Bump in the Night (Flaxborough Chronicles, #2)

by Colin Watson

Detective Inspector Purbright of the Flaxborough police force is used to a life of quietude in a small market town, yet he knows that behind the outward respectability of typical English communities a darker underbelly of greed, crime and corruption lurks.

Chalmsbury, a neighbouring town to Flaxborough, has been experiencing a series of explosions that have destroyed many of the town's monuments. Explosives have even gone missing from the Flaxborough civil defence centre and Purbright is seconded to the baffled Chalmsbury police force to help them discover the culprit.

When one of the locals is killed Purbright is forced to delve into the community of eccentric residents in a desperate hunt for the killer and finds that, like Flaxborough, Chalmsbury is every bit as rich in genteel assassination.

First published in 1960 Bump in the Night is Colin Watson's second book in the Flaxborough series.

'He has all the virtues one looks for in a crime novel: a gift for writing dialogue, a sense of character, a style which moves from easy flippancy to positive grace.' Julian Symons

• ISBN10: 0413553809
• ISBN13: 9780413553805
• Publish Date: 12 July 1984
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 15 November 1991
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Mandarin
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

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

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.