annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Murder in Haxford is the second book in a light historical cozy mystery series by Rick Bleiweiss. Released 21st Feb 2023 by Blackstone, it's 350 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a quirky Edwardian shopfront cozy with an ensemble cast of oddly charming characters, and none moreso than the titular newly arrived chief inspector Pignon Scorbion. He's a sartorial force-majeur (channeling his hero Monsieur Poirot) with a formidable intellect and backed up by a Greek chorus of barbershop employees, he sets his brain to solving highly outlandish crimes. In this case, he's untangling a ballooning accident with deadly consequences.
Although it's not derivative, stylistically I would place it in the same subgenre with Richard Osman and maybe Edmund Crispin. It's a bit farcical and pompous, but there are some smiles to be found here. I suspect it will engender delight or antipathy in readers and not much in between those two extremes. I found it charmingly silly in places and an engaging diverting light read. I'm looking forward to finding out what comes next. It's definitely a series I will continue to pick up and read as it's released. Readers will not have any trouble following the story if the book is read as a standalone. If it pleases, then the first book will also fit the bill as it's very much in the same vein.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.