A “folklore” society is a cover for a group engaging in black magic in Flaxborough, that den of suburban iniquity. Nasty, scary items are being left here and there.
And then a woman disappears, along with the manager of the local grocery. Are these interconnected? Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love once again solve the crime, while casually uncovering some unsavory local activity. Miss Teatime contributes some valuable information based on her intensive knowledge of the locals.
This book is one of the funniest I’ve ever read. Colin Watson’s writing is acerbic and very much to the point, while not ignoring the farcical side of life. ( )

Do we read Colin Watson for the story or the silliness? Both probably. This one definitely is on the silly side. Mr. Watson seems to have attended an advertising convention while writing this book because there are whole pages devoted to making fun of an idiotic jargon-spouting laundry promotion campaign. The campaigners find the body so that's the link to the plot, but really these guys are there just to provide comedy.

Miss Lucilla Teatime makes another appearance and, can it be that she is flirting with DI Purbright?

The witchcraft plot is a bit murky and seems mainly a way for locals to justify orgies. As for the murder? Well, it's up to the dark gods to explain.

I received a review copy of "Broomsticks Over Flaxborough" by Colin Watson (Farrago) through NetGalley.com. It was originally published by Eyre Methuen Publishing Ltd, London in 1972 and has been reissued several times by Methuen and others. This Farrago edition is dated 2018. ( )

There are a group of people in Flaxborough who consider themselves witches and warlocks (but are probably in reality just wanting to have regular orgies) under the guise of a folklore society...

When a couple of schoolboys find an abandoned vehicle with womens' clothing inside they anonymously call the police. What is discovered is that the car belongs to a missing woman and during the investigation it is discovered that this woman was the mistress of a Mr. Persimmons, who has also become missing. At first the police simply think that they have run away together, but then the body of Mr. Persimmon is discovered and a mysterious mask washes up in the river that makes DI Purbright rethink his initial conclusion...

A local reverend calls the police because there have been desecrations in his church and when they arrive they find odd things - corpses of a frog, a mouse, and what appears to be an effigy of the poor reverend. They also discover that the reverend is part of group of four men who are concerned with the seemingly satanic worshippers and trying to help those that have been affected.

But it is from an unlikely source - one of a group of women who are working for a company promoting "Lucillite" - a product that makes your wash the brightest it's ever been - that gives them the break they have been looking for and it's not too long after that, with the help of intrepid Sergeant Love, that Purbright is able to put the clues together and find the truth of the matter..

Again we visit the village of Flaxborough where this time the mysterious goings on of a group of devil worshippers is about to be discovered. It is only when a young woman disappears and the body of a man is discovered that brings things to the attention of the police, and their activities are about to be laid bare for all of England to see.

Purbright delights me. He is an intelligent man who, with the help of his faithful Sergeant Sid Love and his other officers, manages to glean bits and pieces of information and put them together in a truly impressive manner. This time out they are searching for a coven that has apparently committed murder and are brazen enough to believe they can get away with it. Unfortunately, they don't count on the resolute DI Purbright, who is as good a detective as they come.

It is indeed a pleasure reading about the investigation and how thorough Purbright's crew is; at the end he masterfully creates what is nothing more than a coordinated raid on some of them to bring out the murderer into the open, and I was truly surprised by the result. It is always satisfying to see the unexpected become the truth.

When the book was finished and everything came together nicely, the tale was absorbing and written well; my only disappointment is that the author is deceased and when I am done with the series there will be no more. Highly recommended. ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I requested this one as it was the next in a series I have been enjoying without reading the blurb - that turned out to be a mistake. This instalment concerns a black magic/folklore/"Old Religion" society and a related death and disappearance. The humorous tone of the narration of this series didn't really work for me in conjunction with this subject matter. The opening scene at the "Revel" was over-long and confusing. The parts devoted to the Lucellite advertising campaign were arch and so dull that I skimmed them. The conclusion contained so many twists and turns that I'm not entirely sure I grasped the finer details of what exactly happened? What was the plan for the long term fate of Miss Hillyard?

Miss Teatime was superb as ever. ( )

At a ritual dance of a modern coven of witches, a young woman who was selected by the "master" for intimacy vanishes, and the police become involved. The humor is in the contrast of he background of the country gentlefolk who form the coven and their attempt at pagan rituals. ( )