This is, unfortunately, just a "it's OK, I guess" kind of book. I love a university setting (which this just gives us a waft of) and I always find drugs elements in Golden Age novels to be kind of funny? It's giving "weed is a gateway drug" and pearl clutching and THE DOWNFALL OF YOUTH. I couldn't stand the male love interest and Prudence is a pick-me/I'm not like all the other girls character and that made me itchy. Not a recommend really but nice enough for a plane journey, I think.

The books in this publication series are always a wild mixture for me. Some i absolutely love some i really don't enjoy and as the case with this one, i just don't really feel a huge amount with. Its neither a bad one nor a especially great one. Its a good enough read, its entertaining and engaging in many ways but also sometimes slow and a bit boring.
Overall a good enough book but not the best one in this series.

I am passing on reviewing this book as I didn't care for it and I don't like trashing a book through reviews.

This is a very dated novel, and although there are some interesting aspects, overall it's something of a disappointment.

Like her more famous and prolific contemporaries, [[ASIN:B004MP5KJA Patricia Wentworth]] and [[ASIN:B00MBVBDMA Mavis Doriel Hay]], Lois Austen-Leigh has a firmly Victorian outlook, 75 years out of date at the time she wrote. Unlike those two, she does not view her Jazz Age and Depression-era characters with indulgent disapproval, she seems to regard her own era as a superficial fad (with the single exception I can find of hairstyles, in which she endorses unbound hair for young women and a short hair, clean shaven look for men, but not so far as allowing men hair oil or cream).

While nearly all Golden Age mysteries contain sexual, racial and class attitudes that would be considered hate crimes to hold today, you will seldom find them expressed so deeply and unconsciously. The heroine is a spirited Victorian lass waiting to be tamed by an autocratic older man, despite her flapperish habits of smoking cigarettes, cheering for rugby teams, and driving her own car. You have to accept the concepts of breeding and class, not as social conventions, but as real physical forces. It goes beyond genetics, a thoroughly English gentleman and professor is nonetheless tainted by foreign travel, his face is "tanned permanently by hotter suns than ever shone on the British Isles." A great war hero who "ought to have a string of Victoria Crosses," is consigned to the honorless-but-useful classes because he was born in Canada (although he would have been knighted had he been born in England).

There are three things that make this book delightful. The biggest one is a skill of the author that she shares with her four-times removed first cousin Jane Austen. Lois Austen-Leigh cannot match Jane's literary style and creativity, but she immediately draws the reader into the illusion that she is sharing a private ironic insight into events. There are many ironic authors, of course, but both Austen ladies had a very rare ability to make each reader feel as if a private conversation had taken place with the author. You can read Shakespeare or Dickens or Greene without any thought about the author or any illusion that you know him personally or that you have a unique insight into the work; but it's impossible to read Jane Austen or her cousin the same way.

The second wonderful feature of this book is the absurdist satire of genre fiction including gothic horror, romance, mystery, espionage thriller and science fiction. Elements are gleefully drawn from each and woven into a story that is as satisfying as it is ridiculous. There are ghosts in armor stomping through secret passages and ancient evil magic and mysterious doings on obscure waterways leading to hidden underground rooms; but the next morning is a fox hunt and cheerful tea with mannered flirtation. There are mysterious and dangerous scientific discoveries and superspies and social dilemmas. There are rustic neighbors and common room debates and hidden relations. There are comic misunderstandings on every level. None of it makes the slightest bit of sense but the story never seems random, each chapter follows naturally from the last. Moreover, the author manages to top it all off with an explanation even more absurd than anything leading up to it, yet it is both logical and a satisfying resolution to all the threads.

Finally, the book has interest as accurate descriptions of settings that were Golden Age mystery standbys including manor house gatherings, fox hunts, university life and common room quarrels (plus some others that were not standbys such as rugby matches and coast guard activities). Most other Golden Age authors had limited experience with these things, or knew them only in their 20th century holdover forms. Lois Austen-Leigh clearly lived in and enjoyed these milieus in their heydays, and the reality is different form the stereotypes. The descriptions are neither romanticized nor second-hand, they are a willing participant's account of what these things actually felt like.

I recommend this book both for the pleasure of reading it, and for its historical accuracy about a vanished culture that was very important to the evolution of the 20th century world, but is preserved mainly in stylized form in literature.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, with the connections to Jane Austen and the fact that I love stories from the golden age of crime. However, this book was a let down. It was overly descriptive with little plot and I skimmed most of it.

