Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives

“In Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives, Rick Bleiweiss captures the tone and pace of early twentieth-century detective fiction, with a fresh new protagonist. The book’s clever mysteries, Holmesian language, and engaging ensemble will grab you from page one.” —Edwin Battistella, author of Dangerous, Crooked Scoundrels

“Extortion, theft, revenge, and murder fractalize into a dazzling kaleidoscope of crime in Rick Bleiweiss’s Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives. Taking over as chief police inspector of a not-so-sleeping English town circa 1910, Scorbion finds an unlikely investigative team in the denizens of Calvin Brown’s barbershop. The subterfuge begins Day One, but the action really heats up when a circus comes to town, touching off a three-ring spectacle of deception, detection, and deduction. Get comfortable in your favorite barber’s chair, turn the sign on the door to Closed, and draw the window shades, because it’s hard not to binge-read when the end of every chapter leaves you with another puzzle to solve. Bravo, Rick Bleiweiss!” —Robert Arellano, Edgar Award finalist and author of seven novels, including Havana Lunar: A Cuban Noir

“Bleiweiss’s Pignon Scorbion, the new (circa 1910) chief police inspector of the British hamlet of Haxford, is a splendidly unique addition to the list of entertainingly eccentric investigators who use brain over brawn. With a deductive prowess and penchant for precise couture that are more than a match for his contemporary Hercule Poirot, Scorbion prefers to solve his mysteries (here ranging from proof of parenthood to pig theft to bloody murder) in a barbershop, assisted by a young newshawk (his Watson), a trio of amusing tonsorial artists, and a bookseller as bright as she is beautiful. Good company. Good fun.” —Dick Lochte, Nero Wolfe Award winner and bestselling author of Blues in the Night

“This is a highly engaging read which will join the ranks of Richard Osman, Anthony Horowitz, and Fred Vargas for the eccentricities and singularly idiosyncratic personages portrayed here. It makes you long for the time when courtesy and respect, even toward potential criminals, was the most important order of the day. Let’s hope Pignon and his distinctive black-and-white shoes will be back soon, or preferably even earlier.” —Historical Novels Review

“Offers historical mystery buffs a whole new palate of slick ‘tonsorial sleuths’ plus the dapper Pignon Scorbion…Light in tone, gently acerbic in touches, the prose of famous rock star promoter and associate Rick Bleiweiss never fails to intrigue avid readers. Very highly recommended…A new mystery series that is not to be missed.” —Midwest Book Review

“A very fun read! It has the feel of an old school mystery a la Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle…I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the author’s characters. Pignon Scorbion is sure to become a favorite detective and perhaps even a classic character. I will definitely be reading future books in the series.” —Book Junkie Reviews

“Mood and setting matter in this period piece as we’re drawn to Pignon’s expertise—and hooked from the start…While reading this historical mystery novel, one relishes human nature set against simpler days, long before cell phones and DNA analysis.” —BookTrib.com

“Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives by Rick Bleiweiss is a delightful mystery filled with twists and turns. Detective Inspector Scorbion is a charming protagonist, and his barbershop detectives are a delight. I’m already looking forward to the next case.” —Shelley Shepard Gray, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

“This book has everything an Agatha Christie fan can want—a quirky Poirot-esque detective, a bucolic English village right before World War I, and a villain worthy of a master detective.” —Big Thrill

“Channeling a time of yore, and brilliantly ventriloquizing voices of a bygone era, debut crime novelist Rick Bleiweiss’s Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives hurls us back over a century to the fictional town of Haxford, England, to delight us with a sophisticated series of mysteries that evokes masters of the ‘cozy’ craft in the fin de siècle, revivifying their timelessly seductive sleuthing methods and bringing them startlingly back to life. There’s a wonderful prestidigitation in the writing and how it veneers an ancient period with a three-dimensional verisimilitude. Charmingly, and improbably, set in a barbershop, Bleiweiss’s Chief Inspector Pignon Scorbion is a true original, a private eye cast in the mold of Poirot and Holmes with a touch of his own sui generis foppishness, cunning, and cerebrally deductive crime-solving. Once the opening case of a disputed paternity jumpstarts a concatenation of cases, the novel speeds along at a page-blurring pace, always returning to the barbershop where a colorful cast of amateur sleuths aid Scorbion in his relentless quest for the truth. Rich in period characters, interlarded with deft twists and hairpin turns in its unfolding, fans nostalgic for the old-fashioned, but never outdated, whodunit will revel in this shimmering recreation of the genre and will no doubt be treated to a veritable cataract of Inspector Scorbion books in the years to come.” —Rex Pickett, New York Times bestselling author of Sideways

“Bleiweiss’s novel is a worthy addition in the tradition of Conan Doyle and Christie. Holmes and Poirot, please make room for Pignon Scorbion.” —Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of What You Break

“It’s adorable. I frequently laughed out loud while also envying Rick’s impeccable plotting. Hats off to him and his merry band of solvers. A superbly structured detective story in its own right, Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives is also a respectful, affectionate, and frequently very funny tribute to classic British detective fiction. It just might become a classic, itself." —Nancy Pickard, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Scent of Rain and Lightning

“This charming tale of the eccentric Chief Inspector Pignon Scorpion, artfully told in the style of the detective stories of old, will be sure to delight fans of Christie’s original Hercule Poirot series, as well as cozy mystery and historical fiction readers. I’ll be looking forward to more cases being solved by this delightful cast of colorful characters in the barbershop!” —Natasha Boyd, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, internationally bestselling and award-winning author of The Indigo Girl

“Bleiweiss’s entertaining debut introduces Chief Police Insp. Pignon Scorbion…Golden age fans appreciative of a light approach to traditional tropes will be eager for a sequel.” —Publishers Weekly

“The game is afoot, and the foot is firmly on the gas pedal in Rick Bleiweiss’s pawky, Sherlock-like mystery, Pignon Scorbion and the Barbershop Detectives. Driven by its razor-sharp title character (and joined by an often-hilarious host of deputized barbers) this case-cracking tale takes plenty of thrilling, genre-delighting twists and turns without ever running off the road. Bleiweiss writes with a cleverness that pleases rather than patronizes, and the observational powers of the percipient Inspector Scorbion rival those of any classic literary sleuth. Perfect for genre diehards and newcomers alike.” —James Wade, Spur Award–winning author of All Things Left Wild and River, Sing Out

“Fans of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes will love Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives. Get ready to be transported back to Edwardian England in this rousing tale of camaraderie and cerebral detective work. In an era before computers and DNA matching, an inspector’s intellect ruled the day. With no detail missed, no stone left unturned, Bleiweiss has crafted a detective who can crack even the toughest cases with flair!” —Andrews & Wilson, bestselling authors of Sons of Valor & Tier One