In the town of Flaxborough, councilor Harold Carobleat suddenly dies of pneumonia. Several months later, his next door neighbor and newspaper owner Marcus Gwill dies under mysterious circumstances. Inspector Purbright and Sargeant Love begin investigating what they believe is to be murder. What is the connection between the two men, as well as their connections with other prominent men in town? What is the explanation for the unusual antique ads Mr. Gwill was placing in the newspaper? Why is his housekeeper acting as though she’s seen a ghost? Can they figure it out before there are more murders to investigate?

This was a charming and witty mystery. It was originally written back in the 1950s and has been republished. It was a little slow getting started, but once I got into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Inspector Purbright is an entertaining protagonist, displaying a pleasant and subdued manner that hides a keen investigative mind. The mystery was intriguing and had some good twists. I’ll definitely be looking for more books in this series! Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook. In the town of Flaxborough, councilor Harold Carobleat suddenly dies of pneumonia. Several months later, his next door neighbor and newspaper owner Marcus Gwill dies under mysterious circumstances. Inspector Purbright and Sargeant Love begin investigating what they believe is to be murder. What is the connection between the two men, as well as their connections with other prominent men in town? What is the explanation for the unusual antique ads Mr. Gwill was placing in the newspaper? Why is his housekeeper acting as though she’s seen a ghost? Can they figure it out before there are more murders to investigate?

This was a charming and witty mystery. It was originally written back in the 1950s and has been republished. It was a little slow getting started, but once I got into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Inspector Purbright is an entertaining protagonist, displaying a pleasant and subdued manner that hides a keen investigative mind. The mystery was intriguing and had some good twists. I’ll definitely be looking for more books in this series! Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

A witty and entertaining whodunnit with some nicely done twists on the usual. I highly enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a story that pulls them in and keeps them up reading long after they should have gone to bed. Well done!

Classically British! A delight. Like watching a clever British detective series on Britbox. Filled with humor and English village eccentricities.

This book isn’t what I was expecting. It is a police procedural novel originally published in the 1950s and reprinted now. Not my cup of tea but may be a good fit for fans of this genre.

This is the first in a series of mysteries between 1958 and 1982 set in the sleepy British town of Flaxwell. The police inspector is droll and clever; the villains were average citizens who succumbed to greed. Full of amusing side characters and British vernacular, this was a fun read. The sexism was tiring, and the story moved slowly at first. I may continue with the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book.

DNF 10%

Style not for me. I think I'd like this better as a TV series than as a book series. There's nothing specific about it that I didn't like, it's more of I just didn't click with it immediately and that's a personal issue on my part.

PS Apologies for the late feedback, life's been busy and I'm just finding the time transcribing my reviews here.

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.

I was given an advanced copy through Netgalley for my review. I would highly recommend this book to family and friends and will buy a copy for myself.

As a huge lover of mysteries and police procedurals, I’m always excited to find a series I’ve never heard of before. It’s even more fun when it’s an older series published during a time when I wasn’t in existence. I’m a big fan of history so seeing how detectives worked before the computer age, before each department was connected, fascinates me.

I was worried that this novel, originally published in 1958, would be dated, but instead, it was charming and fun. As I said above, I love watching seeing how police and private investigators went about their duties in a time before computers or the internet. To have to go door to door and actually talk to people while piecing together all the information they find. This was no different. As Purbright digs and things are uncovered, you are drawn more and more into the story.

Although a rather short read, the mystery is fully developed and completely absorbing. The characters are interesting and the sleepy little town of Flaxborough makes you want to visit, despite the murders. I highly recommend this to any lover of mysteries, especially those looking for a fresh look at an old series.

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

Colin Watson is new to me and likely to many other mystery lovers. His Coffin, Scarcely Used was published before I was born but that didn’t make it any less appealing. The mystery begins with the death of a local shipping broker named Harold Carobleat whose business shut down with his death. He was suspected of some shady dealings. Within months, many of the people who attended his funeral also died. The first to go was his next-door neighbor, local newspaper publisher Mr. Gwill, in a case that folks would rather think was an accident, but that does not stand up and certainly, there was no doubt when a fellow was stabbed right on the street. Inspector Purbright leads the investigation with procedural integrity and wit.

