The village of Flaxborough seems like any British mystery novel village, but like all those villages, it has its secrets. Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love, the detectives of the series, know those secrets and are even prepared to guard them. But when a pillar of the community turns up electrocuted in the dead of night wearing bedroom slippers, with a mouth full of marshmallows, some investigation is required.

Purbright and Love don't have much experience with murder, and the reader gets to go along with them as they cope with an extremely convoluted set of clues. The mystery is complex but tightly plotted, the descriptions are rich and incisive, and the characters are memorable.

The book is also very well written. The quality of the writing is such that novel readers should read this even if they aren't mystery fans. Watson routinely uses the precisely right word at the precisely right time while producing an accessible, fun, and witty story.

Watson writes exceptionally well and I enjoy his brand of humor. Unfortunately though, the plot was unnecessarily convoluted and the solve wasn't particularly well done.

Much of the tone of the book is also irritatingly sexist. Forgivable in an older book where that would have been the norm, or when done deliberately either to humorously skewer the offending male character or accurately reflect attitudes of society in the past. But this book was originally published in the 1980s and meets none of the aforementioned criteria. I was actually amused by it until I realized Watson a) had set his book contemporaneously with the time it was published, as far as I could tell, and b) definitely wasn't kidding.

I've read plenty of mysteries with far weaker plots and solves, and Watson does write well, but on the whole this was underwhelming and kind of irritating.

Fun, cozy mystery that is better explained as a cast of crazy characters all with their own charms.

While this book has some great lines and the author has a wonderful grasp of language, I found it very difficult to get deep into the story and ride along with any of the characters. It could be the writing style after reading so many mysteries from present-day authors. There was just something that I could not reach or connect to that would bring me closer than an outside viewer of detailed events happening on the page. I learned that this book is part of a television series. I'd like to give that a try to see if maybe it's just my inability to invest in any of the characters because of the writing style. Or I may just put this one aside for a while, then give it another try a couple of months down the road.
It's worth picking up to give it a read if you enjoy a mystery from an earlier time.

British Mystery Filled with Odd Characters

Flaxborough is a seaside town where little happens. Purbright, the amiable Detective Inspector, is intrigued by the funeral of Harold Carobleat. Usually, when a town notable dies everyone turns our for a good show. In this instance, Carobleat is mourned by only his wife and doctor.

The town is quiet for six months then Carobleat’s neighbors start dying, or being murdered. Purbright favors the latter hypothesis. Although he receives little encouragement from his superior, he starts looking into the causes of death and finally convinces his superior that a killer is loose.

Written in the 1950s, these mysteries are typical of the time. The books move along with Prubright looking for clues, but the pace is not fast. The writing is filled with subtle British humor. If you’re used to hard-boiled mysteries the leisurely pace and laid-back humor may take getting used to.

I found the solution to the mystery too easy to guess, but it was fun to keep reading to find out how Purbright would uncover the clues. It was quite interesting.

This is the first of four mysteries by Colin Watson that are being republished by Farrago books. If you enjoy a cozy mystery with oddball characters, I recommend this one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

The Flaxborough Mystery series was new to me. Glad that it is being offered once again to new readers. This book was a great introduction to DI Purbright's investigative methods and his unexpected wit. The author’s use of an unnatural funeral, strange ads, sinister marshmallows, and the supernatural kept the reader guessing about the identity of the murderer and his motive. Colin Watson’s plot was ingenious.

What I have read in the past, which has been published by Farrgo, never fail to disappoint, this book is no exception. Funny in a dry sense, a good and intriguing mystery and just so different from other books, I really enjoyed it and an certainly look forward to reading more both by this author and publisher.

I do like a good vintage-style clue-hunt in a book. The plot of “Coffin Scarcely Used” grabbed my attention, with the subject of electrocution involved in the shocking death. I enjoyed the leisurely dynamic between detectives Purbright and Love, with just enough wit to go 'round. And Flaxborough seems like a charming enough English town – it's just the type I would like to visit – if murder didn't just take place, of course.

There's some humorous bits of conversation in the story, like the following:
“'What killed him?'
'Failure of heart, naturally. But before that there was asphyxia and before that shock from the electrics and nothing before that except joys and sorrows and delusions, dear chappie.'”

Caution to the discerning reader: There is some mild foul language used throughout the book. Also there is mature, adult content alluded to, as part of the clues to the mystery.

Overall? I found the murder mystery itself to be intriguing. Usually I would be glad to know that some old-fashioned, vintage books are being republished for modern readers to enjoy, except that there were elements included in the story that I, personally, just didn't care for. I won't be pursuing more books in the Flaxborough series.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book; I was not required to post a positive review.

A series of strange deaths do not necessarily lead to a murderer. Or, do they? A convoluted path leads us on a journey that must be read to be believed.

This was a lovely little mystery. Full of dry humor and wit, though the mystery is easy to solve by the midpoint. It’s a little dated, but rather charming.

Can't put my head around this book. Tried twice and could not keep on reading.

