This is another installment in the Flaxborough series by Colin Watson, and while the plot does not live up to past novels, the characters and the characters and the banter do not disappoint. This book may have something for everyone, but would have been better to edit some plot lines out and explore the remaining ones further. For instance, the businessman with shady dealings decides to hire the best efficiency experts he can find to run an analysis on his hotel/club/cathouse in the back business without a real explanation why, or without what I was really looking for, a glimpse at their final report! also the confusion over the phrase "naked nuns" is introduced early, really disappears for a while and is briefly explained in the denouement. But frankly, I don't read these for the plots. The witty dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny and the characters remain quirky, funny and I want to keep reading more of them.
If you're looking for an Agatha Christie type of murder mystery, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a fun quick read that will put a smile on your face, pick up this book or any Flaxborough mystery.

More trouble for Flaxborough in the 8th book in the series.

A contentious boat race leads 2 of the town's leaders almost to blows. Nighttime escapades show the naked frolicking of a town leader, his friend, and two working girls to the neighbors. A mysterious note from the states promises "naked nuns" and a paid "hit". An old friend of the series welcomes an "olive oil importer" to town. Eventually, a brutal murder occurs. What is happening in this quaint and usually quiet British town?

The town characters are well-utilized in the Naked Nuns for those already familiar with the series. However, for newbies, this is not the place to start. One character shown is the answer to a previous book's mystery-ruining the ending for anyone reading this first. There are many characters introduced in the first few chapters that will be confusing for newcomers. The trademark dark humor is not as obvious as in previous books. The murder occurs near the end. Overall, not one of the best books in the series. 3 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Farrago Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Things are heating up in the quiet town of Flaxborough. Arnold Hatch, owner of the Floradora Club, and his wife Sophie have a "friendly" competition going on with Harry Crispin and his housekeeper, Millicent Spain. Crispin puts in a large swimming pool, so the Hatch household extends their own pool to keep up. Mr. and Mrs. Hatch put in a light sensitive remote control to close their bedroom drapes at night, so Crispin flashes his car's high beams at the windows to open the drapes after bedtime. Small town life can be like that, right?

But when authorities in America contact the constable's office with a warning that a hitman may be on his way to take out an unknown target, it seems the rivalry may be heating up. Inspector Purbright and his staff make inquiries, but no one seems to know who the target might be. When a strange American arrives, it seems he may have some answers, but he's not sharing. And what in the world are the telegrams about naked nuns referring to? Nothing is adding up and someone could soon be dead.

As usual, Purbright plugs away at the investigation until he finally makes sense of it all. With the help of Sid and the other constables, and even some assistance from the ever busy Mrs. Teatime, he does find out what it all means and amuses readers along the way with his humor and his gentle teasing of his supervisor. The various personalities in the town are stereotypical while still having some individuality to keep things interesting.

This is not the "little grey cells" approach of Poirot, but police procedure mixed with small town society and foibles. Perfect for mystery lovers who are looking for a more leisurely pace to reaching the solution and enjoying the journey.

The Naked Nuns is another excellently written, very enjoyable Flaxborough mystery – the eighth in the series. As always, the mystery is well done and quite quirky, but the chief pleasure is Colin Watson's dry, witty and beautifully written take on his characters and the milieu they inhabit.

This time, there's a feud between two prosperous local businessmen, some dodgy goings-on at the club owned by one of them and anonymous letters from the USA warning of an impending "hit" in Flaxborough. Watson has a lot of fun skewering the absurd use of language by Management Consultants, the shallow fakery around "mediaeval-themed" events and so on, plus some amusing involvement by American gangsters and the now traditional cameo appearance by the magnificent Miss Lucilla Teatime. Eventually, after some engineered mayhem during a "Mediaeval Banquet" at the club, a body turns up and the redoubtable Purbright and Love work on the case.

It's classic Flaxborough. Although perhaps not one of Watson's very best, it's readable, involving and hugely entertaining. Personally, I'd recommend beginning at the start of this series with Coffin, Scarcely Used and reading them in order, but this will work as a one-off, too. Whichever you choose, this is warmly recommended.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

There is a rivalry between businessmen Henry Crispin and Arnold Hatch. Nothing too outstanding, however, until a dead body is found. On the job are DI Purbright and Sergeant Love. Whether or not the murder has to do with the gentlemen, or the new man on the town. Then there is the curious telegram from America referring to naked nuns. DI Purbright and DS Love are feverishly struggling to expose the nefarious acts while trying to restore calm to the what should be the lovely town of Flaxborough.

