you get?)
In the midst of their questions at Handclasp House, Purbright is introduced to Miss Teatime, a potential client of the Staunches services, and clearly a woman with plenty of secrets to hide. Lucilla is actually an invaluable asset in this investigation with her own ever-changing intentions that are never quite clearly defined, and Purbright’s determination to keep this latest woman safe from the dangers that lurk around the women on the Handclasp House’s roster.
Clearly, although Watson isn’t above making fun of the agency and some rather unusual matches, the empathy for those looking for love is never far from the reader’s awareness, and with Lucilla being particularly comical in her oft-scattered approach, there’s clearly a keen intelligence hidden there, behind her appearance. Soon Purbright is relying on information provided by Lucilla in combination with his own keen puzzling of clues, sharp observations and a few red herrings thrown in to keep readers (and he) guessing. A reveal that was surprising in the solution and the path to get there – a truly clever mystery that will have even the most casual of readers delighted.
I received an eBook 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
Arthur Spain is worried about his sister-in-law’s silence, moreso when he discovers her doorstep holding newspapers and bottles of curdled milk. He’s on to contact Purbright, now in the middle of another case involving yet another well-to-do 40-something single woman. In the search, Purbright has discovered that both women have had meetings with Handclasp House, a local dating agency owned and managed by the Staunches. (How British can you get?)
In the midst of their questions at Handclasp House, Purbright is introduced to Miss Teatime, a potential client of the Staunches services, and clearly a woman with plenty of secrets to hide. Lucilla is actually an invaluable asset in this investigation with her own ever-changing intentions that are never quite clearly defined, and Purbright’s determination to keep this latest woman safe from the dangers that lurk around the women on the Handclasp House’s roster.
Clearly, although Watson isn’t above making fun of the agency and some rather unusual matches, the empathy for those looking for love is never far from the reader’s awareness, and with Lucilla being particularly comical in her oft-scattered approach, there’s clearly a keen intelligence hidden there, behind her appearance. Soon Purbright is relying on information provided by Lucilla in combination with his own keen puzzling of clues, sharp observations and a few red herrings thrown in to keep readers (and he) guessing. A reveal that was surprising in the solution and the path to get there – a truly clever mystery that will have even the most casual of readers delighted.
I received an eBook 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
February 19, 2021
Upon a second reading after many years, I found this book just as enjoyable as I did before. Inspector Purbright is a very likeable copper and the very welcome introduction of Miss Lucilla Teatime bodes very well for the rest of the series, in which I know she appears.
Highly recommended for those like to read English English at its best with brilliant wit and a decent plot.
Highly recommended for those like to read English English at its best with brilliant wit and a decent plot.
May 4, 2018
It suddenly occurs to Flaxborough butcher, Arthur Spain, that he hasn't seen his recently widowed sister-in-law, Lillian Bannister, in a while. Upon visiting her residence, he is even more alarmed. Everything seems as usual until he goes around the back and finds ranks of milk bottles that have been delivered, but never retrieved. Inspector Purbright is also alarmed because a spinster of the town, Miss Martha Reckitt, has disappeared under much similar circumstances.
Inspector Purbright and his trusty Sargeant Love spring into action. I say "spring" but really, in Flaxborough, things proceed at a much more leisurely pace. As they search through the backgrounds of the missing ladies, they discover that both had contracted with a matrimonial agency, Handclasp House. Both ladies had also dropped hints of significant changes in their lives. At the same time Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime, is en route to Flaxborough. She is a very different lady though, fashionable, sophisticated, and self-possessed. She also registers with the agency, but why?
I have really enjoyed reading The Flaxborough Chronicles, and Lonelyheart 4122 is my favorite so far. Colin Watson had a very witty and somewhat wicked sense of humor that shines in these mysteries set in late 50's, early 60's England. He always stumps me with a word or two, such as "flocculent" to describe the bottles at the back door. There are always plays on words and descriptions that tickle me. Purbright, upon peering into a keyhole and seeing an eye, then gaining admission, describes it, "He looked at their owner's face and saw his old friend the eye, now revealed to have an associate." Social commentary is an essential component in these highly readable shortish novels.
Thanks to Farrago and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.
