A series of strange deaths do not necessarily lead to a murderer. Or, do they? A convoluted path leads us on a journey that must be read to be believed.

This was a lovely little mystery. Full of dry humor and wit, though the mystery is easy to solve by the midpoint. It’s a little dated, but rather charming.

Can't put my head around this book. Tried twice and could not keep on reading.

A solid 3.5 on this book. I enjoyed reading this book, with its subtle British humor. I think that the main character will flesh out more in the other books in the series. It was a nice bit of mystery and a quick read. My rating will be higher once Purbright is a little more solid as a lead character. Highly enjoyable antics throughout.

One of those quirky British mysteries that is the embodiment of the genre. Detective Inspector Purbright is tasked to figure out why bodies seem to be dropping like files in the typical English village. Of course, the victims are not the nicest people in the bunch, so that means plenty of suspects, and Inspector Purbright is out to interview them all. It's dogged policing, another "given," and Colin Watson doesn't disappoint. And that ending! Surprise, surprise.

I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher in return for an honest unbiased review.

This is a good cozy mystery in the Agatha Christy style. D.I. Purbright reminded me of and English version of Peter Falk's TV character Columbo. Good rainy day read.

I saw this as a freebie/to read title and thought I'd give it a go - I tend to enjoy British mysteries, particularly manners-comedies/older mysteries that hinge on a lovably quaint town with lovably quaint characters. I don't know if this just wasn't the mood I was in or what, but I could NOT get into this one. The unusual protagonist - Detective Inspector Purbright - never really came alive on the pages for me, and he was the hook that I thought would draw me right in. I'm usually a sucker for dry British puns and word-play, but they weren't anywhere near as thick on the ground as I expected from a book that claimed to be "witty and wicked" - frankly, I found it a little more like "wan and wanting", I'm afraid... It just felt flat. I don't expect a lot of fast-paced action from this type of book, but I need *something* to keep going - a cast of colorful characters (or even just one really clever-witty-snarky one), a town with secrets that are bursting to be told, intriguing closed-room murder... This had unusual circumstances aplenty, and the characters wanted to be unique and eccentric, but mostly things just felt like they didn't quite come together, and I lost interest about a third of the way in and couldn't keep going.

This 1958 British detective novel, newly released as an ebook, started well ("Considering that Mr Harold Carobleat had been in his time a town councillor of Flaxborough, a justice of the peace, a committeeman of the Unionist Club, and, reputedly, the owner of the towns' first television aerial, his funeral was an uninspiring affair"), then became a bit dull and a bit dated ("The police station's complaint book was crammed with the fancies of supersensitive menopause subjects"), then picked up as the detection got serious. Coffin, Scarcely Used will find an audience with people who enjoy old fashioned detective novels that don't rely on excessive violence.

I read an advance reader copy of Coffin, Scarcely Used.

Colin Watson (1920-1983) was a British writer of detective fiction. The first three titles in his Flaxborough Chronicles mystery series are now being re-released by Farrago Books, UK. This one was originally published in 1958 and was made available as a "Read Now" offering through NetGalley recently. I jumped at the chance to get a copy and also requested and was granted access to books 2 and 3 in the series, which I look forward to reading soon.

The mystery in this introductory story is quite intriguing. A group of the movers and shakers in the market town of Flaxborough, England, have lost the second of their friends in six months. But what appeared at first to be suicide by electrocution, now is believed to be murder, and another of the group requests police protection, believing he'll be next.

So few serious crimes happen in Flaxborough that Inspector Walter Purbright worries that he won't be up to the challenge of finding the murderer but he and Sergeant Love play it by the book and work the case with solid procedure. There's a lot going on here so that even if the reader thinks he's guessed the answers, he may be in for further surprises.

Some might be put off by how outdated the story seems but others like me will find that postwar period of English life delightful. Watson wrote with a dry humor and wit that is such fun and enough suspense to keep the reader turning pages as the body count mounts up. I am happy to have been introduced to a 'new' cozy English mystery writer and look forward to reading more in this series. Thank you to Farrago and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity.

I received this book free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Farrago Books is re-releasing the Flaxborough Chronicles by Colin Watson. Book 1, Coffin Scarcely Used, was first published in 1958. Set in a small village in England, this detective story is a delight.

The first death, that of Harold Carobleat, a wealthy local businessman, was suspicious only in that the funeral was so understated as to be a non-event. However, months later, the bizarre possible suicide of Harold’s neighbor triggers an investigation by the low-key detective, Inspector Purbright. Aided by an eager (and naive) young policeman, Purbright doggedly pursues leads that don’t add up, convinced that things will eventually fall into place. He’s certain the “suicide” was a murder and is determined to prove it. Although others in Carobleat’s circle are either frightened, threatening, or both, and although it’s clear more deaths will follow, there isn’t the building tension of “catch the villain before he strikes again.” Purbright is methodical. And very entertaining. His patience and gently paced investigation swept me along.

The character sketches are ironic and the tone of the book is humorous, despite the underlying violence. It isn’t gory and sadistic. It’s almost. . .quaint. But not quite cozy.

Although I don’t think it was written as a historical mystery initially, it belongs to its time period and, being more than fifty years old and dated in a good way, I’m counting it as historical.

If you enjoy clever writing and puzzle solving, Coffin Scarcely Used is a terrific introduction to this series. I’m eager to read Book 2.

A “gently-paced” police procedural indeed! I thoroughly enjoyed trying to untangle the twisted strands of Colin Watson’s “Coffin, Scarcely Used.” It was my first introduction to the thoughtful Purbright, the sharp witted Love, and Chief Constable Chubb, but it won’t be my last.

It's great to start a new series by reading the first book and Farrago has made this possible by releasing the first three Flaxborough mysteries from the beginning. I had not met Colin Watson and Detective Inspector Purbright before and reading this book was a treat.

Wikipedia and other online sources have good information on Colin Watson and the Flaxborough series so there is no need to go into them here.

"Coffin, Scarcely Used" is odd and a bit twitchy and different from most other series of the period in that it puts sexual innuendo right out front. What exactly was the relationship between the wealthy widow Carobleat (silly name) and her neighbour, the recently murdered publisher Marcus Gwill (many of the names in Flaxborough are silly)? What is the significance of the marshmallows?

DI Purbright and the massive Sergeant Love push and poke around and uncover an immoral and criminal enterprise involving rare antiques. that surely startled, and perhaps shocked, readers. My only question is what happened when particular antiques became too popular.

I received a review copy of "Coffin, Scarcely Used: A Flaxborough Mystery Book 1" by Colin Watson (Farrago) through NetGalley.com. It was originally published in 1958 by Eyre & Spottiswoode, London and has been republished several times prior to this 2018 Farrago edition.

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