I enjoyed Coffin, Scarcely Used quite a bit. It’s from that school of mystery fiction where the puzzle is all. We don’t have any backstory on the detective and his colleagues though they demonstrate distinct personalities as the story continues. We don’t know whodunnit, though the mystery is fair. Frankly, the title is the biggest clue. There was a moment of doubt when the police were reading the ads and it seemed they were missing a very obvious clue and I was nearly shouting, “Come on, you guys, you can’t be that obtuse!” But perhaps Inspect Purbright was simply keeping his cards close to his chest since he did figure it out.

There’s a lot of humor, including one last bit at the end that made me laugh out loud. This is a classic mystery where the characters are lightly drawn, though I assume they will take on more substance as the series continues. They are not the point, the mystery is the point, so it’s all about getting to the solution through questioning witness and collecting clues. What more could I ask for?

I received an e-galley of Coffin, Scarcely Used from the publisher through NetGalley

Coffin, Scarcely Used at Farrago Books
Colin Watson at Wikipedia

Two funerals, six months apart, are linked in ways nobody expects. The funerals are for next-door neighbors, one a local official, one a newspaper publisher. DI Walter Purbright is investigating. He discovers odd classified ads published in the local newspaper, which appear to be the key to something nefarious. If you like that cozy feeling of the English village mystery, this book absolutely has it. We have the small-town detective who likes his booze. The title gives some significant clues about what is happening, and some clever hints about the means. This is a fun little cozy mystery.

Classic British humor and a mystery! Doesn't get any better. This small English village is filled with a menagerie, from the slightly crazy, to the functioning sociopaths. DI Purbright, even in spirit still manages to solve the crimes. Extremely entertaining

I love mysteries whether they be mystery/thrillers or a cute cozy mystery. This is the later. All of the characters were fleshed out and interesting, the story itself was a good one too. I spent a couple of days sucked into the town and its inhabitants.

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)

If you'd enjoy a charming British mystery written by a combination of Agatha Christie and John Kennedy Toole, then Colin Wilson is for you. The first in a series of mysteries set in Flaxborough, Wilson's Coffin, Scarely Used was originally published in 1958, before a reissue this year, and its U.K. publisher notes fairly that they are twentieth century novels with a "gentler pace" than is fashionable today.
It is true that you will find no girls at windows, on a train, in a boat, or hardly anywhere else. These are genuine mysteries, not thrillers, and our hero's talents lie in his witty descriptions of village eccentricities as much as his crime-fightiing prowess. Detective Inspector Purbright has all the cleverness of a mid-century Poirot with the satirical wit of Toole's Ignatius J. Reilly.
The mystery itself is quite satisfying: some parts readily solvable, but enough red herrings to camouflage the details, leaving surprises aplenty, even until the last line.
Watson's special gift is his dry wit, most often delivered through the viewpoint of Inspector Purbright. As an example, consider his interrogation of the widow of one victim:
""What are you after? A confession of my awful goings on with the gentleman next door?'
'I wouldn't dream of being so impertinent as to ask any such thing," said Purbright. He turned to Love. 'You ask the lady, sergeant."
In fact Watson is so adept at setting a scene and creating witty repartee that it's almost easy to overlook the lackadaisical character development. The denizens of Flaxborough tend toward anonymity, and the suspects are nearly indistinguishable. I had to keep flipping back to remind myself which one was which. However, the charming banter of our mid-century Holmes and Watson makes me eager for a return visit to Flaxborough.

Holmes and Watson may not be the best comparison. A more analogous crime-solving duo might be Andy Griffith and Barney Fife, who patrolled the streets of Mayberry, a fictional American hamlet that was the setting for "The Andy Griffith Show." Over time, Mayberry came to be synonymous with small-town American life, serving almost as a supporting character. But while the tone of that series tends more toward nostalgia than satire, the relationship between the affable and insightful Andy and his bumbling sidekick, Deputy Fife, serves a fine parallel to their English counterparts Purbright and Love.
Side note: the beautifully-designed Art Deco covers of the reissued series make me wish I'd read the paperback version instead of my Kindle, However, I have 11 more chances to rectify that situation because I will definitely be making a return visit to Colin Watson's Flaxborough.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Farrago Books for an advance e-book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Fun read! I was glad I was approved for all three books. I was able to see how the story develops. I'll definitely look for more books by this author.

This was my first Colin Watson mystery and a great introduction to his ultra-British style. He writes in the vein of a slightly mild P.G. Wodehouse rather than the red herring filled Agatha Christie--the British caricatures run high and slightly facetious humor is ever-present. I enjoyed reading it very much and will look for more.

This is a wonderful old fashioned murder mystery with fantastic characters. I loved the humour and look forward to discovering more of this series.