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Flaxborough Chronicles #7
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough
She pranced towards the edge of the clearing, swerved and came back for another fire vault. Her hands moved in gestures of sinuous supplication... Then Mrs Pentatuke would halt on tiptoe, shut tight her eyes behind the bejewelled glasses, and cry in a rich "O mighty spirit! We are thine! Amen evil from us deliver but!" 'It is the eve of Saint Walpurga and the respectable housewives of Flaxborough are dancing naked around fires. It is also brought to Inspector Purbright's attention that there are darker forces at work. This includes reports of Satanism, cult sacrifice and black magic, as well as the vicious ritual killing that shocks the town. Is there a practitioner of the dark arts in Flaxborough or is that just a smokescreen for a mere murder? Broomsticks over Flaxborough is the seventh in Colin Watson's 'Flaxborough chronicles'. First published in 1972 it was described by Julian Symons as having 'all the virtues one looks for in a crime novel.'
221 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Colin Watson
64 books29 followersColin Watson was educated at the Whitgift School in South Croydon, London. During his career as a journalist he worked in London and Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he was a leader-writer for Kemsley Newspapers.
His book Hopjoy Was Here (1962) received the Silver Dagger Award. He was married, with three children, and lived in Lincolnshire. After retiring from journalism he designed silver jewellery.
As well as a series of humorous detective novels set in the imaginary town of Flaxborough, featuring Inspector Purbright, Watson also wrote and later revised a study of detective stories and thrillers called Snobbery with Violence.
His book Hopjoy Was Here (1962) received the Silver Dagger Award. He was married, with three children, and lived in Lincolnshire. After retiring from journalism he designed silver jewellery.
As well as a series of humorous detective novels set in the imaginary town of Flaxborough, featuring Inspector Purbright, Watson also wrote and later revised a study of detective stories and thrillers called Snobbery with Violence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 17, 2018
The seventh book in the Flaxborough mystery series opens with a Walpurgis-night Revel (May Day Eve), a festive orgy of wild abandon put on by the Flaxborough Branch of the Sabbath Day Conservation Society--an innocuous-sounding name for a coven.
The next day a young woman is reported missing. Her car with her clothing inside is found in the woods near where the festival was held. Soon word spreads to the national press: "Common to every report was the use of the words witchcraft, black magic, mass, sacrifice and cult. In three cases, nude and orgy had been incorporated as well. Satanism was offered by the Dispatch, while the Express daringly added necromancy."
I always enjoy the wry humor of these books, as well as Watson's descriptive writing style. The mystery itself is pretty interesting but I thought a complicated addition to the plot of a 'detergent advertising campaign' just muddied the waters rather than adding much to the mystery. It seemed to provide an excuse to bring Miss Teatime into the story once again and fill out the length of the story.
This British police procedural was originally published in 1972. Farrago Books UK is in the process of republishing the series. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an arc of this mystery for an honest review.
The next day a young woman is reported missing. Her car with her clothing inside is found in the woods near where the festival was held. Soon word spreads to the national press: "Common to every report was the use of the words witchcraft, black magic, mass, sacrifice and cult. In three cases, nude and orgy had been incorporated as well. Satanism was offered by the Dispatch, while the Express daringly added necromancy."
I always enjoy the wry humor of these books, as well as Watson's descriptive writing style. The mystery itself is pretty interesting but I thought a complicated addition to the plot of a 'detergent advertising campaign' just muddied the waters rather than adding much to the mystery. It seemed to provide an excuse to bring Miss Teatime into the story once again and fill out the length of the story.
This British police procedural was originally published in 1972. Farrago Books UK is in the process of republishing the series. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an arc of this mystery for an honest review.
September 7, 2018
Devilishly good...
The Flaxborough Citizen tells the worthy people of the town that the Folklore Society’s revel to celebrate Roodmas was well attended. It sounds like it was a fun do, with a discussion of old traditions round a bonfire, followed by refreshments and dancing. But sometimes newspapers don’t tell the whole story...
The next day, it is discovered one of the revellers, a promiscuous young lady by the name of Edna Hillyard, has gone missing, leaving only her car and her neatly folded clothes behind her. Inspector Purbright is at first inclined to think that she’s simply gone off for a bit of jiggery-pokery, but when the newspapers begin to print lurid reports that black magic and witchcraft have turned respectable little Flax into the Town of Fear, he realises he’ll have to take it all a bit more seriously. Especially when some of the town’s prominent citizens become the targets of witchly curses...
