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The Draycott Murder Mystery
Set in the elegant world of English country houses and private gentlemen’s clubs, The Draycott Murder Mystery by Molly Thynne embodies the golden charm of interwar detective fiction. When a high-society gathering at Draycott Hall turns into a scene of chilling murder, every guest becomes a suspect—and every alibi is questioned. At the center of the investigation is a shrewd amateur sleuth, navigating the intrigues of decorum, deception, and deadly secrets. Thynne, one of the overlooked gems of the Golden Age, weaves a suspenseful narrative with a keen eye for character and class nuance. As clues mount and facades crack, readers are treated to a classic whodunit filled with red herrings, atmospheric tension, and a satisfying puzzle. The Draycott Murder Mystery is not just a tale of crime—it’s a richly drawn portrait of privilege and peril, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1928
159 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Molly Thynne
15 books15 followersMary ‘Molly’ Thynne was born in 1881, a member of the aristocracy, and related, on her mother’s side, to the painter James McNeil Whistler. She grew up in Kensington and at a young age met literary figures like Rudyard Kipling and Henry James.
Her first novel, An Uncertain Glory, was published in 1914, but she did not turn to crime fiction until The Draycott Murder Mystery, the first of six golden age mysteries she wrote and published in as many years, between 1928 and 1933. The last three of these featured Dr. Constantine, chess master and amateur sleuth par excellence.
Molly Thynne never married. She enjoyed travelling abroad, but spent most of her life in the village of Bovey Tracey, Devon, where she was finally laid to rest in 1950.
Her first novel, An Uncertain Glory, was published in 1914, but she did not turn to crime fiction until The Draycott Murder Mystery, the first of six golden age mysteries she wrote and published in as many years, between 1928 and 1933. The last three of these featured Dr. Constantine, chess master and amateur sleuth par excellence.
Molly Thynne never married. She enjoyed travelling abroad, but spent most of her life in the village of Bovey Tracey, Devon, where she was finally laid to rest in 1950.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 10, 2020
3.5★
I didn't think i would read another Thynne murder mystery after
because that title was...well...thin! But I had enjoyed the first Thynne I read,
& it was a group read at Reading the Detectives. I'm very glad I decided to give Thynne another try. For a debut crime novel (and only Lady Molly's second book) this was a good effort.
"Hatter" Fayre investigates the murder of the shady Mrs Draycott at the behest of one of his oldest friends, Lady Sybil Keen. There was great scene setting & sparkling dialogue at the start of this novel, but it really lost its way in the middle and reading it felt a bit of a chore. I guessed the murderer at around the 80% mark and then had to wait impatiently for this tale to be resolved and everything - and I do mean everything to be explained. The conversations and unconscious depictions of 1920's England kept me going and the story was good enough that I didn't feel I had wasted my reading time.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
I didn't think i would read another Thynne murder mystery after
because that title was...well...thin! But I had enjoyed the first Thynne I read,
& it was a group read at Reading the Detectives. I'm very glad I decided to give Thynne another try. For a debut crime novel (and only Lady Molly's second book) this was a good effort.
"Hatter" Fayre investigates the murder of the shady Mrs Draycott at the behest of one of his oldest friends, Lady Sybil Keen. There was great scene setting & sparkling dialogue at the start of this novel, but it really lost its way in the middle and reading it felt a bit of a chore. I guessed the murderer at around the 80% mark and then had to wait impatiently for this tale to be resolved and everything - and I do mean everything to be explained. The conversations and unconscious depictions of 1920's England kept me going and the story was good enough that I didn't feel I had wasted my reading time.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
October 8, 2025
A Golden Day Treasure.
A golden age mystery that will forever remain in my memory and I am grateful to have read it. The Draycott Murder Mystery is a very good book from 1928, so it gives you an idea of how life was like living in those days.
This is one of the things that I like about books that are historical. They not only tell you a story, but when they are written in a certain time or period, they also tell you about what life is like. So I now know what was going on in England in 1928! And now about the book…
A young couple, John and Cynthia, are lovey-dovey. They go for a walk and get into a big argument about something stupid. This is what John tells the police. When he returns home from his walk, he is greeted with a huge surprise! There is someone in his house. What is going on? Where did the person come from?
He left his door open and unlocked. He should have closed and locked his door.
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
A golden age mystery that will forever remain in my memory and I am grateful to have read it. The Draycott Murder Mystery is a very good book from 1928, so it gives you an idea of how life was like living in those days.
This is one of the things that I like about books that are historical. They not only tell you a story, but when they are written in a certain time or period, they also tell you about what life is like. So I now know what was going on in England in 1928! And now about the book…
A young couple, John and Cynthia, are lovey-dovey. They go for a walk and get into a big argument about something stupid. This is what John tells the police. When he returns home from his walk, he is greeted with a huge surprise! There is someone in his house. What is going on? Where did the person come from?
He left his door open and unlocked. He should have closed and locked his door.
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
March 21, 2020
First published in 1928, this was the first crime novel by Molly Thynne, a member of the aristocracy and well placed to write a Golden Age mystery.
