Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Baroness Orczy

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard is a collection of short stories about Molly Robertson-Kirk, an early fictional female detective. It was written by Baroness Orczy, who is best known as the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but who also invented two turn-of-the-century detectives in The Old Man in the Corner and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard.

First published in 1910, Orczy's female detective was the precursor of the lay sleuth who relies on brains rather than brawn. The book soon became very popular, with three editions appearing in the first year. As well as being one of the first novels to feature a female detective as the main character, Orczy's outstandingly successful police officer preceded her real life female counterparts by a decade.

Lady Molly, like her fictional contemporaries, most often succeeded because she recognised domestic clues foreign to male experience. Her entry into the police is motivated by a desire to save her fiancé from a false accusation. Once her superior intuition has triumphed, Lady Molly marries and leaves the force. The book contains all twelve Lady Molly adventures and is narrated by Lady Molly's assistant Mary Granard.

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@ Project Gutenburg

@ Celebration of Women Writers

Review: The Teahouse Detective by Baroness Orczy

Synopsis: All of the twelve detective stories in this volume are puzzled over by Orczy’s mysterious armchair detective, the “Old Man In The Corner”.

The second released in a series by Baroness Orczy, as an alternate to Sherlock Holmes.

Another series of mysteries, this time the narrator is (though not mentioned) out young reporter Polly Burton (though one is never sure - it is just implied). Another afternoon of classic crime escapism.

Synopsis: A classic collection of mysteries featuring the Teahouse Detective - a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes, with a brilliant mind and waspish temperament to match that of Conan Doyle's creation.

Simple and entertaining series of stories featuring an old man providing his own commentary on a number of "national" crimes to a young reporter who he meets in a teashop.

An afternoon of escapism, as twelve short mysteries are played out before the reader. It is only a matter of solving them before their final denoument! Must be read after "The Case of Miss Elliott" even though released first.