The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh

The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh ISBN-13: 9781464207464 Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: July 4, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Prince’s College, Cambridge, is a peaceful and scholarly community, enlivened by Prudence Pinsent, the Master’s daughter. One fine morning she sets out for Suffolk to join her cousin Lord Wellende for a few days’ hunting. On the way Prudence encounters Captain Studde of the coastguard. Studde is on the trail of a drug smuggling ring that connects Wellende Hall with the cloistered world of Cambridge. He asks for Prudence's help in unraveling who is distributing the drugs, but will she help since her friends or family may be involved?


My Review:
The Incredible Crime is a romance which involves a mystery about who's smuggling drugs into the country. It was originally published in 1931 and is set in England. There were several different viewpoint characters, but young, independent Prudence seemed to be the main character.

An arrogant, rude man decides that he wants to court her, so he makes himself look more presentable and is mildly pleasant towards her. He's brilliant, so Prudence is told it's a great match and she should be flattered--and, amazingly, she is. At the end, he's still arrogant and has a temper, but that didn't seem to matter.

We also get descriptions of life at Cambridge and about fox hunts. And there is a mystery, it just didn't seem like the main point of the story. Near the beginning, a maid tells Prudence what has been going on, then Prudence happens to witness a few other clues. She comes to the obvious conclusion and decides not to help the police. Romance and fox hunts happen. Then there's a twist, which was also implied from the start. Still, the solution to the mystery will probably be a surprise.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this story because it was an interesting look at the time period, but don't expect a puzzle mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.