Inspector Purbright and his trusty Sargeant Love spring into action. I say "spring" but really, in Flaxborough, things proceed at a much more leisurely pace. As they search through the backgrounds of the missing ladies, they discover that both had contracted with a matrimonial agency, Handclasp House. Both ladies had also dropped hints of significant changes in their lives. At the same time Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime, is en route to Flaxborough. She is a very different lady though, fashionable, sophisticated, and self-possessed. She also registers with the agency, but why?
I have really enjoyed reading The Flaxborough Chronicles, and Lonelyheart 4122 is my favorite so far. Colin Watson had a very witty and somewhat wicked sense of humor that shines in these mysteries set in late 50's, early 60's England. He always stumps me with a word or two, such as "flocculent" to describe the bottles at the back door. There are always plays on words and descriptions that tickle me. Purbright, upon peering into a keyhole and seeing an eye, then gaining admission, describes it, "He looked at their owner's face and saw his old friend the eye, now revealed to have an associate." Social commentary is an essential component in these highly readable shortish novels.
Thanks to Farrago and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.
February 24, 2019
Quite a fun read! Clever payoff at the end.
April 2, 2018
The fourth in the Flaxborough Mystery series is much better than the third. Lonelyheart 4122 is the anonymous number of the enigmatic man who possibly murdered two lonely women and may be working on his third.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love are searching for two missing middle-aged ladies. Mrs. Bannister is a relatively wealthy widow. Miss Reckitt is a spinster with some savings too. Their only connection is a lonely hearts club (think 1960s match.com), where both were looking for love and companionship. There is a parallel story line of Miss Teatime’s meeting with the mysterious 4122, who got her name from the club.
I read the previous entry in the series and didn’t like the spy part of the plot. Here is my review of Hopjoy was Here: http://dianereviewsbooks.com/hopjoy-w.... However, I liked the small village of Flaxborough and its citizens enough to read this one, the next book in the series. I’m glad I did. The mystery was much better especially the ending. People are still looking for love so this felt both modern and quaint in its methods.
“It would be quite in character for a latter-day courtship to be conducted by correspondence.”
I can’t imagine what the villagers would think of Tinder and sexting! Overall, Lonelyheart 4122 earns 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher, Farrago, and NetGalley for an advanced copy. By the way, note the typo on the cover. Within the book, he is #4122.
This and many more reviews at dianereviewsbooks.com.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love are searching for two missing middle-aged ladies. Mrs. Bannister is a relatively wealthy widow. Miss Reckitt is a spinster with some savings too. Their only connection is a lonely hearts club (think 1960s match.com), where both were looking for love and companionship. There is a parallel story line of Miss Teatime’s meeting with the mysterious 4122, who got her name from the club.
I read the previous entry in the series and didn’t like the spy part of the plot. Here is my review of Hopjoy was Here: http://dianereviewsbooks.com/hopjoy-w.... However, I liked the small village of Flaxborough and its citizens enough to read this one, the next book in the series. I’m glad I did. The mystery was much better especially the ending. People are still looking for love so this felt both modern and quaint in its methods.
“It would be quite in character for a latter-day courtship to be conducted by correspondence.”
I can’t imagine what the villagers would think of Tinder and sexting! Overall, Lonelyheart 4122 earns 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher, Farrago, and NetGalley for an advanced copy. By the way, note the typo on the cover. Within the book, he is #4122.
This and many more reviews at dianereviewsbooks.com.
December 20, 2022
What a pleasure. This English village mystery was published in 1967, a fine representation of detective fiction from a previous era. Colin Watson, who died in 1983, wrote 12 of these "Flaxborough Chronicles," and I'll be sure to read more. Compares favorably with Anthony Oliver's "The Pew Group," high praise indeed!
Flaxborough police Inspector Purbright investigates the disappearances of two older ladies who'd recently been clients of Handclasp House, a marriage bureau, correctly believing they may have fallen victim to an unidentified con artist suitor. What neither Purbright nor the con man count on is the arrival of Lucy Teatime in Flaxborough!
Flaxborough police Inspector Purbright investigates the disappearances of two older ladies who'd recently been clients of Handclasp House, a marriage bureau, correctly believing they may have fallen victim to an unidentified con artist suitor. What neither Purbright nor the con man count on is the arrival of Lucy Teatime in Flaxborough!