Of all twelve of the Flaxborough Chronicles, this is the one I love best. I think Watson peaked here, finding the perfect story with which to lampoon all his favourite targets at once. As always, he pulls aside the net curtains of respectability to let us glimpse the salacious shenanigans going on behind them. But his humour on the subject of sex is of the saucy seaside postcard variety – more “Ooh, you are awful!” than Fifty Shades of Grey. Class is as prevalent in Watson’s books as it is in British society, and he has a delicious lack of reverence for the town’s worthies as, indeed, does Inspector Purbright. It’s a joy to see him manipulating his Chief Constable, Mr Chubb – a man who finds it hard to accept that his social equals could possibly be up to any kind of skulduggery.
What makes this one stand out even more is the inclusion of the Lucillite campaign, complete with the Lucies – a group of girls going door-to-door as part of the drive to persuade the ladies of the houses to change their laundry detergent. First published in 1972, Watson ruthlessly lampoons the advertising campaigns of the day to persuade women that all their troubles could be solved by changing to a new brand of soap powder, thus enabling them to achieve an idyllic marriage by ensuring their husbands’ shirts are whiter than white. At the same time, he mercilessly mocks the kind of managerial lingo that was coming into vogue then (and still exists in some of our sadder companies – I speak from bitter experience!).
All the regulars are here – Purbright and Chubb, Sergeant Love of the innocent face and rather less innocent mind, and Miss Teatime, up to her delicately feminine armpits in Psychical Research. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, the plot’s excellent too. Great fun!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Farrago.
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The Flaxborough Citizen tells the worthy people of the town that the Folklore Society’s revel to celebrate Roodmas was well attended. It sounds like it was a fun do, with a discussion of old traditions round a bonfire, followed by refreshments and dancing. But sometimes newspapers don’t tell the whole story...
Naked as on the day she was born, save for a double-looped string of amber beads and a pair of harlequin-framed spectacles, Mrs Flora Pentatuke, of 33 Partney Avenue, Flaxborough, leaped nimbly over the embers of the fire.
The next day, it is discovered one of the revellers, a promiscuous young lady by the name of Edna Hillyard, has gone missing, leaving only her car and her neatly folded clothes behind her. Inspector Purbright is at first inclined to think that she’s simply gone off for a bit of jiggery-pokery, but when the newspapers begin to print lurid reports that black magic and witchcraft have turned respectable little Flax into the Town of Fear, he realises he’ll have to take it all a bit more seriously. Especially when some of the town’s prominent citizens become the targets of witchly curses...
Of all twelve of the Flaxborough Chronicles, this is the one I love best. I think Watson peaked here, finding the perfect story with which to lampoon all his favourite targets at once. As always, he pulls aside the net curtains of respectability to let us glimpse the salacious shenanigans going on behind them. But his humour on the subject of sex is of the saucy seaside postcard variety – more “Ooh, you are awful!” than Fifty Shades of Grey. Class is as prevalent in Watson’s books as it is in British society, and he has a delicious lack of reverence for the town’s worthies as, indeed, does Inspector Purbright. It’s a joy to see him manipulating his Chief Constable, Mr Chubb – a man who finds it hard to accept that his social equals could possibly be up to any kind of skulduggery.
What makes this one stand out even more is the inclusion of the Lucillite campaign, complete with the Lucies – a group of girls going door-to-door as part of the drive to persuade the ladies of the houses to change their laundry detergent. First published in 1972, Watson ruthlessly lampoons the advertising campaigns of the day to persuade women that all their troubles could be solved by changing to a new brand of soap powder, thus enabling them to achieve an idyllic marriage by ensuring their husbands’ shirts are whiter than white. At the same time, he mercilessly mocks the kind of managerial lingo that was coming into vogue then (and still exists in some of our sadder companies – I speak from bitter experience!).
All the regulars are here – Purbright and Chubb, Sergeant Love of the innocent face and rather less innocent mind, and Miss Teatime, up to her delicately feminine armpits in Psychical Research. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, the plot’s excellent too. Great fun!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Farrago.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 15, 2018
This is another very enjoyable instalment in Colin Watson's Flaxborough chronicles. It's perhaps not one of the very best, but it has Watson's characteristically brilliant dry wit, excellent writing and comic but rather penetrating characterisation.