With an excellent cast of characters, a terrific mystery and an excellent bite of British humor, this is an excellent part of the series. It may seem odd to mention, but when reading English authors like Watson, who have a powerful control of language, it makes the books more enjoyable. Especially since I am reading these review titles on my Kindle and can simply click unfamiliar words that I can add to my own vocabulary.

Many thanks to Farrago and to NetGalley for this ARC to review.

Colin Watson is absolutely amazing in the way her wanders and meanders through a mystery to a finally surprising end. The character development is quite endearing with his touch of humour. Admittedly it sometimes takes awhile to get into the story, but it really is a happy and enjoyable ride.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for an advance copy of The Naked Nuns, the eighth novel in the Flaxborough Chronicles series of police procedurals, originally published in 1974.

Yet again life in Flaxborough is far from dull. A feud between local businessmen Harry Crispin and Arnold Hatch results in imaginative revenge and where does the telegram from America mentioning naked nuns fit in? Is it white slavery as Ms Ryland suspects or something else? Then there is a murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Naked Nuns which is, in my opinion, the best novel in the series so far. It had me crying with laughter and baffled by the whodunnit aspect. The whole novel is delicious. Mr Watson sets the scene wonderfully with the mysterious telegram and the funniest description of middle class pretension I have ever read, with a group of local dignitaries waiting in Mrs Hatch's bedroom for an event. My mind was running wild with possibilities but I would never have imagined the irony of what it was although it was distracted by the deadly humour of the bedroom fittings which sum up the aspirations of the 70s to a T. Masterful.

Inspector Purbright is getting smarter as the series progresses. In this novel he sees clearly and quickly gets to the nub of the matter. His handling of rather dim Chief Constable Chubb is clever and again very amusing. The ambiguous Ms Lucilla Teatime makes another timely appearance and her interactions with Inspector Purbright are another source of amusement as they're all veiled hints and inferences. The solution is outrageous and highly amusing. I applaud Mr Watson's ingenuity in creating such a comedy of manners from a relatively simple concept.

The Naked Nuns is an excellent read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

What creative author! Colin Watson amazes me as to what he can think up for plots involving his town of Flaxborough and their police force. His use of imagery in the words that he uses applies also to his themes. In this book he uses flowers and lighting in all of his cleverness. It is a joy when one finds them in his books. I liked his Mrs. Shooter character. She reminded me of a Charles Dickens character in temperament. In spite of all the stories in this book, it did have a plausible ending.

A hit-man... in Flaxborough?!

Another fine romp that undercuts the respectability of a small English town. Watson is on good form here with some brilliant comic scenes. There's more detecting than in some of the books, and it's always a delight to spend time with Inspector Purbright, Sid Love and the divine Miss Teatime. Stellar switch-off reading.

Watson’s classics require careful attention. There are always several intertwined plots going on, and the careless reader risks losing the thread, but attention is rewarded with a clever ending. You will enjoy getting to know the good people of Flaxborough!

DI Purbright and Searjent Love are "going fishing " for a "wheel ",Miss Teatime is along for the ride too .

Beware! There are no naked nuns in Flaxborough! And the title is not the only example of misdirection.

The Mafia hits town in the person of one Joe Tudor but this being Colin Wilson you know that all will not be simple. There is a lot of mayhem and “goings-on”… and one very violent crime.

Inspector Purbright, with a little help from an eagle-eyed constable, solves the murder of yet another resident. The victim, a nouveau-riche businessman, has been involved in long-running rivalry with a local councillor, their personal feud fuelled by one-upmanship.

There are hilarious scenes in which gadgetry goes wrong and a medieval banquet is invaded by “Vikings”. There is some fun at the expense of business efficiency experts.

This is well-written and effective satire on the manners and morals of small-town England in the 1970’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago (Prelude Books Ltd.) for the digital review copy.