July 3, 2009
A middle-aged gentlewoman comes to Flaxborough and becomes involved with a matrimonial agency. The police are investigating the same agency, as two retiring, lonesome women have vanished after using its services. But the gentlewoman, one Lucilla Teatime, seems strangely reluctant to help the police protect her.
May 19, 2018
When a local butcher visits Detective Inspector Purbright with the tale of his missing sister-in-law Lillian, Purbright remembers that recently another woman about the same age had gone missing. After searching Lillian’s home, he finds three letters from a suitor and a checkbook with a check made out to a local matrimonial agency, and he recalls the previous mission woman had also done the same.
After visiting the agency, Handclasp House, he acquires the name of a new client, Lucy Teatime. He sets his sergeant, Sid Love, to keep an eye on the lady in question while he searches for answers. Upon further investigation, he learns that there was a break-in at the the agency, and that the amiable Miss Teatime has been able to elude not only Sergeant Love, but another officer as well.
Convinced that the man who is courting Miss Teatime - for he is sure there is a man - is the same one who had courted the other two ladies who have still not been found, he is more than ever sure that there is a con artist at work who is not only fleecing these women of whatever means they have, but that he has something to do with their disappearance as well. And while it seems that Miss Teatime is sure the man she is seeing is not the same one Purbright has warned her against, he is. But will she be able to save herself before she meets the same fate, or will Purbright fail in rescuing her?
Once again we are visiting the market town of Flaxborough and the domain of Detective Inspector Purbright, and once again he is on the trail of a criminal, this time a man who joins a lonelyhearts club in order to fleece vulnerable women of their savings and then dispose of them. But he’s been elusive so far, and since he manages to change his appearance, no one can give a description. He also manages to meet in public places that seem ordinary at first, but in being so, no one pays him nor the lady much attention at all; and this is why his scheme has managed to foster so well.
But this time he’s come across two formidable adversaries: Purbright and the redoubtable Miss Teatime, who is nobody’s fool. In fact, Miss Teatime has a few secrets and surprises of her own which he doesn’t count on. It is once again a tale well-written with memorable characters who are lively and well-drawn, and a delight to read about.
When the ending comes we are given the requisite surprises that Mr. Watson manages to do so well; I would suggest that anyone reading his books does not jump to the end to sneak a peak at the outcome; it is so much more fun if you read the entire book through. I absolutely love these books and am looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
After visiting the agency, Handclasp House, he acquires the name of a new client, Lucy Teatime. He sets his sergeant, Sid Love, to keep an eye on the lady in question while he searches for answers. Upon further investigation, he learns that there was a break-in at the the agency, and that the amiable Miss Teatime has been able to elude not only Sergeant Love, but another officer as well.
Convinced that the man who is courting Miss Teatime - for he is sure there is a man - is the same one who had courted the other two ladies who have still not been found, he is more than ever sure that there is a con artist at work who is not only fleecing these women of whatever means they have, but that he has something to do with their disappearance as well. And while it seems that Miss Teatime is sure the man she is seeing is not the same one Purbright has warned her against, he is. But will she be able to save herself before she meets the same fate, or will Purbright fail in rescuing her?
Once again we are visiting the market town of Flaxborough and the domain of Detective Inspector Purbright, and once again he is on the trail of a criminal, this time a man who joins a lonelyhearts club in order to fleece vulnerable women of their savings and then dispose of them. But he’s been elusive so far, and since he manages to change his appearance, no one can give a description. He also manages to meet in public places that seem ordinary at first, but in being so, no one pays him nor the lady much attention at all; and this is why his scheme has managed to foster so well.
But this time he’s come across two formidable adversaries: Purbright and the redoubtable Miss Teatime, who is nobody’s fool. In fact, Miss Teatime has a few secrets and surprises of her own which he doesn’t count on. It is once again a tale well-written with memorable characters who are lively and well-drawn, and a delight to read about.
When the ending comes we are given the requisite surprises that Mr. Watson manages to do so well; I would suggest that anyone reading his books does not jump to the end to sneak a peak at the outcome; it is so much more fun if you read the entire book through. I absolutely love these books and am looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
March 26, 2018
The Flaxborough Chronicles feature Inspector Purbright in the quiet town of Flaxborough. This fourth investigation for D.I. Purbright has the Inspector looking into the mysterious disappearances of two local ladies. They both have not been seen for some time and friends and family are concerned. A common thread is that they both used the services of a dating service called the Handclasp House. Surely one of their possible suitors is not responsible for their disappearances? When a lady newly arrived in town signs up for the service, Purbright assigns D.S. Love to tail her and make sure she is safe, as well as keeping an eye out for the possible villain. The lady in question, Miss Lucy Teatime, has some plans of her own that complicate the surveillance, and readers are left to turn the pages as quickly as possible to reach the climax and see if the police win or if Miss Teatime becomes victim number 3.
