{"title":"Colin Watson Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrowse the books by Colin Watson we have in stock, second-hand, in paperback and hardback. Mostly crime and thrillers, as well as fiction. Every book ships from our own UK warehouse. Free UK delivery on orders of £10 or more.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"naked-nuns","title":"Naked Nuns","description":"\u003cp\u003eHumourous mystery set in the little village of Flaxborough.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1975\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 175\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eyre Methuen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780413452504\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Eyre Methuen","offers":[{"title":"Poor Condition — £754.80","offer_id":47900640510129,"sku":"SB-0413452506-C4","price":754.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0413452506.jpg?v=1789671743"},{"product_id":"one-mans-meat","title":"One Man's Meat","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1983\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Methuen Publishing Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0413516903\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Methuen","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £12.74","offer_id":47911328383153,"sku":"SB-0413516903-C3","price":12.74,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0413516903.jpg?v=1789622467"},{"product_id":"lonelyheart-4122","title":"Lonelyheart 4122","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the earliest of the Flaxborough novels, containing the debut of Lucilla Teatime, the genteelest crook in circulation, and good work by Inspector Purbright and Sid Love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1984\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Methuen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780413554901\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Methuen","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47911329366193,"sku":"SB-0413554902-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0413554902.jpg?v=1789443342"},{"product_id":"the-flaxborough-crab","title":"The Flaxborough Crab","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Flaxborough Crab was first published in 1969, although its title in the US was Just What the Doctor Ordered, and is the sixth novel in the Flaxborough series. H. R. F. Keating, in his critical study Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books, praised the 'solidity of Watson's Flaxborough saga.' Watson, Keating said, 'created in his imaginary Flaxborough a place it is not preposterous to compare with the creation of Arnold Bennett in his classic Five Towns novels, or even perhaps with William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County'. All twelve of Colin Watson's 'Flaxborough Chronicles' were set in this fictional town that could be found somewhere in the East of England and it is home to 15,000 inhabitants that appear, on the surface at least, to be bland and conservative, but as the novels show appearances can be deceiving. . . . Raising another flower - a lank, brownish-yellow affair - Miss Pollock deliberately avoided the leading contestant's eye and looked appealingly to the further part of her audience. 'Now, what about some of you other ladies? Wouldn't you like to have a try?''Old Man's Vomit,' snapped the omniscient Mrs. Crunkinghorn. 'You don't want to hold that too near your dress, me dear.'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1977\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 175\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eyre Methuen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780417017600\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Eyre Methuen","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £44.27","offer_id":47911384318129,"sku":"SB-041701760X-C3","price":44.27,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/041701760X.jpg?v=1789283021"},{"product_id":"the-naked-nuns-a-flaxborough-mystery","title":"The Naked Nuns (A Flaxborough Mystery)","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Two naked nuns available in Philadelphia' is the strangest cable ever to come to Flaxborough. Inspector Purbright, who has coped with a few odd things in his time, finds it opens a rich lode of skullduggery, deceit and sudden death.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Faber \u0026amp; Faber, Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780571255030\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Faber \u0026 Faber, Limited","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £82.61","offer_id":47912239661233,"sku":"SB-0571255035-C3","price":82.61,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0571255035.jpg?v=1789449951"},{"product_id":"the-flaxborough-crab-the-flaxborough-novels","title":"The Flaxborough Crab (The Flaxborough novels)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"I'm a bee,\" said the voice in the darkness. \"I want to pollinate you. I'd like to lift your petals.\" Mrs Pasquith was the latest victim of the Flaxborough sex-fiend, although her ordeal was vocal rather than physical. There had been three incidents, all at night and with one common factor. In each case the attacker was described as \"running sideways\", almost like a crab. The virtue of Flaxborough's womanhood must be protected so Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love get to work. Soon they are surprised to find themselves dealing with a certain Miss Lucilla Teatime...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1991\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 175\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mandarin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780749306656\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mandarin","offers":[{"title":"Poor Condition — £754.80","offer_id":47913827074225,"sku":"SB-0749306653-C4","price":754.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0749306653_94ef2fe7-2545-44a0-9d98-ba66f7178f3a.jpg?v=1789301831"},{"product_id":"hopjoy-was-here-volume-3-a-flaxborough-mystery","title":"Hopjoy Was Here: Volume 3 (A Flaxborough Mystery)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe gripping sight of four burly policemen manhandling a bath down the front path of a respectable villa isn't one the residents of Flaxborough see every day.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNet curtains twitch furiously, and neighbours have observations to make to Chief Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love about the inhabitants of 14, Beatrice Avenue. Nice Gordon Periam, the mild-mannered tobacconist, and his rather less nice (in fact a bit of a bounder) lodger Brian Hopjoy had apparently shared the house amicably.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut now neither man is to be found and something very disagreeable seems to be lurking in the drains... Then a couple of government spooks turn up, one with an eye for the ladies - the drama is acquiring overtones of a Bond movie!\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWitty and a little wicked, Colin Watson's tales offer a mordantly entertaining cast of characters and laugh-out-loud wordplay.\u003c\/p\u003e What people are saying about the Flaxborough series: \u003cp\u003e“Colin Watson wrote the best English detective stories ever. They work beautifully as whodunnits but it's really the world he creates and populates ... and the quality of the writing which makes these stories utterly superior.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“The Flaxborough Chronicles are satires on the underbelly of English provincial life, very well observed, very funny and witty, written with an apt turn of phrase ... A complete delight.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“If you have never read Colin Watson - start now. And savour the whole series.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Light-hearted, well written, wickedly observed and very funny - the Flaxborough books are a joy. Highly recommended.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“How English can you get? Watson's wry humour, dotty characters, baddies who are never too bad, plots that make a sort of sense. Should I end up on a desert island Colin Watson's books are the ones I'd want with me.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“A classic of English fiction... Yes, it is a crime novel, but it is so much more. Wonderful use of language, wry yet sharp humour and a delight from beginning to end.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Re-reading it now, I am struck by just how many laugh-out-loud moments it contains. A beautifully written book.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“As always, hypocricy and skulduggery are rife, and the good do not necessarily emerge triumphant. Set aside plenty of time to read this book - you won't want to put it down once you've started it!”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Colin Watson writes in such an understated, humorous way that I follow Inspector Purbright's investigation with a smile on my face from start to finish.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“If you enjoy classic mysteries with no graphic violence and marvellously well drawn characters then give the Flaxborough series a try - you will not be disappointed.”\u003c\/p\u003e Editorial reviews: \u003cp\u003e“Watson has an unforgivably sharp eye for the ridiculous.” New York Times\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Flaxborough is Colin Watson's quiet English town whose outward respectability masks a seething pottage of greed, crime and vice ... Mr Watson wields a delightfully witty pen dripped in acid.” Daily Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Arguably the best of comic crime writers, delicately treading the line between wit and farce ... Funny, stylish and good mysteries to boot.” Time Out\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“A great lark, full of preposterous situations and pokerfaced wit.” Cecil Day-Lewis\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“One of the best. As always with Watson, the writing is sharp and stylish and wickedly funny!” Literary Review\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The rarest of comic crime writers, one with the gift of originality.\" Julian Symons\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Flaxborough, that olde-worlde town with Dada trimmings.” Sunday Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/colin-watson-books\"\u003eColin Watson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Duckworth Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781788420181\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Duckworth Books","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47917213810865,"sku":"SB-1788420187-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1788420187_12c5bd2a-afc3-46b2-88a1-92dfa10ec77a.jpg?v=1790307540"}],"url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/collections\/colin-watson-books.oembed","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}