Much is made in the introduction to this reissued Golden Age novel that Lois Austen-Leigh is the granddaughter of Jane Austen's nephew. And there were moments, reading this, that I caught a glimpse of the wit and language style of Jane, and wondered whether she was doing it on purpose for a few minutes here and there the thought did cross my mind that this was a bit like the sort of mystery Jane Austen would write, with wit and romance and cleverness. (It had the kind of cursing JA might have used had she been writing a hundred or so years later: "and what the something something ’ave yer to do with me?" Heh.)

But … the cleverness of the book seemed to falter in the delivery of the actual mystery, the "incredible crime". In fact, I had a bit of trouble figuring out exactly what was meant as the "incredible crime". There was a lot of circumlocution about smuggling drugs in the style of all the stories of past centuries, and a lot of exploration of whether it was sporting or not (which, the consensus was, it was when it was rum or such being smuggled, but not when it's drugs), and who was involved, and was it okay if the drugs weren't going to be marketed, and wait really who was involved … I was a bit – pardon the pun – at sea for big chunks of the book.

One reason for my state of <I>I have no idea what's going on</i> was – I admit it. I skimmed parts of it, because there were a chunk devoted to my old nemesis, bridge, and several chunks spent on my new nemesis: fox hunting. I mean, I'm largely ignorant of fox-hunting – my impression being of rich and bored people riding roughshod over the countryside and people's crops chasing a pack of hounds which are chasing a fox, jumping over fences, falling off occasionally, and, in the end, watching as the dogs tear the fox to pieces? I could be wrong. I'm sure there's much more to it. Heaven knows the reverence with which the process was treated in this book indicates a deep culture behind the … sport. All I can say as a 20-21st century American is that when a character asks "Does it convey what it should to you, when I tell you that in five days’ hunting the hounds have made one six-mile point—point, Harry, and two seven-mile points?" I could only say "No".

There is some extremely uncomfortable pre-feminism … stuff, particularly in men's attitude toward silly and untrustworthy women ("Prudence’s first impulse was to point out to him the unwisdom of belittling the trustworthiness of women in general, to the woman he apparently proposed to trust"). I was mildly dismayed by the way Prudence, the initially strong and capable woman at the heart of the story, went down a rather <I>Taming of the Shrew</i> path. But at least she didn't ride astride when she hunted.

I don't know. I liked parts. There was some nice atmosphere, some nice characterization, some very enjoyable writing … but my mental image of the plot is of a huge tangle of that really fuzzy kind of yarn that loses its integrity in places and just becomes a puff. Was there smuggling? Of what? Who was that spy fellow, and could he be trusted? Who could be trusted at all? Was the puppy okay? And who killed the man who died very late in the plot, and why? It was a mess.

One note which might help the modern, baffled reader: "sported his oak" means "shut his door to indicate he wasn't 'in' to visitors". I must have seen that in the past – I must just never have looked it up before.

Quote I enjoyed:
"This is a very serious allegation that you are making,” said Colonel Marton hoarsely. “Do you quite realize what you are saying, I wonder?"
It was quite obvious that Mary did. “I don’t know about no alligators,” she said cautiously…

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

The author was what caught my attention with this novel. Described in the introduction as follows: “The granddaughter of Jane Austen’s favorite nephew, Lois Austen-Leigh purportedly wrote her novels on the very writing desk at which her famous relative penned her masterpieces… Published in 1931, The Incredible Crime is the first of the four critically acclaimed novels Austen-Leigh published during the Golden Age, that period of crime fiction spanning the period between the two world wars.” Quite the remarkable introduction to an author of whom I hadn’t even heard!

The novel, sadly, didn’t quite live up to my hope of being the next Jane Austen, Barbara Peters or Carola Dunn but it was definitely readable. The mystery was more gentle than I anticipated and Prudence wasn’t the mystery-solver I hoped. The country habit of fox-hunting was alive and well in 1931 and, as an animal lover, this part of the story was a little distressing. There are no graphic descriptions to fear but there are a lot of foxes being chased, the whole hunt is a large part of the story. My favourite part is the romance thread that weaves throughout, its elegantly written and the dialogue engaging. The pacing is good and it’s an absorbing reading.

It’s a solid 3 on the en-JOY-ment scale and, hopefully if Poisoned Pen Press keeps publishing these novels, I’ll give another one of her novels a go!

The Incredible Crime was the first of Poisoned Pen Press's British Library Crime Classic that disappointed me. My decision wasn’t influenced by comparing Lois Austen-Leigh to her illustrious relative. Instead it was the convoluted path the mystery took in combination with the bizarre insta-love that the heroine falls into with the Professor (once he has a haircut and gets his teeth fixed), that turned me off.