This time, some of Flaxborough's most respectable citizens are indulging in paganism and licentious "rites," when one of their number disappears and a mystery develops involving various of the town's worthies. Watson uses this as always to puncture pomposity and to poke fun at the self-deluding grandiosity of many of his characters, while taking well aimed sideswipes at advertisers and their nonsensical jargon, the behaviour of the press and, of course, "devil-worship" and its associated pretensions.
It's a lot of fun, but the absurdity of the subject matter, oddly, makes this a little less amusing for me than some of its predecessors. Also some of Watson's rather dodgy attitudes to women are rather more to the fore here, which I found a little uncomfortable in places, and Miss Lucy Teatime makes only a brief appearance, which is a slight disappointment. Nonetheless, Watson's style is always a joy and the redoubtable Purbright and Love remain a unmitigated pleasure as characters.
If you're not familiar with Watson, this may give you a flavour of his style, as the slow-witted Chief Constable Chubb is informed of the identity of a suspect. " 'But he's…' Mr Chubb was about to say 'vice-chairman of the Conservative Club' when he remembered his inspector's perverse inclination to disregard the relevance of social lustre to a presumption of innocence. 'But he's married,' he said instead." If you like that, you'll like Colin Watson's books.
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough isn't an absolute favourite Flaxborough Mystery, but it's still a very enjoyable read and warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
This time, some of Flaxborough's most respectable citizens are indulging in paganism and licentious "rites," when one of their number disappears and a mystery develops involving various of the town's worthies. Watson uses this as always to puncture pomposity and to poke fun at the self-deluding grandiosity of many of his characters, while taking well aimed sideswipes at advertisers and their nonsensical jargon, the behaviour of the press and, of course, "devil-worship" and its associated pretensions.
It's a lot of fun, but the absurdity of the subject matter, oddly, makes this a little less amusing for me than some of its predecessors. Also some of Watson's rather dodgy attitudes to women are rather more to the fore here, which I found a little uncomfortable in places, and Miss Lucy Teatime makes only a brief appearance, which is a slight disappointment. Nonetheless, Watson's style is always a joy and the redoubtable Purbright and Love remain a unmitigated pleasure as characters.
If you're not familiar with Watson, this may give you a flavour of his style, as the slow-witted Chief Constable Chubb is informed of the identity of a suspect. " 'But he's…' Mr Chubb was about to say 'vice-chairman of the Conservative Club' when he remembered his inspector's perverse inclination to disregard the relevance of social lustre to a presumption of innocence. 'But he's married,' he said instead." If you like that, you'll like Colin Watson's books.
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough isn't an absolute favourite Flaxborough Mystery, but it's still a very enjoyable read and warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
May 8, 2018
I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for and advance copy of Broomsticks Over Flaxborough, the seventh novel to feature Inspector Purbright, originally published in 1972.
There are strange goings on in Flaxborough like the folklore society's revels and young women walking the streets in fancy dress. The young women are part of a promotional campaign for washing powder and the folklore society is really a coven. Inspector Purbright is not too worried about either until a young woman, Edna Hillyard, goes missing, closely followed by the local supermarket manager.
I thoroughly enjoyed Broomsticks Over Flaxborough which has a good mystery and some excellent satire on business speak and paganism. I'm not sure if it was my mood but I found some of the detail in the plot difficult to follow, fortunately I got the gist. The novel depends much more on small details than the previous ones so I loved the fact that it is the unassuming Sergeant Love who cracks the case.
I must admit that I thought that unintelligible business jargon was a modern invention but obviously not as Mr Watson has produced pages of such gibberish. It is extremely amusing although, after repeat reading, I'm still not sure I understood it. What I will say is that he has captured the pretension perfectly. His other target is paganism. The thought of middle aged, middle class ladies and gentlemen cavorting in the nude (or in most cases, semi-nude as modesty prevents a full unveiling) brought tears to my eyes but he doesn't stop there as there are ideological differences within the group. Laugh? I couldn't stop. Mr Watson has a fine, nuanced eye for the foibles of English life which he brings to the fore in this novel.
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
There are strange goings on in Flaxborough like the folklore society's revels and young women walking the streets in fancy dress. The young women are part of a promotional campaign for washing powder and the folklore society is really a coven. Inspector Purbright is not too worried about either until a young woman, Edna Hillyard, goes missing, closely followed by the local supermarket manager.