Readers have already met a few of Purbright's fellows on the force: Chief Constable Chubb, Detective Sergeant Love, Sergeant Malley the coroner's officer, along with some of the town's other inhabitants. Now the cast expands yet again as more of the townsfolk are introduced - Mr. Maddox, manager of the Roebuck Hotel; Leonard Leaper, a former newspaper reporter who has become a minister; Detective Constable Pook, who becomes flustered when he accidentally wanders into the ladies undergarments section of a store; and Mrs. Staunch, the proprietress of the dating service.
Although there are many online dating services available now, the quaintness of the system in use 60 years ago when the books were first written is one of the enticements of the story. Imagine having to send your lonely heart letters to a service, having them forward the letters on, and then the whole thing happening in reverse for the replies. One could only hope that the service was trustworthy and did not take a peek at the notes passing through their hands.
Readers who enjoy Miss Marple and mysteries set in small English towns full of eccentric residents will welcome having this series drawn to their attention.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Readers have already met a few of Purbright's fellows on the force: Chief Constable Chubb, Detective Sergeant Love, Sergeant Malley the coroner's officer, along with some of the town's other inhabitants. Now the cast expands yet again as more of the townsfolk are introduced - Mr. Maddox, manager of the Roebuck Hotel; Leonard Leaper, a former newspaper reporter who has become a minister; Detective Constable Pook, who becomes flustered when he accidentally wanders into the ladies undergarments section of a store; and Mrs. Staunch, the proprietress of the dating service.
Although there are many online dating services available now, the quaintness of the system in use 60 years ago when the books were first written is one of the enticements of the story. Imagine having to send your lonely heart letters to a service, having them forward the letters on, and then the whole thing happening in reverse for the replies. One could only hope that the service was trustworthy and did not take a peek at the notes passing through their hands.
Readers who enjoy Miss Marple and mysteries set in small English towns full of eccentric residents will welcome having this series drawn to their attention.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
November 16, 2020
LONELYHEART 4122 sees the introduction of Miss Lucilla (Lucy) Teatime to the mayhem that is Flaxborough and the series is all the better for her presence.
Originally published in the late 1960's, this is a time of matrimonial agencies (and is now a good time to admit I was getting Carry on Loving flashbacks... ), although there's considerably more subtlety in the wordplay and characterisations in these novels than was ever attempted in those movies (and no connection whatsoever!). Anyway, pre-Tinder and like "apps", matrimonial agencies, seemingly run by happily married people took it upon themselves to match single's based on answers to questionnaires, and one assumes, a fair amount of eenie, meenie, miney moe.
In LONELYHEART 4122 Mr Arthur Spain is very worried about his recently widowed sister-in-law, who seems to have vanished into thin air, with her normally immaculate doorstep being rapidly cluttered by bottles of curdling milk and piles of unread newspapers. His report to Inspector Purbright of this most concerning occurrence, finds he and Sergeant Love already perplexed by the disappearance of another well to do woman of a similar age. Eventually the hunt for a connection leads the investigation to Handclasp House, a local dating agency managed by a husband and wife team.
Meanwhile Miss Teatime has arrived in Flaxborough and made her way to Handclasp House seemingly intent on a match for herself, a woman purporting to be of comfortable means, and not at all interested in accepting the auspices of protection, or the surveillance of the local constabulary.
Suffice to say that readers new to this series will soon discover this is more than meets the eye when it comes to Miss Teatime and her presence in Flaxborough isn't quite what Inspector Purbright thinks it is. Old hands will be gently reminded of the sense of fun, and the acute sense of windup that is such a hallmark of this wonderful series.
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Originally published in the late 1960's, this is a time of matrimonial agencies (and is now a good time to admit I was getting Carry on Loving flashbacks... ), although there's considerably more subtlety in the wordplay and characterisations in these novels than was ever attempted in those movies (and no connection whatsoever!). Anyway, pre-Tinder and like "apps", matrimonial agencies, seemingly run by happily married people took it upon themselves to match single's based on answers to questionnaires, and one assumes, a fair amount of eenie, meenie, miney moe.