John Leslie has returned to the country after four years of war, to settle down to farming. He has a row with Lady Cynthia Bell, whose mother opposes their marriage, and stomps off for a long walk. When he returns home, there is the body of a woman, shot dead, in his house. She is the ne’er do well sister of Miss Allen, with a long history of mischief and unknown to Leslie. This, however, doesn’t stop him being arrested for her murder. It is up to Allen ‘Hatter’ Fayre to help clear Leslie, after his oldest friend, Sibyl Kean, invalid wife of lawyer, Sir Edward Kean, asks him to investigate on behalf of Cynthia.
Although I did work out ‘whodunnit,’ I enjoyed this novel. Fayre was an interesting amateur detective, who was a little unsure about what he was doing and, as such, more believable. I previously read one or two books by Molly Thynne, but I enjoyed this far more than those. I think it is the most enjoyable of her mysteries which I have read and it has made me want to explore more of her work.
John Leslie has returned to the country after four years of war, to settle down to farming. He has a row with Lady Cynthia Bell, whose mother opposes their marriage, and stomps off for a long walk. When he returns home, there is the body of a woman, shot dead, in his house. She is the ne’er do well sister of Miss Allen, with a long history of mischief and unknown to Leslie. This, however, doesn’t stop him being arrested for her murder. It is up to Allen ‘Hatter’ Fayre to help clear Leslie, after his oldest friend, Sibyl Kean, invalid wife of lawyer, Sir Edward Kean, asks him to investigate on behalf of Cynthia.
Although I did work out ‘whodunnit,’ I enjoyed this novel. Fayre was an interesting amateur detective, who was a little unsure about what he was doing and, as such, more believable. I previously read one or two books by Molly Thynne, but I enjoyed this far more than those. I think it is the most enjoyable of her mysteries which I have read and it has made me want to explore more of her work.
June 5, 2020
This was quite a tedious read. I have read hundreds of murder mysteries and I especially love golden age mysteries. Rarely do I find them tedious, even if I rate them low for political reasons. The Draycott Murder Mystery is Molly Thyme's first mystery and second novel. I am not surprised she isn't better known. She is no competition with most other golden age writers.
A young man finds the body of a woman in his farmhouse and is arrested. Everyone around him believes him to be innocent and try to help him. His fiancee, Cynthia, is all out to help him and she enlists the help of Lady and Sir Kean as well as our main detective, Fayre. The doctor appears to be the main suspect. But there are a number of other wooden characters as well.
The dialogue felt endless and people talked and talked and talked forever. There was very little action happening and a whole lot of telling, without any showing. And not even a second murder to liven things up. By all golden age mystery rules, the good doctor Gregg ought to have been murdered at some point!
The whole mystery was quite boring and I was rather surprised how everyone unquestioningly takes it that John Leslie was not the murderer, despite every evidence being against him. It was rather annoying. Other characters were annoying as well. Overall, quite mediocre. I might try another book of the author but not holding any high hopes.
A young man finds the body of a woman in his farmhouse and is arrested. Everyone around him believes him to be innocent and try to help him. His fiancee, Cynthia, is all out to help him and she enlists the help of Lady and Sir Kean as well as our main detective, Fayre. The doctor appears to be the main suspect. But there are a number of other wooden characters as well.
The dialogue felt endless and people talked and talked and talked forever. There was very little action happening and a whole lot of telling, without any showing. And not even a second murder to liven things up. By all golden age mystery rules, the good doctor Gregg ought to have been murdered at some point!
The whole mystery was quite boring and I was rather surprised how everyone unquestioningly takes it that John Leslie was not the murderer, despite every evidence being against him. It was rather annoying. Other characters were annoying as well. Overall, quite mediocre. I might try another book of the author but not holding any high hopes.
September 27, 2016
The first of Molly Thynne’s six detectives novels – which have just been sent out into the world again, after being lost for many years- opens with a wonderfully painted scene.
On a stormy night in late winter a young gentleman farmer arrived home, after a wasted journey, to find his front door swinging wide open. When he goes through that doorway he finds a young woman he has never set eyes on before, dressed in evening wear, sitting at his writing desk, and shot dead in the act of writing a letter.
All of his neighbours believe that scene played out exactly as he said it did, but the police are think otherwise.
He is arrested, and tried for murder.
Because the murder weapon was the shotgun that he kept in his bedside table. Because he had no alibi, and his account of how he had spent his time that day seemed rather improbable. And because it was very easy to build a scenario that had him in the role of murderer.
The evidence was circumstantial but it was compelling.
It was fortunate that there were people who believed that the man on trial was innocent, and were willing to do whatever they could to help his cause. There washis fiancée, a lovely girl, who had complete faith in him; there was a local lawyer who was ready to act, even though his beloved wife was in poor very health; and there was a gentleman who had just returned from colonial service and was ready to take the lead in an investigation of their own.
They found new suspects. The victim had a very proper sister who disapproved of her behaviour. The local doctor’s unusual reaction when he was called to the scene did not pass unnoticed. And a tramp who was sheltering near the farm might have seem something or might have done something.
Where would they find the answers they sought? In the past? In the dead woman’s character?
Why did she go to the farm? How did she get there, in evening slippers on a stormy night?
