Tuesday, February 20, 2018

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.
 

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