The novel was technically well written, but shallow. Prudence starts out as unconventional and strong-willed, but when faced with a man she suddenly melts and is willing to be subject to his command. Admittedly, it is in keeping with the mores of the times, but it didn't appeal to me. Prudence is also remarkably shortsighted and slightly dim compared to the male characters. Other writers of the time produced stronger, more formidable and intelligent heroines. The Incredible Crime was not a horrible novel, but it didn't appeal to me as a woman or a mystery lover. Unlike many British Library Crime Classics, The Incredible Crime did not age well.


3 / 5


I received a copy of The Incredible Crime from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


--Crittermom

Thank you for the opportunity, but I'm not able to post a positive review of this book. While I typically love this genre and period, and wouldn't mind reading others by this author, this particular book has not stood up to the test of time well--and certainly doesn't merit the almost over-the-top introduction.
(Update: Rest of notes edited out at publisher' request to avoid potential 'spoilers.')

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. Thank you.

When I saw this book had been written by Lois Austen-Leigh how could I possibly resist? Even if it was just to find out the quality of the writing that would have been enough, but to see it listed as a mystery as well, ah - just no way to pass that up. So, was I impressed with the writing talent of the granddaughter of Jane Austen's favorite nephew? Yes I was. I was also pleased that the writing was so good that I eventually forgot to even think about comparisons between the two writing styles. They don't come close to being the same and that's just fine.

The story was first published in 1931 and takes place in Cambridge, Prince's College, and one of the venerable old country estates located in Suffolk with the mandatory resident ghostly presence. But is the manor house really haunted or is that just atmosphere being used by the author to heighten the interest of readers? The story takes place during the time between the World Wars, but politics isn't a driving force of the plot. Instead we have smuggling and the questions of who might be smuggling, what they might be smuggling, and how the police will ever penetrate far enough into the rarified air of the inner workings of college and the inner halls of a very private home. The main character is a young woman of independent nature and extreme loyalty to family and friends. Prudence must discover the truth about the smuggling but she's afraid the answers may lead her to some incredibly difficult choices.

I liked the writing of this novel, so that's a plus, but I did not like all the emphasis put on hunting and fox hunting in particular. Firstly, I didn't understand the language of fox hunting so I had no idea what was happening during the scenes and there were a lot of those scenes. So minus points for the fox hunting. Also, minus points for all the talk of rugby. And this would be a good time to say that this novel is a suspense novel, not a murder mystery. I didn't realize that would be the case for a long time so I kept waiting for something that never was going to happen. Would I recommend this novel to another reader, definitely yes, but I would also make sure they knew what they were going to be getting. There are three other mystery novels written by Lois Austen-Leigh but I have no curiosity to track them down and read them. I was initially interested in reading this book because I am a lifelong fan of Jane Austen fiction so I was curious and that curiosity has now been satisfied.

Published in 1931, this novel was written by Lois Austen-Leigh; the granddaughter of Jane Austen’s nephew. This is very much in the Golden Age tradition of mysteries, although Austen fans may be interested to know that she wrote her novels at the same writing desk as Jane Austen and that this is the first of four published novels; the others being Haunted Farm (1932), Rude Justice (1936) and The Gobblecock Mystery (1938). Lois Austen-Leigh’s Uncle Augustus was Provost of Kings College, Cambridge and so she was obviously familiar with the academic setting that she features in this book.

Indeed, this novel features two very popular settings for Golden Age mystery novels; combining part of the story in the academic setting of Cambridge and part set in a country house. The heroine of this book is Prudence Pinsent, the only child of the Master of Prince’s College and a retired bishop. Prudence, like so many characters in these novels, has to have a character trait – in her case, it is that she uses bad language. This was obviously daring in the early 1930’s, but translates less well now. That said, it is no more tenuous than Nicholas Blake’s character, Nigel Strangeways, constant drinking of tea (as an example) and the author may have relied on this less in later books.

Prudence is going to stay with her cousin, Ben Temple, at Wellende Old Hall in Suffolk. On the way, she bumps into Captain Harry Studde, who informs her that there are suggestions her cousin, Lord Wellende, is somehow central to a smuggling plot – or, rather, that someone in his estate is involved. Furthermore, this smuggling of drugs, is, he believes, being distributed in Cambridge. This ties the two storylines together into an involved plot, involving ex members of the intelligence service, shady staff, smuggling and suggestions of poisoning plots… However, where this book fails is in the fact that the plot unfolds without too much help from the central character; whose story is side tracked with a romance storyline that seems to squash, rather than enhance, her independent spirit.

As such, this is a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the setting and I love Golden Age mysteries generally. With the author being linked to Jane Austen it did make it interesting to read. However, it was slightly disjointed and Prudence could have been more involved in the actual investigating. Still, an interesting read and I would try another novel by this author. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Rated 3.5

Lois Austen-Leigh is the great-great grandniece of Jane Austen and she has something of her famous relative’s deft touch at social satire in this mystery published in 1931. In this relatively short novel, the author casts a humorous eye the Golden Age mystery genre. She chooses both the academic mystery and the country house mystery as her subject.

