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...

"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.

Keeping up with the goings on in Flaxborough is no mean feat - luckily Purbright takes much in his wry stride, even when faced with the odd bit of witchcraft. As witty, clever and humorous as ever, with an engaging cast, this book is a joy to devour and remains utterly timeless. Great fun.

As compared to the next book in line, this has a more innocuous title but is more risqué than its title leads us to believe. There are some cringeworthy moments in terms of men misbehaving, more than the previous books of the series. In this particular tale, the women are not blameless either. All that aside, the case at hand is very strange. It has ​people with unknown plans in secret societies, missing people and others who know more than they are revealing.There are also these women selling laundry detergents whose entire attitude borders on sinister. It has its moments but it does not rank among the funnier ones of the series. I have three more books to read. Stay tuned for those reviews since I think I might find them more hilarious. Inspector Purbright and Sidney Love continue their banter. It was hard to follow this case because there seemed to be more going wrong than first meets the eye. This is a series that continuous perusal throws up sudden gems so I shall keep the hunt going.

The folklore society in Flaxborough is much like the town itself: on the surface, it's respectable British committee work, but underneath there is a seething cauldron of depravity and amazingly complex -- not always healthy -- relationships.

Inspector Purbright is an open minded man, so he doesn't overreact to the coven that underlies the folklore society. When people begin to disappear, however, it's another matter entirely.

Alongside the rumors of witchcraft, there's also a very funny ad campaign going on -- and the two actually have a lot in common.

As with all the books in the series, this one is beautifully written, filled with intriguing details, and satisfyingly tied up at the end. It pokes fun at several aspects of society with thought-provoking satire that is still applicable today.

Do we read Colin Watson for the story or the silliness? Both probably. This one definitely is on the silly side. Mr. Watson seems to have attended an advertising convention while writing this book because there are whole pages devoted to making fun of an idiotic jargon-spouting laundry promotion campaign. The campaigners find the body so that's the link to the plot, but really these guys are there just to provide comedy.

Miss Lucilla Teatime makes another appearance and, can it be that she is flirting with DI Purbright?

The witchcraft plot is a bit murky and seems mainly a way for locals to justify orgies. As for the murder? Well, it's up to the dark gods to explain.

"Broomsticks Over Flaxborough" by Colin Watson was originally published by Eyre Methuen Publishing Ltd, London in 1972 and has been reissued several times by Methuen and others. This Farrago edition is dated 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.

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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.

Is there an active coven in the town of Flaxborough? It appears so & it could be connected to the disappearance of two people.

While I didn't like it as much as other books in the series, it has some of Watson's absolutely best social satire (it's worth reading for that alone) and a case that kept me guessing until; the end.

This is the seventh book in the Flaxborough cosy crime series written by Colin Watson mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. This novel is set around a bizarre folk ritual, after which a young woman, Edna Hillyard, goes missing. To complicate Inspector Purbright's investigations further, a detergent company is making promotional material in the town and someone is sending macabre messages to respectable members of the community.

This is the fifth Flaxborough book that I've read and it isn't my favourite so far. The series is a product of its time and this book does seem quite dated. As with the others, it's amusing and an easy read, but not the best of the series.

This mystery as a little convoluted, therefore I did not enjoy it was much as Colin Watson's other book. Not as much quite humour in this one and rather too much going on. The ending pulled it all together but it was a bit of a struggle getting things into focus. Still it was a good read.

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.

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.

An extremely enjoyable Flaxborough mystery that is substantially enlivened by Miss Lucilla Teatime, who is quickly becoming my favorite flim-flam woman of all time, and the vague whiffs of sulfur that emanate from a folk society/coven that has been at work in Flaxborough. The mystery, as per usual, takes a back seat to the towns people and the invasion of such by a detergent campaign. Mr. Watson has an obvious good time skewering advertising generally and ad-speak in particular, not an especially vanguard topic, sure, but his enjoyment seeps off the page. One of the funnier entries in a gentle series. A strong recommend.

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.

Afterwards it is found a young woman has gone missing. Her clothing and car are 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 plot.

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.

While not one of my favourites of this series so far, this is another sharply-observed and slyly humorous outing in Flaxborough. This time Watson's targets are social respectability as some of the great and the good of the town get caught up in witchcraft and black magic - fun, until someone goes missing. The other sub-plot works better with an acute and witty expose of ridiculous ad campaigns for cleaning products.

As ever, Inspector Purbright is ably assisted by Sergeant Sid Love and the fragrant Miss Lucilla Teatime in her latest incarnation. This might not be one of the strongest entries in the series but Watson's witty and stylish writing still makes for delightful escapism with a nicely acidic edge.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I requested this one as it was the next in a series I have been enjoying without reading the blurb - that turned out to be a mistake. This instalment concerns a black magic/folklore/"Old Religion" society and a related death and disappearance. The humorous tone of the narration of this series didn't really work for me in conjunction with this subject matter. The opening scene at the "Revel" was over-long and confusing. The parts devoted to the Lucellite advertising campaign were arch and so dull that I skimmed them. The conclusion contained so many twists and turns that I'm not entirely sure I grasped the finer details of what exactly happened? What was the plan for the long term fate of Miss Hillyard?

Miss Teatime was superb as ever.

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.

Rarely have I enjoyed a book tholonists at gave me so many mixed feelings, but this one I did - eventhough. The story is well written, the people set well, just enough to make me wonder when it's dupposed to be set. I think it's the late 60s, but as in all good books there are many pointers to earlier generations.

The problem for me with this book was the Witchcraft. Why do so many people call Satanists witches. As a witch myself I can tell you that not only do we not worship the devil, we don't even believe he exists.

Are the goings on at the Folklore Society "whiter than white " ? Or are there "more things then in your philosophy " going on ? What has turned the filming of an add for Lucilite very dark indeed?
DI Purbright and Miss Teatime are on hand to see if things come out in the wash.
Review scheduled for publication date.