The mysteries of Flaxborough are meant to be savored, relished for their very British drollery. The wit can sometimes be lost on what passes for American sensibilities (or the lack thereof); this can easily be overcome with moments of clarifying rumination.

HOPJOY WAS HERE, the third book in the series, starts out with more grue than does its two predecessors. Inspector Purbright is sent on a merry chase, looking for not only a killer, but the dead body as well. Clues abound, perhaps too many, and there is the added burden of the men from London.

All in all, HOPJOY WAS HERE provides a convoluted romp of a mystery that covers a lot of territory in Flaxborough, any number of interesting citizens, and proves to be a tantalizing read from beginning to end.

I do recommend that you start your exploration of Flaxborough with the first book in the series, COFFIN, SCARCELY USED, if for no other reason than to become acquainted with the good folks of Flaxborough and their inimitable constabulary.

This was first published in 1962 and it is so entertaining to read the older mysteries. This one was a little hard to follow, compared to the previous two, but still very fun!

A very complex mystery with lots of twists and turns, which mad one read on. The humour is there but not as good as the earlier books I have read.

While Hopjoy Was Here (Farrago 2018),  third in the Flaxborough Mystery trilogy, is a detective crime mystery, that doesn't begin to describe this quirky, humorous, beguiling novel. Chief Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love are called in when Brian Hopjoy and his roommate disappear from their rented lodgings at 14 Beatrice Avenue. While none of the neighbors even hint at foul play, there are secrets only known to a few in law enforcement that make this much more complicated than it appears. For starters, Hopjoy is an undercover operative.

Yes, this sounds mundane but it's not the plot is it that really makes this book a jewel. Here are a few of the lines:

"Purbright, who had been examining his finger-ends while marveling at the length and vehemence of Chubb’s speech, looked up blandly at Ross. It was Pumphrey, though, who spoke first."

"Staring out at him from behind the windows of the twenty-three cafés and snack bars were the perplexed, hostile eyes of holiday-makers awaiting the fish and chips, pies and chips, ham and chips, egg and chips, sausage and chips –in fact, every permutation of succulence except chips and chips –that were being borne to their plastic-topped tables by girls with corded necks and dress seams strained to the limit as they ferried their great trays."
 
"It had been erected only five years previously by a Flaxborough jobbing builder whose coincidental relationship with the chairman of the housing committee had put him in the way of contracts for five estates of bay-windowed rabbit hutches and made the chairman the brother-in-law of a millionaire."

Do you see what I mean? Long sentences with tons of detail that threaten to derail your concentration but don't. Instead, you come away feeling like there is so much to say, how could it be encapsulated in fewer words? 'Unusual' is too pedestrian a term for this book. 'Eclectic' is closer. Whatever the description, 'delightfully entertaining' is the result. I confess I almost quit reading several times early in the story because of its unusual approach to unpacking the detective drama:

"The sudden smile invested his large, rather lumpishly cast face with a charm that was the greater for being unexpected, like greenery on a pit heap. ‘I’m"

"...‘they’re a rum lot of buggers in Flax."
"...fresh slip of toilet tissue curled preparatorily across the neck rest of the shaving chair was as motionless as a marble scroll. The scissors, razors, and hand clippers set in methodic array at the back of the big oval wash-basin seemed as unlikely to be put ever again to use as tools sanguinely sealed into a burial chamber in Luxor."
But Watson's storytelling technique is so unique, I became hooked. By the last word, I was ready to read more.
--to be published to my blog, WordDreams, March 9th.

Colin Watson's mysteries are not hard to figure out, but they are fun getting to the conclusion. This is probably my favorite. Detective Inspector Purbright is maturing and gaining confidence. The characters were, once again, great and the humor made the book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for an advance copy of Hopjoy was Here, the third police procedural in the Flaxborough Mystery series, originally published in 1962.

The novel opens with the local constabulary removing a bath from 14 Beatrice Avenue, home of Gordon Piriam and his paying guest Brian Hopjoy. Things get murkier when something is found in the drains and the spooks turn up, which is more than can be said of the residents who are both suspiciously missing.

What a joy this novel is to read. It had me laughing out loud from the start as Mr Watson reveals the neighbours' thoughts on these strange goings-on, not what one would expect from such a nice neighbourhood. The arrival of the spooks, Ross and Pumphrey, just added to my glee as Mr Watson captures their cold war paranoia and skewed thinking perfectly. It all seems like nonsense nowadays but Soviet espionage was taken very seriously back in the day. It's a brilliant parody with the scene in the snooker hall a particular favourite.