In LONELYHEART 4122 Mr Arthur Spain is very worried about his recently widowed sister-in-law, who seems to have vanished into thin air, with her normally immaculate doorstep being rapidly cluttered by bottles of curdling milk and piles of unread newspapers. His report to Inspector Purbright of this most concerning occurrence, finds he and Sergeant Love already perplexed by the disappearance of another well to do woman of a similar age. Eventually the hunt for a connection leads the investigation to Handclasp House, a local dating agency managed by a husband and wife team.
Meanwhile Miss Teatime has arrived in Flaxborough and made her way to Handclasp House seemingly intent on a match for herself, a woman purporting to be of comfortable means, and not at all interested in accepting the auspices of protection, or the surveillance of the local constabulary.
Suffice to say that readers new to this series will soon discover this is more than meets the eye when it comes to Miss Teatime and her presence in Flaxborough isn't quite what Inspector Purbright thinks it is. Old hands will be gently reminded of the sense of fun, and the acute sense of windup that is such a hallmark of this wonderful series.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
May 10, 2018
This Flaxborough novel takes a different twist as Purbright and Love must look into a matrimonial bureau when two local women go missing. This book is not as graphically odd in its murders as some of the others but it was interesting nonetheless.
I found Lucy Teatime to be fascinating. She drinks whiskey, smokes cigars, and “takes pains to spare one personally the spectacle of yet another dumpy, disgruntled, defeated old woman” because “decrepit bodies were no less offensive than decrepit buildings, tasteless clothes as inexcusable as ugly shop fronts” (location 274). She’s very confident and observant.
Purbright tells Sergeant Love that the con man who works the love con is the hardest worker of all. “Think of a life that is perpetual courtship of the last woman on earth you’d care to marry” (location 413). Sergeant Love has his own insights to offer on this case which just may turn the investigation around.
As with other Flaxborough novels, the writing is witty and delightful. It’s fun to try to figure things out. Inevitably, I think I have it figured out but a big twist changes everything. It’s very satisfying and a lot of fun. I’d recommend these novels to anyone who loves a good mystery.
Thank you to Farrago for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
I found Lucy Teatime to be fascinating. She drinks whiskey, smokes cigars, and “takes pains to spare one personally the spectacle of yet another dumpy, disgruntled, defeated old woman” because “decrepit bodies were no less offensive than decrepit buildings, tasteless clothes as inexcusable as ugly shop fronts” (location 274). She’s very confident and observant.
Purbright tells Sergeant Love that the con man who works the love con is the hardest worker of all. “Think of a life that is perpetual courtship of the last woman on earth you’d care to marry” (location 413). Sergeant Love has his own insights to offer on this case which just may turn the investigation around.
As with other Flaxborough novels, the writing is witty and delightful. It’s fun to try to figure things out. Inevitably, I think I have it figured out but a big twist changes everything. It’s very satisfying and a lot of fun. I’d recommend these novels to anyone who loves a good mystery.
Thank you to Farrago for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
April 5, 2018
Miss Teatime has arrived in Flaxborough and any eligible men of means had better be on guard. DI Purbright has the case of two missing middle-aged women on his hands and thinks that Miss Teatime may be the next victim. Sergeant Love is being walked off his feet tracking down clues. And who is breaking into the offices of the Handclasp House, a matrimonial agency? All this and more awaits the eager visitor to Flaxborough.
I just continue to be delighted with this series and with Detective Inspector Purbright, but I have to say that Miss Teatime really takes the show in this one. She appears to be just another tourist but the longer you know her the more complicated she becomes. Sergeant Love has a larger role in this book than in the previous ones which I really enjoyed. He and Purbright play off of each other perfectly. I also really enjoyed the story itself, it starts off seeming pretty straightforward but it’s definitely not. I was questioning motives and suspects right up until the end. Colin Watson really knows how to put together an engaging, make-you-think twice, kind of story.