A solid 3.5 on this book. I enjoyed reading this book, with its subtle British humor. I think that the main character will flesh out more in the other books in the series. It was a nice bit of mystery and a quick read. My rating will be higher once Purbright is a little more solid as a lead character. Highly enjoyable antics throughout.

One of those quirky British mysteries that is the embodiment of the genre. Detective Inspector Purbright is tasked to figure out why bodies seem to be dropping like files in the typical English village. Of course, the victims are not the nicest people in the bunch, so that means plenty of suspects, and Inspector Purbright is out to interview them all. It's dogged policing, another "given," and Colin Watson doesn't disappoint. And that ending! Surprise, surprise.

I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher in return for an honest unbiased review.

This is a good cozy mystery in the Agatha Christy style. D.I. Purbright reminded me of and English version of Peter Falk's TV character Columbo. Good rainy day read.

I saw this as a freebie/to read title and thought I'd give it a go - I tend to enjoy British mysteries, particularly manners-comedies/older mysteries that hinge on a lovably quaint town with lovably quaint characters. I don't know if this just wasn't the mood I was in or what, but I could NOT get into this one. The unusual protagonist - Detective Inspector Purbright - never really came alive on the pages for me, and he was the hook that I thought would draw me right in. I'm usually a sucker for dry British puns and word-play, but they weren't anywhere near as thick on the ground as I expected from a book that claimed to be "witty and wicked" - frankly, I found it a little more like "wan and wanting", I'm afraid... It just felt flat. I don't expect a lot of fast-paced action from this type of book, but I need *something* to keep going - a cast of colorful characters (or even just one really clever-witty-snarky one), a town with secrets that are bursting to be told, intriguing closed-room murder... This had unusual circumstances aplenty, and the characters wanted to be unique and eccentric, but mostly things just felt like they didn't quite come together, and I lost interest about a third of the way in and couldn't keep going.

This 1958 British detective novel, newly released as an ebook, started well ("Considering that Mr Harold Carobleat had been in his time a town councillor of Flaxborough, a justice of the peace, a committeeman of the Unionist Club, and, reputedly, the owner of the towns' first television aerial, his funeral was an uninspiring affair"), then became a bit dull and a bit dated ("The police station's complaint book was crammed with the fancies of supersensitive menopause subjects"), then picked up as the detection got serious. Coffin, Scarcely Used will find an audience with people who enjoy old fashioned detective novels that don't rely on excessive violence.

I read an advance reader copy of Coffin, Scarcely Used.

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.

I received this book free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Farrago Books is re-releasing the Flaxborough Chronicles by Colin Watson. Book 1, Coffin Scarcely Used, was first published in 1958. Set in a small village in England, this detective story is a delight.

The first death, that of Harold Carobleat, a wealthy local businessman, was suspicious only in that the funeral was so understated as to be a non-event. However, months later, the bizarre possible suicide of Harold’s neighbor triggers an investigation by the low-key detective, Inspector Purbright. Aided by an eager (and naive) young policeman, Purbright doggedly pursues leads that don’t add up, convinced that things will eventually fall into place. He’s certain the “suicide” was a murder and is determined to prove it. Although others in Carobleat’s circle are either frightened, threatening, or both, and although it’s clear more deaths will follow, there isn’t the building tension of “catch the villain before he strikes again.” Purbright is methodical. And very entertaining. His patience and gently paced investigation swept me along.

The character sketches are ironic and the tone of the book is humorous, despite the underlying violence. It isn’t gory and sadistic. It’s almost. . .quaint. But not quite cozy.

Although I don’t think it was written as a historical mystery initially, it belongs to its time period and, being more than fifty years old and dated in a good way, I’m counting it as historical.

If you enjoy clever writing and puzzle solving, Coffin Scarcely Used is a terrific introduction to this series. I’m eager to read Book 2.

A “gently-paced” police procedural indeed! I thoroughly enjoyed trying to untangle the twisted strands of Colin Watson’s “Coffin, Scarcely Used.” It was my first introduction to the thoughtful Purbright, the sharp witted Love, and Chief Constable Chubb, but it won’t be my last.

It's great to start a new series by reading the first book and Farrago has made this possible by releasing the first three Flaxborough mysteries from the beginning. I had not met Colin Watson and Detective Inspector Purbright before and reading this book was a treat.

Wikipedia and other online sources have good information on Colin Watson and the Flaxborough series so there is no need to go into them here.

"Coffin, Scarcely Used" is odd and a bit twitchy and different from most other series of the period in that it puts sexual innuendo right out front. What exactly was the relationship between the wealthy widow Carobleat (silly name) and her neighbour, the recently murdered publisher Marcus Gwill (many of the names in Flaxborough are silly)? What is the significance of the marshmallows?

DI Purbright and the massive Sergeant Love push and poke around and uncover an immoral and criminal enterprise involving rare antiques. that surely startled, and perhaps shocked, readers. My only question is what happened when particular antiques became too popular.

I received a review copy of "Coffin, Scarcely Used: A Flaxborough Mystery Book 1" by Colin Watson (Farrago) through NetGalley.com. It was originally published in 1958 by Eyre & Spottiswoode, London and has been republished several times prior to this 2018 Farrago edition.