Not content with humour Mr Watson has filled his novel with a clever plot, full of misdirection and sharp thinking. The reveals are perhaps a bit slow in coming but I soon gathered enough to work out what had happened - wrongly as Mr Watson keeps a few secrets up his sleeve and the poetically ironic ending is just fabulous.

As usual Inspector Purbright takes him time getting to the right conclusion via a few detours and false trails but he's not as daft as people take him for. Of course, the underestimated detective is a bit of a cliche nowadays but it works well in this novel as it gives Mr Watson the opportunity to flesh out the minor characters through their convesations with him and concentrate on the plotting. With no DNA and little in the way of modern forensics this was the only way to conduct an investigation back then.

Hopjoy was Here is the best of the novels so far in the series so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

Strange happenings again in Flaxborough. And yet another convoluted path leads us on a journey that must be read to be believed.

More farcical than the two previous books in the series, but the writing is a delight: witty, sardonic and knowing. Good if you enjoy vintage murder with a sharp eye for the absurdities of English provincial life.

More, please! What a charming series this will be, and I am so happy that there are many more books to enjoy. If you are a fan of British mysteries, this one ticks all the boxes--engaging characters, interesting plot, and very well written.

This was a suspenseful and witty continuation of the investigations of Inspector Purbright and Sgt. Love. Their insights are spot-on and the people and places come alive.

Colin Watson writes beautifully, with incisive and unusual details that give us a deep understanding of people and places in a sentence or two. His people and places are remarkable, too. Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love of Flaxborough are three dimensional detectives who don't rely on predictable quirks for their character development.

The people of Flaxborough are certainly quirky, but their unique experiences combine with Watson's spot on observation to create social commentary that continues to be thought provoking years later.

Hopjoy is an excellent example. When evidence is found of an acid bath in the home he shares with a friend, Purbright and Love have to wonder whether the animal remains in the waste pipe might be Hopjoy... or his friend. But as their investigation reaches ever murkier corners of the English village and countryside, they have to wonder whether Hopjoy might have had good reasons to make it look that way.

Tightly plotted, with a satisfying conclusion, this is a classic murder mystery -- and also an enjoyable novel. Think about it for book club.

First published 60 years ago in England, the Flaxborough Chronicles feature Inspector Purbright in the quiet town of Flaxborough. This third outing of Purbright has the Inspector looking into the mysterious disappearance of a boarder in a local household. An anonymous letter arrives at the police station tells of a loud altercation in the house, and when constables go to check on the inhabitants, no one can be found. But there are plenty of forensic clues - blood stains, acid burns, odd substances in the drains, something buried in the garden... Whatever happened, the police hope some of these traces will lead to answers. The government has even sent two agents in to assist with the investigation, so it seems the locals will get some help.

Readers have already met some of Purbright's fellows on the force: Chief Constable Chubb, Detective Sergeant Love, Sergeant Malley the coroner's officer, among others. But now there is an addition to the cast of characters, Mr. Warlock from the forensic science lab. Remember, this is no modern CSI or NCIS installation, but their ancestor of 60 years ago. Drain contents can give rough answers, but not clear enough to solve things. But Purbright continues as he always does, with quiet persistence and an understanding of the inhabitants that serves him just as well as all the skills the government agents have at their disposal. After all, what do they know about busybody neighbors, odd pilferage, pool sharks, and betting parlors? Their forte lies in eastern European interrogation techniques and Cold War intelligence gathering.

Readers who enjoy Miss Marple and mysteries set in small English towns full of eccentric residents will welcome having this series drawn to their attention.

Number 3 in the Flaxborough Chronicles finds Detective Inspector Purbright tangling with the Intelligence Services . What follows is a neat spoof of the sort of espionage novel which was common in the paranoia-filled era of the Cold War.

The plot is full of cross and double-cross. Who has been murdered? Has anyone been murdered?
Are many of Flaxborough’s worthy inhabitants part of Hopjoy’s network? Or does their seemingly odd behaviour have more innocent explanations?

Although this has its amusing-and macabre- moments, I did not think it was as successful and entertaining a tale as those found in the first two instalments in the series. There were moments of high farce but also times when the momentum stalled.

Nevertheless this was an enjoyable read, full of good writing and gentle laughs.

Thank you NetGalley and Farrago for the advance digital review copy

Excellent! I'm really enjoying these classic mysteries