I just continue to be delighted with this series and with Detective Inspector Purbright, but I have to say that Miss Teatime really takes the show in this one. She appears to be just another tourist but the longer you know her the more complicated she becomes. Sergeant Love has a larger role in this book than in the previous ones which I really enjoyed. He and Purbright play off of each other perfectly. I also really enjoyed the story itself, it starts off seeming pretty straightforward but it’s definitely not. I was questioning motives and suspects right up until the end. Colin Watson really knows how to put together an engaging, make-you-think twice, kind of story.
January 24, 2020
Colin Watson evidently still on top form after the tour de force that was Hopjoy Was Here. This is a very clever and satisfying novel, perhaps not accurately describable as funny but definitely wry.
There's nothing graphic here but in its way it is a disturbing and even believable tale and Watson creates a real sense of mounting menace over two women belated realised to be missing and potential danger for a third individual. Some elements would not work quite so well in the modern day and a current incarnation of the lovely Inspector Purbright would not use a word like tottie... although even here he is using it ironically. So that just means the period element is there to enjoy too.
There are all the delightful elements of the Flaxborough Chronicles besides the calm persistent Purbright: Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb (can't help thinking of him as Sir Harcourt Chubb) and his pack of Yorkshire terriers, patient Sergeant Love, the references to past episodes, all the little details of town life, and we are introduced to the remarkable Miss Lucy Teatime.
There's nothing graphic here but in its way it is a disturbing and even believable tale and Watson creates a real sense of mounting menace over two women belated realised to be missing and potential danger for a third individual. Some elements would not work quite so well in the modern day and a current incarnation of the lovely Inspector Purbright would not use a word like tottie... although even here he is using it ironically. So that just means the period element is there to enjoy too.
There are all the delightful elements of the Flaxborough Chronicles besides the calm persistent Purbright: Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb (can't help thinking of him as Sir Harcourt Chubb) and his pack of Yorkshire terriers, patient Sergeant Love, the references to past episodes, all the little details of town life, and we are introduced to the remarkable Miss Lucy Teatime.
March 30, 2018
I'm reading this series in order and I am absolutely hooked. I have read that this is the best in the series, I can't say what's to come, but it's the best so far. Inspector Purbright is investigating the disappearance of women who had been clients of a matchmaking agency. When you read this, knowing that the author wrote it long before the internet, and read the flirtatious letters written back and forth, you'd swear the author had visited the 21st century and read through dating sties - only the medium has changed, the messages are the same. This isn't as witty as previous entries in the series, but it is more intriguing and not without wit. The twists at the end, heck even the very last line of the book, had me tapping my Kindle as fast as I could to keep up. Also, it's really fun to find an old series that I'd never heard about that is so enjoyable, thanks to Farrago publishing for the re-release.
August 3, 2018
In this funny British mystery, Lucilla (Lucy) Cavell Teatime, a charming con woman arrives in Flaxborough, decides to stay and takes on a grifter who meets his victims through a matrimonial agency. The agency has fallen under the watchful eye of Inspector Purbright who is investigating the disappearance of two middle age women who were previous clients of the agency. Now he is concerned with the safety of the agencies latest client, Miss Teatime. He decides to provide her “protection” in the form of two less than brilliant officers who are no match for the experienced and skilled lady who, it appears, is more than able to take care of herself.
This is my third time to venture into Purbright territory and I must admit each junket is more enjoyable than the last. These are quick reads that you can finish in an afternoon so if you’re looking for something lighthearted and enjoyable to fill a few hours LONELYHEART 4122 is just the ticket.
This is my third time to venture into Purbright territory and I must admit each junket is more enjoyable than the last. These are quick reads that you can finish in an afternoon so if you’re looking for something lighthearted and enjoyable to fill a few hours LONELYHEART 4122 is just the ticket.
August 19, 2018
I thought this was going to be my favorite of the series. Miss Teacup is such a wonderful character, and I like her and Purbright bouncing off of each other. Also, I automatically enjoy any story that involves two con artists facing off against each other. But there seems to be a chapter missing! How can it end like that? We need a denouement! We need to find out how the encounter between Miss Teacup and her paramour went! We need her and Purbright sitting and recapping, comparing notes and clashing intellects! I'm not kidding about this. I really think there's a final chapter that somehow wasn't included in the Kindle edition. So that knocks off a star, I'm sorry to say. Still, a great read outside of that.
