Impact of Evidence by Carol Carnac

An abnormally heavy snow has hit the area of St. Brynneys in the Welsh border country. The snow has stopped, the thaw has begun and conditions are at their worst. Dr. Robinson was too old and visually and hearing impaired to take his car out in bad weather – but he did.

Unfortunately, he pulled out in front of Parsons, one of his neighbors, who was on his way to deliver supplies. The two cars collide. Parsons is thrown clear from his car, but unfortunately, Dr. Robinson could not be saved.

But what seems like a clear-cut accident, turns into something more when police discover another body in Dr. Robinson’s car. The body has no I.D. No one recognizes him. Where did he come from? Why was he in the backseat of Dr. Robinson’s car? And so the real mystery begins.

Impact of Evidence is one of those subtle mysteries. You won’t be hanging on the edge of your seat biting your fingernails or having nightmares after reading it. But this is definitely a mystery worthy of the most talented armchair sleuths who are looking for a tasty well-plotted mystery that’s going to be a hard to solve!

Extremely atmospheric and authentic, it features engaging characters who are all suspects (with the exception of the police).  St. Brynneys is a rural mountainous area, with folks farming and living off their land. Though neighbors may be spread apart, it is still a tight knit community where everyone literally knows everyone.

But Carol Carnac, the author, stealthy lets us know that neighbors aren’t always neighborly! Carnac peels back the layers of the hard, but stable lives of the local residents, revealing that there’s a lot of secrets going on…and these secrets come with consequences.

With the weather being so dreadful the accident couldn’t have been avoided — but the backseat body in the doctor’s car has opened a whole new can of worms. The heavy snows and flooding are even keeping the inspectors and police confined to the area of the accident. Roads are impassable, and they are grateful for the hospitality and help from the locals.

At least one of those locals clearly knows more than they are admitting. It’s up to savvy armchair detectives to sort out the mystery of the body in the backseat and how it ties to Dr. Robinson. Be prepared for a few red herrings, a cache of interesting suspects and a motive buried seriously deep.

Impact of Evidence is another British Library Crime Classic brought back by Poisoned Pen Publishing. It was originally published in 1954 and written by one of the masters of crime fiction’s Golden Age, Carol Carnac. A different time, different era and a different writing style make this an even more interesting mystery.

A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Poisoned Pen/Sourcebooks.