Hopjoy Was Here: Colin Watson.

[poliphilo]

There are twelve Flaxborough novels- published between 1958 and 1982- and I'm working my way through them in order of publication. Hopjoy Was Here is the third. They are part murder mystery, part provincial black comedy- elegantly written and sharply observed, with a healthy disrespect for all types of authority. Hopjoy- my favourite so far- supplements the usual satire of small town morals and manners with a loving send up of the Cold War spy story- with particular reference to the works of Ian Fleming. It also- we're talking about the detective element here- had me completely fooled.