Are there really nuns running around naked in Flaxborough? Suspicious, coded letters have been received by the police which point to a murder soon to be committed in Flaxborough. Word comes down to Inspector Purbright and he begins the thankless search for who the victim is to be. Meanwhile, a local businessman receives a threatening letter. He is offered protection but doesn’t seem to take the situation very seriously. Then there’s the suspicious character who turns up at Miss Teatime’s. A friend of a friend he claims to be, but when his dark past comes to light he is suspect #1. When it all comes to a head, all the answers will be revealed.
This is book 8 in the Flaxborough Mysteries series. I think this is my least favorite story so far. While the writing is classic Colin Watson, I found the story overall to be kind of messy and it felt like it could have been structured a little better. That being said, all my favorite characters are back: Inspector Purbright, Seargeant Love, Miss Teatime and Chief Constable Chubb. The secondary characters didn’t seem as compelling as in some of the other books. Overall, I found this one a little disappointing.
Alinefromabook’s rating: 
3.5 stars!
Happy Reading!
Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads
Oh, that’s a pity! I don’t remember this one which probably means I only read it once way back in the dim, distant past. But I do know I felt the series fell away a bit towards the end, although I think you still have a couple of pretty good ones to go. The middle ones were always my favourites.
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I figured that with a series this long there was bound to be at least one dud. It wasn’t terrible, just not as captivating as the others.
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