Thursday, March 1, 2018

REVIEW: Coffin Scarcely Used

Coffin Scarcely Used
Author: Colin Watson

I enjoy "discovering'' mystery authors that I somehow missed over the years. Colin Watson wrote a series of mystery novels, The Flaxborough Chronicles, in the 1950s. Set in a small English town, the stories follow the investigations of DI Walter Purbright. There are 12 novels in the series.

I am delighted that I found this book available for review or I might never have found this series! Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, the story is a semi-cozy mystery (no spurting blood, over-the-top cussing, or gory details, etc) and rather light, but still a police procedural. There are a few adult moments, but nothing too bad. PG-13 sort of stuff. With plenty of dry wit and humor, the mystery moves along with insights into small town life, gossip and quirky residents. I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series!

The Basics: Six months previous, a well-known resident of Flaxborough died. There really wasn't anything strange about the death, other than the smallness of his funeral (insert small town gossip here). But now, one of his neighbors has also popped off this mortal coil....and this time there is something very strange indeed. At first it appears to be a suicide, but closer inspection shows it may have been staged to hide a murder. What's going on in the seemingly sleepy hamlet of Flaxborough? DI Purbright is on the case!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a bit dated....but I love classic whodunits and this book reminded me so much of the wit and fun of Agatha Christie novels. Purbright is a delightful main character....a bit bumbling,but dedicated to his job and doing things right. He is also not swayed by social position, power or money. He wants to know the truth....no matter what that truth is. To me, Purbright is like an English version of Columbo. He might seem a bit lacking occasionally to those on the outside, but he's actually quite astute and watching/observing everything.

Great book! I will definitely be reading this entire 12-book series! The humor and mystery combine into a wonderful story! Classic mystery lovers will enjoy this series!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Farrago via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

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