Winter Reading 2018 Hopjoy Was Here (Flaxborough Chronicles #3)

First published 60 years ago in England, the Flaxborough Chronicles feature Inspector Purbright in the quiet town of Flaxborough. This third outing of Purbright has the Inspector looking into the mysterious disappearance of a boarder in a local household. An anonymous letter arrives at the police station tells of a loud altercation in the house, and when constables go to check on the inhabitants, no one can be found. But there are plenty of forensic clues - blood stains, acid burns, odd substances in the drains, something buried in the garden... Whatever happened, the police hope some of these traces will lead to answers. The government has even sent two agents in to assist with the investigation, so it seems the locals will get some help. 

Readers have already met some of Purbright's fellows on the force: Chief Constable Chubb, Detective Sergeant Love, Sergeant Malley the coroner's officer, among others. But now there is an addition to the cast of characters, Mr. Warlock from the forensic science lab. Remember, this is no modern CSI or NCIS installation, but their ancestor of 60 years ago. Drain contents can give rough answers, but not clear enough to solve things. But Purbright continues as he always does, with quiet persistence and an understanding of the inhabitants that serves him just as well as all the skills the government agents have at their disposal. After all, what do they know about busybody neighbors, odd pilferage, pool sharks, and betting parlors? Their forte lies in eastern European interrogation techniques and Cold War intelligence gathering.

Readers who enjoy Miss Marple and mysteries set in small English towns full of eccentric residents will welcome having this series drawn to their attention.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.