The academic aspect is set in Cambridge where the daughter of the Master of Prince’s College, Miss Prudence Pinsent is the erstwhile heroine. She is brilliant, beautiful, and daring. She is also conveniently ageless, sometimes described as young and fashionable and at other times the playmate of one of the fifty year old suspects. One of her beaux is a scruffy professor who becomes devastatingly handsome once he takes a shower, uses cologne, shaves his beard and gets a haircut. The other, more platonic relationship is with her cousin the lord of Wellende Hall, a manor located on the east coast and historically the site of smuggling.

The academic setting is loaded with professional rivalries, publish-or-perish anxieties, worry about tenure, and dependence on the college porter who really “runs” the college. The country house part has everything, too: possible ghosts, hidden passages, streams under the manor house to offload contraband, and blood sports. The wife of the local doctor speaks only in the slang of the horsey set and inhabitants are always off shooting at small animals, even on a dark, moonless night.

What links the two? Well, there appears to be a drug ring which has its distribution center in Cambridge which brings in obligatory detective from Scotland Yard who believes that the drugs are being smuggled into England near Wellende Hall which has that convenient stream running from the coast to under the manor house!

And there are even carrier pigeons! What a fun well-written read!

I really love books from this period, but unfortunately this book was heavy going. It certainly is typical for the books written in this era, with lots of twist and turns, red herrings and mysteries inside mysteries - it just did not do it for me this time. It just had too much happening for me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of The Incredible Crime, a Golden Age tale of drug smuggling in Cambridge and Sussex, originally published in 1931.

The protagonist is Prudence Pinsent, an upper class single, independent minded woman who splits her time between managing her father's household, he is the Master of Prince's College, Cambridge and hunting on her cousin's estate, he is Lord Wellende, in the wilds of Sussex. She is on her way to her cousin Ben's estate when she bumps into a childhood friend who now works for the coastguard. He tells her that he suspects Ben's staff of smuggling and that it may be linked to Cambridge police's investigation into a sudden increased availability of a new, illegal drug. Prudence dismisses his suspicions but a series of strange events at the castle has her reconsidering her opinion.

This is an interesting novel. It has a clever plot with some good twists. I didn't guess the detail but the main thrust of where it is going is well signposted to any seasoned crime fiction reader. This is not intentional it's more that crime fiction and its audience have matured since the time of writing so what is apparent now probably wasn't then.

I can't say I warmed to Prudence. She has all the arrogance of her class and is fairly foul mouthed - I have never seen a woman swearing on a regular basis in a Golden Age novel before (no f-ing and b-ing but plenty of d_d) - it must have been quite shocking at the time and seems superfluous now. Even her romance seems unusual and it reminded me very much of The Taming of the Shrew. Apt perhaps.

I could discuss the portrait the novel paints of 1930s society but there is a comprehensive introduction to the novel, written by Kirsten T. Saxton, who covers this much better than I could.

The Incredible Crime is an interesting read which I picked out of curiosity. It is enjoyable as crime fiction and as a depiction of another world.

"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.

Thank you to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy.

This book was difficult to pigeonhole but kept making me think of novels by Angela Thirkell. Despite the claims made in the very persuasive Introduction by Kirsten T. Saxton, it is all too obviously a product of the early 1930’s and I do not think it has travelled well into the second decade of the 21st century.My guess is that even in 1931 it had the whiff of an earlier era.

Some readers will find the settings, Cambridge colleges and a Suffolk country estate, and the background of foxhunting and academia, remote, unfathomable and unpalatable.Some may find the characters and their attitudes difficult to relate to.

I was a bit bored by the lack of real plot- some kind of drug-smuggling is going on- and did not find the mild satire and occasionally-witty dialogue or the cast of characters and their relationships sufficiently engaging. I kept hoping for a good murder and a real investigation to liven things up!

This is not a “golden-oldie” but is not by any means the poorest in this series of reissues. If Austen-Leigh’s other three novels follow I will certainly read them.

Thank you Net Galley. This is a gem of a book. I enjoyed it very much, reading it in one sitting. Books from this period are very relaxing as they rely on old fashioned deduction. No gadgets, no CSI. Highly recommended.

I’m a big fan of Golden Age crime fiction, and the settings and characters of the newly reissued “The Incredible Crime” are
vintage. From fox-hunting at a country house party, to smuggling off the English coast and on to dining with the dons at a Cambridge college, the novel hits many of the highlights.