I thoroughly enjoyed Broomsticks Over Flaxborough which has a good mystery and some excellent satire on business speak and paganism. I'm not sure if it was my mood but I found some of the detail in the plot difficult to follow, fortunately I got the gist. The novel depends much more on small details than the previous ones so I loved the fact that it is the unassuming Sergeant Love who cracks the case.
I must admit that I thought that unintelligible business jargon was a modern invention but obviously not as Mr Watson has produced pages of such gibberish. It is extremely amusing although, after repeat reading, I'm still not sure I understood it. What I will say is that he has captured the pretension perfectly. His other target is paganism. The thought of middle aged, middle class ladies and gentlemen cavorting in the nude (or in most cases, semi-nude as modesty prevents a full unveiling) brought tears to my eyes but he doesn't stop there as there are ideological differences within the group. Laugh? I couldn't stop. Mr Watson has a fine, nuanced eye for the foibles of English life which he brings to the fore in this novel.
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
March 2, 2021
Sheer delight. Although the plot of this one is rather weak. The writing is just superb.
June 8, 2018
There are a group of people in Flaxborough who consider themselves witches and warlocks (but are probably in reality just wanting to have regular orgies) under the guise of a folklore society...
When a couple of schoolboys find an abandoned vehicle with womens' clothing inside they anonymously call the police. What is discovered is that the car belongs to a missing woman and during the investigation it is discovered that this woman was the mistress of a Mr. Persimmons, who has also become missing. At first the police simply think that they have run away together, but then the body of Mr. Persimmon is discovered and a mysterious mask washes up in the river that makes DI Purbright rethink his initial conclusion...
A local reverend calls the police because there have been desecrations in his church and when they arrive they find odd things - corpses of a frog, a mouse, and what appears to be an effigy of the poor reverend. They also discover that the reverend is part of group of four men who are concerned with the seemingly satanic worshippers and trying to help those that have been affected.
But it is from an unlikely source - one of a group of women who are working for a company promoting "Lucillite" - a product that makes your wash the brightest it's ever been - that gives them the break they have been looking for and it's not too long after that, with the help of intrepid Sergeant Love, that Purbright is able to put the clues together and find the truth of the matter..
Again we visit the village of Flaxborough where this time the mysterious goings on of a group of devil worshippers is about to be discovered. It is only when a young woman disappears and the body of a man is discovered that brings things to the attention of the police, and their activities are about to be laid bare for all of England to see.
Purbright delights me. He is an intelligent man who, with the help of his faithful Sergeant Sid Love and his other officers, manages to glean bits and pieces of information and put them together in a truly impressive manner. This time out they are searching for a coven that has apparently committed murder and are brazen enough to believe they can get away with it. Unfortunately, they don't count on the resolute DI Purbright, who is as good a detective as they come.
It is indeed a pleasure reading about the investigation and how thorough Purbright's crew is; at the end he masterfully creates what is nothing more than a coordinated raid on some of them to bring out the murderer into the open, and I was truly surprised by the result. It is always satisfying to see the unexpected become the truth.
When the book was finished and everything came together nicely, the tale was absorbing and written well; my only disappointment is that the author is deceased and when I am done with the series there will be no more. Highly recommended.
When a couple of schoolboys find an abandoned vehicle with womens' clothing inside they anonymously call the police. What is discovered is that the car belongs to a missing woman and during the investigation it is discovered that this woman was the mistress of a Mr. Persimmons, who has also become missing. At first the police simply think that they have run away together, but then the body of Mr. Persimmon is discovered and a mysterious mask washes up in the river that makes DI Purbright rethink his initial conclusion...
A local reverend calls the police because there have been desecrations in his church and when they arrive they find odd things - corpses of a frog, a mouse, and what appears to be an effigy of the poor reverend. They also discover that the reverend is part of group of four men who are concerned with the seemingly satanic worshippers and trying to help those that have been affected.
But it is from an unlikely source - one of a group of women who are working for a company promoting "Lucillite" - a product that makes your wash the brightest it's ever been - that gives them the break they have been looking for and it's not too long after that, with the help of intrepid Sergeant Love, that Purbright is able to put the clues together and find the truth of the matter..
Again we visit the village of Flaxborough where this time the mysterious goings on of a group of devil worshippers is about to be discovered. It is only when a young woman disappears and the body of a man is discovered that brings things to the attention of the police, and their activities are about to be laid bare for all of England to see.
