A wry satire of small-town English suburbia - engaging and funny with some surprisingly sophisticated writing. Very entertaining, a good vintage find.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34OPTV03ME7GZ/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

A tautly written mystery with a nicely drawn cast - another strong recommend in which the conclusion (at least for me) makes little to no sense but the novel itself gets by with a wink and a smile. Also on the plus side, we get the cozy satisfaction of a smaller town murder enlivened by the post-war freedom to frankly involve sex and drug use. The best of both worlds!

This is a dated book, but still a great read. It includes much of the humor to be found in the English culture. The plot is very twisted and produces a number of surprises along the way. In addition to the humor, the language contributes to a most enjoyable read. The characters are unique and quite well formed. The style of writing is based in the British way, but still easy to read. Overall a most enjoyable book.

Originally published in 1958 these are being re-released. This is a well crafted British mystery, and while its a bit dated it still holds its own. Detective Purbright and Love keep you moving along in this mystery while they slowly uncover the details of murder in the sleepy little town of Flaxborough.

The characters are well done, and the tale has a bit of whimsy to it as well as interesting detective work. I read so many modern tales that its interesting to see how things were done with out the forensics we rely so much on today.

I'm glad they decided to republish them, its interesting to read how so many things have changed yet remain the same. This is an interesting witty mystery that will have you smirking and turning pages.

Originally published in 1958, Coffin Scarcely Used is Colin Watson's first Flaxborough mystery (of 12). Introducing Inspector Purbright, whose placid and mild surface belies a solid deductive mind, the first Flaxborough mystery has Purbright and colleagues trying to solve the bizarre electrocution murder of a local newspaper owner.

The series, and indeed the author, were unknown to me previously. The reissue of the series by Prelude/Farrago with new covers is due to begin with this, the first book in the series, on 22 Feb, 2018.

This is a wickedly funny, very gently written and imagined tale. It is a murder mystery and police procedural, true (with bonus murders, even), but first and foremost it's a wry skewering of village life and social commentary. Every character is precisely drawn and every seemingly random description written with such unerring humour and precision that the whole is awe inspiring. The dialogue is spot on, the plotting slowish but in every way germane to the tale. This is a book to slow down a bit and savor; there are subtleties and humor that must be thought about.

There were a couple places in the book where I, as reader, wondered why in the world the author included something he'd written, only to shake my head later and think 'Well played, Mr. Watson, well played'!

The book never slides into 'mean-ness' or ridicules the stereotypes of which it makes gentle fun. The book is genuinely funny, and surprisingly very little dated for having been written over 60 years ago.

100% top shelf pure unadulterated clean classic murder mystery. Very light language (occasional 'damn' or 'bloody'). No graphic content.

Four and a half stars. I -really- enjoyed this. Heartily recommended!

Witty, flippant, gently poking fun at the English middle class, I love it! This was first published in 1958 and it was fun to see the setting before the workings of the modern police force and before technology used today.

This book started out a little rough. This is a reissue of a mystery series set in England. The writing style takes a little getting used to. Make sure that you stick with though because it was truly enjoyable. The village and the people are so much fun. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I look forward to read the rest in this series.

I give this a 3.5

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.

I picked up this first book of the series because I adore cozy mysteries with a good dose of humor. Unfortunately I found it to be very flat and unenjoyable as the plot just slowly plodded along. The storyline was a bit of a pain to follow and the humor was so dry that I couldn't bring myself to chuckle at it. I did like the main detective but not enough to feel the need to finish the book (a crime in and of itself with a mystery) or to pick up the remaining books in the series. I enjoy British procedurals on the scene but that didn't translate to enjoying this book though. I'm sure there are others that would like it though as it might be that old-timey mysteries aren't for me.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Farrago, and the author Colin Watson for the opportunity to do so.

I just could not find a "hook" here that would keep me reading, and so I put it aside. It just was not my cup of tea.

The British detective series is one of my favorite genres, and this one is a gem. Inspector Purbright, his cohorts, and even some of the suspects gave me many "laugh out loud" moments. The plot was interesting, the characters engaging, and I am looking forward to reading more from Colin Watson.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1173808.Coffin_Scarcely_Used" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Coffin Scarcely Used (Flaxborough Chronicles, #1)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343070552m/1173808.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1173808.Coffin_Scarcely_Used">Coffin Scarcely Used</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/50259.Colin_Watson">Colin Watson</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2290253118">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I have a new series to enjoy! Mr. Watson had a gift for sharp-witted dialog and engaging characters that I'm looking forward to seeing again in the next book. Some of my favorite offerings from just a couple of pages:<br /><br />- He found the inspector examining the plaster statuette of a yellow-haired Venus, petrified into Art while apparently picking a corn.<br /><br />- The Chief Constable shook his head and devoutly wished the world were a great dog show with policemen having nothing to do but guard the trophies and hold leads.<br /><br />- ‘You’re surely not afraid of being unfrocked or disbarred or something,’ said Mrs Carobleat, warily testing the almost red-hot handle of a teapot that contained, paradoxically, lukewarm tea. <br />‘We coppers never quite reconcile ourselves to living in a perpetual draught of uncharitable thoughts.’<br />‘That’s what comes of being such a suspicious lot yourselves.’ She spooned sugar evenly into both cups without asking if Purbright took it, added milk and poured the tea. She took a packet of cigarettes from the pocket of her suit, lit one, and pushed the packet across the table. ‘Now then, what are you after?’ she asked, as if Purbright were a small boy suspiciously anxious to wash up.

