I really liked the character Purbright but in this installment it took along time for him to show up. For some reason any time I picked up this book I could not stay awake. Not sure if it was me or the book, but I will give Flaxbourough another chance and see if I like others better.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

The quiet country town of Chalmsbury has become rather noisy on Tuesday nights thanks to someone with a flair for explosions. First, it’s a water fountain in the park. Then it’s a bronze statue of a town hero. Next, a giant glass eye outside the optician’s office. But when a fourth explosion kills a local man, Inspector Purbright is called over from nearby Flaxborough to help with the investigation. Can the police find the culprit before he or she strikes again?

Once again, a well-written, witty mystery. However, as with the first book, it was slow getting into the story, but it eventually picked up speed and got more interesting. Also, like the first one, there were A LOT of characters introduced, and it was kind hard to remember who was who for awhile. I was hoping not to deal with that this time, but this book takes place in a different town, so we got a whole new cast of characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this group quite as charming as the residents of Flaxborough. And then our hero, Inspector Purbright, doesn’t appear until well into the novel. Overall, I did not enjoy it as much as the first. That being said, I still enjoy the writing style and the overall series and will still give it another try. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

Bump in the Night by Colin Watson is a 2018 Farrago publication. (First published in 1960)

The Flaxborough Chronicles by Colin Watson is a mystery series, which began in 1958 and ran through the mid-1980s. Farrago has reissued the series in digital format and has given the covers a new and improved look.

I had never heard of this author or series until I discovered them on Netgalley a while back. What a terrific find!

In this second installment, the country town of Chalmsbury is experiencing a spate of explosions, decimating objects like a statues and park fountains. It could be a the handiwork of a prankster, but then the pranks turn deadly.

The characters in this procedural, which might also appeal to cozy mystery fans, are so quirky and the dialogue is often hilarious. The story is so absorbing, with a unique plot, which is packed with some very interesting details, as the underbelly of the quaint country town is exposed. It is obvious the author put a lot of thought into the story. While this is a short book it packs a nice punch and is wildly entertaining.

I am so thrilled Farrago has reissued these books. The series and this author are underrated, in my opinion. I’d love to see the books get a little overdue recognition.
4.5 stars

Someone is setting off bombs in a little village and no-one knows who is behind it. The obvious answer turns out to be wrong and with many feasible options, it had me guessing until almost the end. A quiet plodding pace with lethargic writing wrapped around a great concept. Recommend for lovers of mystery that take a bit more thought and time.

Another enjoyable mystery by Colin Watson starring Inspector Purbright. I like how Watson portrays the different kinds of people, showing us both who they appear to be and who they really are. And Purbright is the best--I can be confident he will never just settle for the easy answer, but will always find the truth.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

"High explosive...is the very apotheosis of un-Englishness," or so declares Inspector Purbright in Bump in the Night, Colin Watson's second volume in the Flaxborough Mystery serices.

Watson, who wrote his novels in the 1960s, focused on the traditional British mystery, with twelve of them set in the fictional city of Flaxborough. In this novel, Purbright is loaned to a nearby small town constabulary to solve a string of bombings--three in all--that have proven most unsettling to the town worthies (mostly, one imagines, because of their very un-Englishness). While Purbright is ensconced in the local boarding house, a fourth bombing occurs--this one with a fatality.

The portraits of the small town characters in this book sparkle with gentle satire. A lot of people are related--even more than one could imagine, by the time one reaches the end of the book. There are no likable characters to speak of besides Purbright, who goes about his job with gusto and a not a few acid observations. I was thoroughly entertained.

This series of novels has been released through Farrago Publishing. They are fun, light reads full of "preposterous situations and poker-faced wit". "They are 20th century police procedurals of a gentler pace than is fashionable today," say the publishers. I say BRAVO. And pip pip!

I received my review copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley.

Columbo In England?

Why, I asked myself, does Inspector Purbright seem so very familiar? And it came to me finally that the unfailingly polite but politely insistent Inspector Columbo, as immortalized by Peter Falk, was very closely based on this character! The gentle humor and clever plots were also borrowed in style, if not in fact, from this same source. Of course, these Tales are not set in Southern California but rather in small village England with his own set of rules and mannerisms as modified by the post World War II era in which they are set. And author Colin Watson had a very good eye and ear for satire with a good feel for the proper turn of phrase. All in all, I found myself enchanted with this second in a series which absolutely stands on its own.

I am so excited that these books are back in print. A wonderful series for a cozy lover or someone who loves a British Mystery of which I am both! I laughed so hard that I made my partner come into the room to make sure everything was alright! A truly fantastic series!