Purbright delights me. He is an intelligent man who, with the help of his faithful Sergeant Sid Love and his other officers, manages to glean bits and pieces of information and put them together in a truly impressive manner. This time out they are searching for a coven that has apparently committed murder and are brazen enough to believe they can get away with it. Unfortunately, they don't count on the resolute DI Purbright, who is as good a detective as they come.
It is indeed a pleasure reading about the investigation and how thorough Purbright's crew is; at the end he masterfully creates what is nothing more than a coordinated raid on some of them to bring out the murderer into the open, and I was truly surprised by the result. It is always satisfying to see the unexpected become the truth.
When the book was finished and everything came together nicely, the tale was absorbing and written well; my only disappointment is that the author is deceased and when I am done with the series there will be no more. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2012
Fantastically funny! The seniors bus tour into the countryside to identify the flowers they find there is hurt-your-sides reading. One passenger on the bus is an elderly woman who knows all the "country names" of the otherwise innocent flowers and her identifications nearly destroy an unterwise healthy, but prissy young man who is providing the Proper Names of the flowers. Don't blame me if you suddenly develop health problems.
June 14, 2018
I bought this book because I enjoyed the one I had read previously. Unfortunately, this one didn't live up to the promise of the first. I found it too silly to be readable. The dialogue with the Lucillite cast was overlong and got lost in it's own conceit. The plot moved slowly with too much toing and froing. I gave up reading because in the end I didn't care how it turned out.
February 6, 2019
First of the Flaxborough novels I've read that I've not wholeheartedly enjoyed. It's dated - Watson's plot takes some well-aimed potshots at two phenomena which were prominent in the late 1960's - the Occult and it's supposed links to Hippydom and "free love"; and the terrible advertising campaigns, particularly for washing powder, which saw legions of usually mini-skirted promo girls descending on the unsuspected inhabitants out in the sticks (or should that be Styx?). The plotting and the detection bits are just too farcical even by Flaxborough standards, and the copout of having a Public Prosecutor coming to have a wash up session to explain things after the [rather obvious to me] culprits had been caught seems almost an admission that as a story it is a bit of a struggle.
Watson's seeming fetish for [usually] solidly built middle aged, middle class women and their libidos pervades these books more and more as the series progresses; his attitudes are antediluvian and after a time come over as decidedly creepy. Certainly the joke[s] in this one are pretty stale, but hey-ho.
Still, lots to enjoy as Purbright, his increasingly sharp oppo Love, and a permanently bemused and worried chief constable are the familiar bright spots in this yarn - Midsomer Murders it most definitely isn't.
Watson's seeming fetish for [usually] solidly built middle aged, middle class women and their libidos pervades these books more and more as the series progresses; his attitudes are antediluvian and after a time come over as decidedly creepy. Certainly the joke[s] in this one are pretty stale, but hey-ho.
Still, lots to enjoy as Purbright, his increasingly sharp oppo Love, and a permanently bemused and worried chief constable are the familiar bright spots in this yarn - Midsomer Murders it most definitely isn't.
May 19, 2018
A local folklore society turns out to be the cover for a coven of witches. After a recent celebration at the home of a coven member, an empty car is found and the owner is missing. Where has the driver gone? And where is the owner of a local store, who also hasn't been seen since that night? As the missing person investigations begin, police discover that members of the coven are not willing to discuss any helpful details of the celebration and even act as if being questioned is a persecution rather than an investigation.
The missing woman was a coven member, but the store owner was part of a local philanthropic group. Could there possible be any connection between the two disappearances? Everyone tries to help - the local pastor, the energetic Miss Teatime, and all the constables. But the town has also been overrun by a group of young ladies in white costumes doing a door-to-door campaign for a detergent and there will even be some commercials filmed with local folks participating. Could any of the people working on the add campaign have something to do with one or both of the missing persons? As usual, Purbright keeps working the case from all angles until he finally sees how the pieces fit together.
Those familiar with Flaxborough from previous installments in the series will recognize Purbright and other recurring characters, including Miss Lucy Teatime. Set in an English village in the mid-twentieth century, the novels all deal with crimes investigated by Purbright and the rest of the Flaxborough constabulary in a methodical and respectful way. There are no computers or rogue agents picking locks to find evidence, just a patient gathering of facts and fitting them together.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The missing woman was a coven member, but the store owner was part of a local philanthropic group. Could there possible be any connection between the two disappearances? Everyone tries to help - the local pastor, the energetic Miss Teatime, and all the constables. But the town has also been overrun by a group of young ladies in white costumes doing a door-to-door campaign for a detergent and there will even be some commercials filmed with local folks participating. Could any of the people working on the add campaign have something to do with one or both of the missing persons? As usual, Purbright keeps working the case from all angles until he finally sees how the pieces fit together.