It took some time, but it finally dawned on me that I was reading what I love to watch on TV – a British mystery a la the BBC. I did a little research and found out that some of the Flaxborough novels were indeed adapted for television by the BBC, including COFFIN, SCARCELY USED. Before this aha moment, I was actually considering not finishing the book. The realization that all that is missing are the British accents meant everything.

Here we have a gentler, kinder police procedural that harkens to a time when politeness was paramount. In its pages you will meet Inspector Purbright, Sergeant Love, and Chief Constable Chubb along with an array of sedate, but murderous, villains. It is a tangled tale that will keep you guessing almost till the end.

Of late, I have found myself reading books with less grit and more gentility. If you need a break from raw, modern crime stories, you might just consider getting to know the town of Flaxborough and its inhabitants. I think you might find it similar to Midsomer and the purvue of Father Brown, quiet places with more than their fair share of murder.

This was not the story I was expecting from the description. I was promised humor, which was a big selling point, and a cozy English mystery. I found this to be more of a plodding police procedural, with flat characters and an uninspired plot. Further research showed me that these are reprints of a series first published in the 1950s, and I would have approached them differently had I known that beforehand. I've also read other reviews that promise more humor later in the series, and more engaging stories and characters. I will try a few more of these books and hope they improve, but I don't think I would recommend starting with Coffin, Scarcely Used.

I love vintage mystery and I can't seem to be able to get enough of these good oldies. "Coffin, Scarcely Used" has an unique, pacy plot that is thoroughly entertaining. What's better is having clever humorous remarks here and there to lighten the heaviness of reading death and murders. The prose and language do need a little time to get used to but not at all an issue to me. In a way, this is a classic "British" kind of read- elegant, witty and refined in many different aspects.

Thank you Netgallary and Farrago for the generosity of giving me a chance to preview "Coffin, Scarcely Used" before the official re-release date.

Reminds Me Of Sherlock Holmes With A Little Columbo Mixed In

This is a superbly written and witty mystery, which has a deeply woven plot. How does Detective Inspector Purbright go about finding the reason behind the death of several of the town’s so-called upstanding citizens? What secret were they hiding? Why are people sneaking around in the night?

If you like dry, Holmes style mysteries and humor you will enjoy the dialog, the cast of characters, and the convoluted plot. Although not my usual choice of detective mystery, I enjoyed this book, but it did take a little while for me to get in the rhythm of the dialog. I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

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.)

Thank you to the publisher for offering this series. This novel is a wonderful old-time mystery with eccentric characters and a well-drawn protagonist . In addition the word-play and satire are very funny.

Requested this as part of my quest for more cozy crime series and it's a good one. Originally published in the 1950s, these are being reissued. It's a gentle (as in don't expect gruesome details of gory violence) police procedural set in a sleepy English town with an interesting detective and some nice split pov stuff which means that the reader knows more than the police do. I'd happily read more of these.

As soon as I read this book's description, I thought of one of my favorite English towns, Midsomer. Charming and quaint on the outside, but worth your life if you live there. Flaxborough, the setting for Coffin, Scarcely Used seemed like it could be a sister town for Midsomer, though so far there have only been 2 deaths in 6 months.
The story is definitely an ode to days gone by since Colin Watson's book was published in the 1950s, which explains the much gentler language, class distinctions, and character interactions. When a man dies of a heart attack and then his neighbor is electrocuted, Inspector Purbright becomes suspicious and begins interviewing friends, co-workers and family members. Mr. Watson perfectly captures the feeling of living in a small village where everything appears proper and idyllic on the outside, but underneath secrets, jealousies, lies and even murders bubble to the surface.
The story is told with humor and the characters are extremely well written. I have yet to meet a mystery set in a small English town that I didn't like and Coffin, Scarcely Used was no exception. The book title alone had me smiling and the unique characters were a delight. If you like cozy English mysteries, I would recommend this book.
Thank you Farrago and NetGalley for the digital copy to read and review. While looking into other books he had published, I discovered he died in 1983. Luckily for lovers of this type of book, his words and works live on.