Boom goes the fountain and off we go! It's time for DI Purbright to save the day. With humor and great writing, this book was even more fun than the first book. If you're looking for a noir series, that packs wit and punch, this is it.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Bump in the Night is the second Flaxborough mystery by author Colin Watson. Originally published in 1960, this is a reformatting and re-release by Farrago books.

The Flaxborough mysteries are wryly humorous with some wickedly funny subtle bits. This book especially has aged very well and reads like a much more modern book but still with the English country village atmosphere.

Inspector Purbright is likable, if a bit plodding, but he gets there in the end. This entry in the series has him investigating a series of explosions in a neighboring village. There's the usual complement of funny village characters and goings-on and someone's hiding murder. It's up to Purbright to sort out the twisted and murky motives.

I loved the gentle pacing and really wickedly funny dialogue. These are really top notch mysteries and this one is well worth the read.

Published 8th March, 2018 by Farrago books. 190 pages, available in ebook and paperback formats.

Four stars

I am in the middle on this book. It's a fun little "whodunit" mystery that I liked trying to figure out as I read. I liked that even though this is a murder mystery, it felt like a light-hearted tale of a small town. The author adds a lot of detail to paint a picture of the town and the characters. While in some ways this made the story more enjoyable, it also made the reading more tedious. (if that makes any sense). It seemed to be a lot of flowery fluff sometimes to pick through in order to get what is going on. Maybe I just wasn't into it fully, but I had to push myself to keep at this one. Little complaints, but little to praise either for me.

Highly recommend. Very entertaining. It was my first time reviewing this author and I was pleasantly surprised and highly entertained

I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Flaxborough Chronicles and is just as delightful as the first, although it's not set in Flaxborough and DI Purbright doesn't make an appearance until about two-thirds thru the book. But it has interesting characters like the first with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Very nice read.

The town of Chalmsbury experiences a series of explosions that blow up monuments and landmarks, and the small town's police force is making no progress. Flaxborough loans DI Purbright to conduct an investigation--one perhaps less hampered by being personally connected, for good or ill, to every possible suspect.

Police chief Hector Larch is married to Hilda, daughter of Councilman Pointer. Local haulage magnate Stan Biggadyke is having an affair with Hilda, and last year, had a car accident that killed a young woman. Biggadyke's long history of malicious pranks includes having tormented Barrington Hoole, local optometrist, since their school days.

And Larch, sadly, thinks aggressive bullying is the way to question suspects and make them spill what they know.

What most of the town doesn't know is that Larch attends weekly civil defense training in Flaxborough, where he teaches explosives handling. A supply of explosives has gone missing, more than enough to account for the explosions so far.

Purbright takes lodging in Chalmsbury, and sets about piecing his way through gossip, innuendo, colorful local stories, adultery, and hidden secrets, to find the culprit.

This is a police procedural series from the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has a slower, gentler pace, with an arch sense of humor lurking in the corners. (What my Mom called a British sense of humor. What my Dad, and I, and the Irish/French side of the family called, "how we make jokes and cope with stress.) It's enjoyable, pleasant reading, when you want to engage your mind rather than looking for a more emotional read.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

I struggled with the first book in this series and struggled even more with the second.

The plot drags badly, the characters are unlikable and-worse-boring, and the mystery is neither unique nor compelling. I regret requesting the second book in the series before reading the first, because I probably wouldn't have taken any interest, but I felt compelled to complete the book because I was granted an ARC. Had I purchased this book, I would likely not have finished it.

I really like the style of writing of Colin Watson. It's full of fun and over the top situations.
I also really enjoyed this book that is really entertaining. I loved both the plot the quirky characters.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrago

A lovely, old fashioned police procedural. Not too challenging, but very enjoyable. Nice, light, entertaining reading.

I like the way this book ist written. long sentences with real good descriptions of places, feelings, people. and a mysstery to be solved. I really liked it

This book was odd for a murder mystery. I found myself reading passages out loud to my husband and we’d laugh and comment on the descriptive phrasing. Even though they were written so long ago I loved this book and can not wait to read the next one!

This is the second book in the in the series that I have read. It took so long for Inspector Purbright to be introduced into this book, that I checked to make sure the series was actually a series featuring the same character. As with the first, the suspects and plot keep you guessing, but it all makes sense at the end.



This book is a product of it's time. There were a couple times where the language made me uncomfortable. The plot is somewhat convoluted and keeps you guessing, but is wrapped up well at the end.