Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

Best known as the creator of the daring Scarlet Pimpernel, The Baroness Orczy (1865­1947) ought also to be remembered for bringing to life a trailblazing pair of detectives. One was the cranky Old Man in the Corner, an early “armchair” sleuth. The other isn’t at all sedentary (and is a lot more likable) — Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. Feisty, brilliant, and beautiful; precursor of the lay sleuth who relies on brains rather than brawn, Lady Molly, and her faithful sidekick and admiring chronicler Mary, began appearing in Orczy’s entertaining stories years before the Þrst Englishwoman did in fact become an ofÞcer of the law. These twelve clever, agreeably unportentous adventures of “my lady” were unknown to us before acclaimed novelist Alice Thomas Ellis brought them to our attention, and we’re most delighted she did.