Those familiar with Flaxborough from previous installments in the series will recognize Purbright and other recurring characters, including Miss Lucy Teatime. Set in an English village in the mid-twentieth century, the novels all deal with crimes investigated by Purbright and the rest of the Flaxborough constabulary in a methodical and respectful way. There are no computers or rogue agents picking locks to find evidence, just a patient gathering of facts and fitting them together.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
June 22, 2018
It’s been a couple weeks since I visited Flaxborough and I just had to check and see what Inspector Purbright is up to. Well, he certainly has his hands full in this story with witches and Lucies and dead store managers. Once again, Colin Watson does not disappoint. When Edna Hillyard disappears and Mr. Persimmon is found dead, both after a night of dancing with the local witches’ coven, Purbright and Sgt. Love and hot on the trail of the culprit. Miss Teatime is also making herself useful with some inside knowledge into local going-on. And because it’s the 60’s there are Lucies going door-to-door asking questions. I’m not going to say any more about the Lucie’s because you really need to read the book and experience them for yourself. This is book 7 in the series and one of the best so far. Any of the books in this series will make a great summer read.
May 20, 2018
This was my first Colin Watson book and it did not disappoint. It was a charming whodunnit type of mystery, imbued with a heavy dose of humor. It was the perfect light, chuckle out loud sort of read.
It was amusing in part because of the setting. This book was originally published in the 1970s and as such it contained a lot of outdated ideas—primarily the antiquated and erroneous views on witchcraft. The author kept referring to members of a folklore society as witches, satanists, devil worshippers, and practitioners of black magic. Other than his lack of research into what distinguishes a witch from a satanist, the author wrote an excellent book.
I would definitely pick up another of his books when in the mood for a well-written mystery.
It was amusing in part because of the setting. This book was originally published in the 1970s and as such it contained a lot of outdated ideas—primarily the antiquated and erroneous views on witchcraft. The author kept referring to members of a folklore society as witches, satanists, devil worshippers, and practitioners of black magic. Other than his lack of research into what distinguishes a witch from a satanist, the author wrote an excellent book.
I would definitely pick up another of his books when in the mood for a well-written mystery.
December 24, 2022
2nd in this series of twelve that I’ve read; as with the other, this is a quirky tale (even moreso here!) and Watson seems to buttress his reputation as a mystery writer loose-cannon-on-deck. This didn’t bother me as the books are quite readable and certainly fun. The plot resolution is also very well done, and the dramatis personae quite interesting. Will read more of these!
Here, the quarterly bacchanals of a reputed “folklore” society go awry, with one attendee missing and soon enough, a possible paramour as well. The press descend on the village, slavering for juicy tidbits about a cult of devil worshippers run amok, and things look to get seriously out of hand, but DI Purbright maintains an even keel and brings the case to a satisfactory close.
Good stuff!
Here, the quarterly bacchanals of a reputed “folklore” society go awry, with one attendee missing and soon enough, a possible paramour as well. The press descend on the village, slavering for juicy tidbits about a cult of devil worshippers run amok, and things look to get seriously out of hand, but DI Purbright maintains an even keel and brings the case to a satisfactory close.
Good stuff!
April 18, 2023
Unfortunately, this is probably the last one of these I’ll read, as the series really goes downhill here. The Flaxborough books are always a bit funny, but in this one really goes for the laughs and fails miserably. The tired attempts at humor include people from an advertising agency speaking endless adspeak babble; middleaged Satan worshippers who are mostly in it for the orgies (okay, that one sounds good, but trust me, the execution is not there), and an attractive young woman having to escape from a nasty old groper. The sexual humor in this book is clearly aiming for slightly daring and hip, but squarely lands on creepy. This is one of those books that feels like it was cranked out to meet a deadline and cobbled together from bits and pieces of other novels and pieces of media.
May 10, 2018
Wonderful! What more could the discerning reader wish for?
Here we have witchcraft, drink, drugs, sex, abduction…and murder. All wrapped up with some delicious satire at the expense of marketing campaigns and “ad-speak”… and an ending which took me totally by surprise.
