“Cockerings” by Stevyn Colgan (2021)

“A warning bell began to clang.”

Lord knows the world needs more funny books these days. Stevyn Colgan is part of the cure, and he deserves far more plaudits than he gets. We return for the third time to South Herewardshire, where we’ve already solved a murder and uncovered a monster. This time, the circus has arrived.

Shapcott Bassett is a picture postcard of an English village, stuck in a time where the butcher has thick arms, the policeman is respected but incompetent, and the vicar is cluele...