September 23, 2020
This book is a little dated being written in the 1960's but it is a well plotted novel with a good mystery and a twist at the end. The author was fair in giving clues so I had some idea of what was to come but the execution was good and I appreciated how it ended. The characters were well written and I liked the wry humour that was conveyed. This is a part of a series and although I have never read any of the other books it did not affect my enjoyment of this novel. At 160 pages the author was skilled in presenting his mystery and solving it without the reader feeling that there could have been more to the book. I enjoyed this cosy mystery and would recommend it for those that like English whodunits set in the country.
December 29, 2021
This is a police procedural book, with quite a bit of humour. A dating company is looked into by the police when two of the older women of Flaxborough go missing. Relatives and friends are worried as there was no indication of their whereabouts or plans. Inspector Purbright and his sidekick Sergeant Love investigate both the dating company and and those who have used it. Miss Lucy Teatime, the character we follow throughout the story, is really fascinating. She left me wondering all the way through, what her motive really was. I did think at one time she was working alongside the police, but then I kept changing my mind. I enjoyed the sarcastic remarks made along the way, and the way the plot just fell together.
April 29, 2021
Nabbed a copy of this pulp fiction for 50 cents at the used bookstore downtown, and was pleasantly surprised. The writing is quick and smart and fun. I don't think this book is necessarily intended to appeal to the mystery buffs, though there is a mystery and a thriller-ish pace at the end. The police officers are fine, the interaction between more than one con artist in the book is interesting. This book held my attention, and I enjoyed. Having said that, you have to like pulp fiction, I think, to really enjoy this novel.
I also apparently started with book 4 in a series, though I didn't notice a lack of enjoyment due to this fact.
I also apparently started with book 4 in a series, though I didn't notice a lack of enjoyment due to this fact.
September 17, 2021
A return to Flaxborough is always a joy although 'Lonelyheart 4122' is weakest of the first four books although the reader gets to meet the enigmatic Lucilla Teatime for the first time. Inspector Purbright is looking for two women who may have or not been murdered. The investigation leads them to a lonely hearts club and it appears that one of the members may have something to do with it. Miss Teatime is new to Flaxborough and is playing her own game. Colin Watson is certainly not for everyone but his gentle humour and slow pace mystery makes most of the absurd behaviour most notably of men in power.
March 21, 2018
Different from the previous novels, the police have primarily one mystery to solve that of two missing women who visited the Handclasp House Marriage Bureau. The Bureau was owned and operated by the Staunches. The author described the Staunches as having great insight and ingenuity. I find that the author himself has this same trait that can be found in all of his books. A new main character is introduced in this book a Miss Teatime. The police solve the mystery of the missing women with the considerable help of Miss Teatime. We are still left with the conundrum of who is Miss Teatime.
August 20, 2018
It's British. It's mystery, and I had a blast reading it. I love this series and the fun bright little covers for them! This is book 4 and I managed to read them out of order and it still worked great for me. I love following the noir feel of this series. It's perfect. The growth of the characters and the mystery just keep me coming back over and over again.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Net Galley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and this review is left of my own free will.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Net Galley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and this review is left of my own free will.
April 23, 2018
Not the most compelling Flaxborough mystery, even for a series that doesn't really traffic in heart-stopping action, with some really unpleasant characters. Too much time spent with these ne'er do wells for my taste and a bit of snobbishness about dating while older makes this entry not a strong recommend for me - okay for completists but not a starting point for those just starting the series.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2018
Traditional Police Procedural
This is a charming light read - a traditional type of detective story with a very decent man as a detective. This book also introduces the very redpectable-seeming Miss Teatime, who is perfectly capable of acting the amateur detective if someone tries to turn the tables on her illegal professional activities. All in all, it's an entertaining light read for those who enjoy stories set in the past.
This is a charming light read - a traditional type of detective story with a very decent man as a detective. This book also introduces the very redpectable-seeming Miss Teatime, who is perfectly capable of acting the amateur detective if someone tries to turn the tables on her illegal professional activities. All in all, it's an entertaining light read for those who enjoy stories set in the past.
January 12, 2025
The story revolves around Lucilla Teatime. The storyline was such that as soon as Miss Teatime was introduced I knew what kind of woman she was. This did not detract from the easy to follow predictable cosy mystery that kept me entertained. What was unusual was the timing of a letter that Inspector Purbright received. It appeared to me that the demands being made would be of no value to anyone as they were being made to late to change the outcome.
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