Murder in Haxford: A Pignon Scorbion Mystery

Early in Bleiweiss’s charming sequel to 2022’s Pignon Scorbion and the Barbershop Detectives, likewise set in 1910 England, Police Chief Insp. Pignon Scorbion witnesses a tragedy at the Haxford Town Fair and Feast: the crash of a hot-air balloon. But the dead balloonist inside the smashed gondola didn’t perish from the fall—he was killed by an arrow to the chest. The case presents multiple puzzles, starting with the corpse’s identity. The woman who first identifies it as her husband changes her mind, and there’s no simple explanation as to how the murderer could have shot the fatal arrow while the balloon was aloft. Furthermore, only six balloons were scheduled to fly that day; the downed one constituted a seventh. Scorbion, aided by his eccentric group of amateur investigators who congregate at Calvin Brown’s Barbershop, including a crime reporter, a printing press mechanic, and a bookstore owner, seek to get to the bottom of the multiple mysteries. Bleiweiss keeps things breezy while making it fair for readers to anticipate the solution. Golden age fans will be pleased. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Feb.)