Welcome to Litsy!

I... Am not in love with the theme of Prudence learning to "order herself meek and lowly". The rest of the book is fine as far as it goes, fairly standard, but...

This isn't so much a mystery of which the reader can guess the solution. It is more of a light suspense story with a cringeworthy (to modern sensibilities) romance grafted on in the second half. The storytelling is sometimes tangled (who's saying that line of dialogue?) and I did not like the detailed descriptions of fox hunting. Pass.

Published in 1931 and written by Jane Austen's great-great niece. Very British, about smuggling (not murder), with lots of fox hunting and the ancient halls of Cambridge colleges. Unfortunately the sexism and classism of that era was bothersome.

The author caught my attention with this novel, she is the granddaughter of Jane Austen's nephew. It didn't live up to my hope but it was definitely readable. 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. My favourite part is the romance thread that weaves throughout, its elegantly written and the dialogue engaging.