Rating: 4/5
Review:
More Flaxborough fun
This is another very enjoyable instalment in Colin Watson's
Flaxborough chronicles. It's perhaps not
one of the very best, but it has Watson's characteristically brilliant dry wit,
excellent writing and comic but rather penetrating characterisation.
This time, some of Flaxborough's most respectable citizens
are indulging in paganism and licentious "rites," when one of their
number disappears and a mystery develops involving various of the town's
worthies. Watson uses this as always to
puncture pomposity and to poke fun at the self-deluding grandiosity of many of
his characters, while taking well aimed sideswipes at advertisers and their
nonsensical jargon, the behaviour of the press and, of course,
"devil-worship" and its associated pretensions.
It's a lot of fun, but the absurdity of the subject matter,
oddly, makes this a little less amusing for me than some of its
predecessors. Also some of Watson's
rather dodgy attitudes to women are rather more to the fore here, which I found
a little uncomfortable in places, and Miss Lucy Teatime makes only a brief
appearance, which is a slight disappointment.
Nonetheless, Watson's style is always a joy and the redoubtable
Purbright and Love remain a unmitigated pleasure as characters.
If you're not familiar with Watson, this may give you a flavour
of his style, as the slow-witted Chief Constable Chubb is informed of the
identity of a suspect. " 'But he's…' Mr Chubb was about to say
'vice-chairman of the Conservative Club' when he remembered his inspector's
perverse inclination to disregard the relevance of social lustre to a
presumption of innocence. 'But he's
married,' he said instead." If you
like that, you'll like Colin Watson's books.
Broomsticks Over Flaxborough isn't an absolute favourite
Flaxborough Mystery, but it's still a very enjoyable read and warmly
recommended.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
No comments:
Post a Comment