This is Colin Watson at his sharpest and best, neatly skewering the higher echelons of respectable Flaxborough society and gently roasting them on a barbecue fuelled by wit.
This is a most enjoyable and entertaining read and as fresh now as on original publication in 1972.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago (Prelude Books Ltd.) for the digital review copy.
August 22, 2021
3 stars. This is an oldie from my book shelf and is a kind of quaint old British mystery. A coven of witches and warlocks is frolicking in the woods in rural England. And when one of the witches disappears and the body of a man is found floating in the river, the police start to pay attention. And when others in the village report strange things posted on their doors, like dead black cockerills, there is talk of black magic and hexes. But Inspector Purbright is on the case. This was an okay little read, was good for its time but doesn't age all that well.
May 16, 2018
Another good book in the Flaxborough series. This time, the town seemed to be under black magic spell. Lots of disturbing appearances, though the town folks didn’t look like they notice them. What was really happening? A very enjoyable story of witchy scenes, full of humor and wits. A bit dragging here and there, but overall was a good read.
I was provided a complementary copy by the author / publisher through NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions.
I was provided a complementary copy by the author / publisher through NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions.
June 22, 2019
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough opens in startling fashion with the matrons of the town engaged in bucolic and occult shenanigans. The ever patient Purbright has missing persons to find... and his officers find all sorts of odd things along the way. The story gets a bit baggy at times and occasionally there's a wince eg at the reference to 'totties in the office' (although there's a context for that) but it is still great fun.
December 27, 2018
A coven of witches in Flaxborough is having secret meetings and different businesses are being targeted with supposed curses. After one late-night celebration, a man and a woman disappear. Inspector Purbright and his team have to sort out what is really going on.
Funny and interesting. Written in the 70s.
Funny and interesting. Written in the 70s.
May 2, 2021
An Old Style Mystery
I find Watson's Flaxborough mysteries interesting and humorous, and always a bit surprising. This wasn't my favorite, but the conclusion didn't fail to surprise me. I enjoy the personalities of the recurring characters, and how they have grown and developed over time.
I find Watson's Flaxborough mysteries interesting and humorous, and always a bit surprising. This wasn't my favorite, but the conclusion didn't fail to surprise me. I enjoy the personalities of the recurring characters, and how they have grown and developed over time.
May 27, 2018
Witchcraft problems for the gang in Flaxborough. I didn't like this as much as I liked the last one, but it was still a lot of fun and a clever mystery. And as an idea for a mystery it wasn't really one that I've seen a lot of in British cozy crime-type series.
March 22, 2019
Traditional mystery. . .
I heard about this one from a friend nearly 40
years ago and have only just got round to reading it- it didn’t disappoint! A nice gentle murder mystery with lots of gentle humour. I’ll try to get round to reading more of the Flaxborough books.
I heard about this one from a friend nearly 40
years ago and have only just got round to reading it- it didn’t disappoint! A nice gentle murder mystery with lots of gentle humour. I’ll try to get round to reading more of the Flaxborough books.
September 13, 2024
I enjoyed this one so much
Even more than I usually do. I was more aware of the cleverness of the writing. The lovely Miss Teatime popped up again. The scene with her was particularly fun.
Even more than I usually do. I was more aware of the cleverness of the writing. The lovely Miss Teatime popped up again. The scene with her was particularly fun.
June 29, 2019
Arch.
October 12, 2019
Great fun
Timeless Englishness in the town of Flaxborough, where the crime rate is nevertheless somewhat alarming for such a small provincial town.
Timeless Englishness in the town of Flaxborough, where the crime rate is nevertheless somewhat alarming for such a small provincial town.
December 6, 2020
Lots of fun in a very English way. Actually state of the art for the small town/English/humor/ police procedural subgenre of murder mystery. Excellent choice of light reading.
June 23, 2021
Some how the author makes his plots both outrageous and believable, always with a good dose of humor.
September 18, 2022
Not as good as the other Flaxborough books. The stuff about washing powder ad campaigns seemed out of place, padding? The denouement was rushed and having a prosecutor appear to explain things odd.
August 18, 2023
Brilliant
Very imaginative tale of black magic and murder. A precursor to many later tales and lighter TV series. Intriguing plot with great mix of characters.
Very imaginative tale of black magic and murder. A precursor to many later tales and lighter TV series. Intriguing plot with great mix of characters.
September 3, 2024
Fabulous
Found Naked Nuns...
Found Naked Nuns...
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