Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780571253654
Farrago Publishing
176 Pages
Various Prices; $.99 Amazon
May 3, 2018 (Reprint)
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Leaping out from behind bushes at unsuspecting females, making lewd suggestions and, when challenged, scuttling away with odd off-balance leaps, he soon earns the nickname of the 'Flaxborough crab'. No one can identify him, and it turns out that quite a few older gentlemen have begun exhibiting over-familiar behavior around the opposite sex.
Suave Dr. Meadow knows more than he is letting on, yet how can Purbright, aided once again by the fragrant but dodgy Miss Lucy Teatime, get him to talk? Events take a darker turn before the ill-assorted pair succeed in catching their crab.
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When a staid librarian arrives at Detective Inspector Purbright’s office to relate a tale of being nearly assaulted while walking home (saved only by the fact that she managed to get a better grip on the gentleman than he was able to get on her) Purbright thinks it might be a one-time occurrence. And after all, with her description of the man sidling away, how many elderly men could their possibly be that fit that description, so it would be easy enough to capture him.
But, as it turns out, there are quite a few actually. In fact, Purbright is puzzled when there is another attack on a young girl who was saved by a passing doctor who seemed to take his time before calling the police. Dr. Meadows, the rescuer, seemed even less concerned because the girl was not injured, and he took a bit of time before even calling the police and then only at the girl's insistence; but Purbright also soon finds that when a respected alderman attacks his assistant and later dies in an accident that Dr. Meadows may know more than he is telling. Even so, he finds it interesting that at the inquest Dr. Meadows blames the alderman’s strange actions on an herbal drug called “Samson’s Salad”. He also learns that the herbal mix is being marketed by none other than Miss Lucilla Teatime, a con artist that Purbright has come in contact with before.
But is it the herbs that is causing the strange behavior in the elderly men or is it something else - something Dr. Meadows knows more about than he’s saying? When Dr. Meadows is later found dead in his surgery, Purbright is convinced the death was not a natural one; but proving that fact and finding out who killed him may be more difficult than even the intrepid Purbright ever imagined...
I truly enjoy this series, as I find Purbright a fascinating man. He senses things are not right when others say they are and he is usually the one who is correct. This time, he's after a bevy of elderly gentlemen who seem to be after women who are out in the evening - even taking to peeping in their windows. When he visits Dr. Meadows he professes to know nothing about these occurrences, but Purbright soon finds that his old friend Lucilla Teatime is involved in the situation.
Miss Teatime is involved indeed, but not in any nefarious dealings. She is the manufacturer of "Samson's Salad" which seems harmless enough; but once she speaks with Sergeant Love she gets a clearer idea that something may be afoot that can benefit her financially - Miss Teatime never misses an opportunity to fatten her purse.
But Purbright discovers that Dr. Meadows was killed because he knew more about the situation than he was telling, and with the coroner refusing to do an autopsy on the man he must find another way to prove it, and it is quite enjoyable to follow along as he conducts his investigation into a killer while watching Miss Teatime conduct her own.
When the end comes and we discover who the killer is and how it was done it is satisfying indeed. This is the sixth book in the series and I look forward to the next. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9S63HB/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2415494923
More on Colin Watson's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/colin-watson/
I truly enjoy this series, as I find Purbright a fascinating man. He senses things are not right when others say they are and he is usually the one who is correct. This time, he's after a bevy of elderly gentlemen who seem to be after women who are out in the evening - even taking to peeping in their windows. When he visits Dr. Meadows he professes to know nothing about these occurrences, but Purbright soon finds that his old friend Lucilla Teatime is involved in the situation.
Miss Teatime is involved indeed, but not in any nefarious dealings. She is the manufacturer of "Samson's Salad" which seems harmless enough; but once she speaks with Sergeant Love she gets a clearer idea that something may be afoot that can benefit her financially - Miss Teatime never misses an opportunity to fatten her purse.
But Purbright discovers that Dr. Meadows was killed because he knew more about the situation than he was telling, and with the coroner refusing to do an autopsy on the man he must find another way to prove it, and it is quite enjoyable to follow along as he conducts his investigation into a killer while watching Miss Teatime conduct her own.
When the end comes and we discover who the killer is and how it was done it is satisfying indeed. This is the sixth book in the series and I look forward to the next. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9S63HB/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2415494923
More on Colin Watson's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/colin-watson/
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