What really happened?
Could the answer be found – and could the case be made – in time?
This plot plays out beautifully. It was cleverly structured, it was well paced, and it really was intriguing. My suspicions kept shifting, and I never could quite make up my mind
There are familiar elements to the mystery, but as a whole it feels original; it is firmly rooted in the golden age but I saw the influence of an earlier generation of sensation novelists at play as well as the influence of more famous crime writers who were Molly Thynne’s peers.
Some of those peers may have written more complex, more sophisticated, mysteries; but I can’t think of one who wrote a more engaging human drama.
The characters involved in this story were so real, so natural, so believable, that I couldn’t help being drawn in and their concerns became mine.
That took time, and in the early chapters of this book I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did.
It isn’t that it’s perfect. There were some startling coincidences. There were some points that could have been made with a little more subtlety. And there was a clear lack of understanding of medical science.
But I have to say that this was an engaging story and that it was very well told.
The conclusion caught me by surprise. I think that it was right, I think that it was inevitable, but it broke my heart in a way that few golden age crime novels ever have.
An afterword tied up the loose ends.
And left me eager to read the rest of Molly Thynne’s work.
On a stormy night in late winter a young gentleman farmer arrived home, after a wasted journey, to find his front door swinging wide open. When he goes through that doorway he finds a young woman he has never set eyes on before, dressed in evening wear, sitting at his writing desk, and shot dead in the act of writing a letter.
All of his neighbours believe that scene played out exactly as he said it did, but the police are think otherwise.
He is arrested, and tried for murder.
Because the murder weapon was the shotgun that he kept in his bedside table. Because he had no alibi, and his account of how he had spent his time that day seemed rather improbable. And because it was very easy to build a scenario that had him in the role of murderer.
The evidence was circumstantial but it was compelling.
It was fortunate that there were people who believed that the man on trial was innocent, and were willing to do whatever they could to help his cause. There washis fiancée, a lovely girl, who had complete faith in him; there was a local lawyer who was ready to act, even though his beloved wife was in poor very health; and there was a gentleman who had just returned from colonial service and was ready to take the lead in an investigation of their own.
They found new suspects. The victim had a very proper sister who disapproved of her behaviour. The local doctor’s unusual reaction when he was called to the scene did not pass unnoticed. And a tramp who was sheltering near the farm might have seem something or might have done something.
Where would they find the answers they sought? In the past? In the dead woman’s character?
Why did she go to the farm? How did she get there, in evening slippers on a stormy night?
What really happened?
Could the answer be found – and could the case be made – in time?
This plot plays out beautifully. It was cleverly structured, it was well paced, and it really was intriguing. My suspicions kept shifting, and I never could quite make up my mind
There are familiar elements to the mystery, but as a whole it feels original; it is firmly rooted in the golden age but I saw the influence of an earlier generation of sensation novelists at play as well as the influence of more famous crime writers who were Molly Thynne’s peers.
Some of those peers may have written more complex, more sophisticated, mysteries; but I can’t think of one who wrote a more engaging human drama.
The characters involved in this story were so real, so natural, so believable, that I couldn’t help being drawn in and their concerns became mine.
That took time, and in the early chapters of this book I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did.
It isn’t that it’s perfect. There were some startling coincidences. There were some points that could have been made with a little more subtlety. And there was a clear lack of understanding of medical science.
But I have to say that this was an engaging story and that it was very well told.
The conclusion caught me by surprise. I think that it was right, I think that it was inevitable, but it broke my heart in a way that few golden age crime novels ever have.
An afterword tied up the loose ends.
And left me eager to read the rest of Molly Thynne’s work.
December 8, 2023
Molly Thynne, who came from an aristocratic background, was the author of six murder mysteries originally published between 1928 and 1933, having also written a novel some years earlier. Three it appears were standalones and the other three featured a common detective, Dr Constantine. Thynne is among the ‘lost’ or lesser-known Golden Age authors that Dean Street Press have brought back into print (and kindle, the edition I read) and this was my first time reading a book by her.
The Draycott Murder Mystery (1928), Thynne’s first novel, is set in the country and there is a country home but it isn’t your typical country house mystery. In an eerie and quite enticing opening, we find ourselves witnessing events on what appears to be an isolated farm, as there are movements amidst the dark and silence and mysterious goings on. To this a young man, John Leslie, the owner of the farm as we later find, returns to find the body of a woman at a desk in his home—shot through the head. As the scene shifts, he has run to the village Constable Gunnet to report his find, but circumstances are such that he is suspected and arrested for the murder, and committed to trial. The victim was a Mrs Draycott who had recently been staying at the Staveleys’ country home, and was now visiting her sister Miss Allen who also lived in the village. Lady Cynthia Bell, Leslie’s fiancée and Miss Allen the victim’s sister are convinced John has nothing to do with it (as are others who know him) and Cynthia’s friend Lady Sybil Keen concerned for her friend soon brings in her husband, a leading barrister Sir Edward Keen and her childhood friend ‘Hatter’ Fayre, only recently back from India. While they do engage the services of a solicitor, Mr Grey who is young and enthusiastic and works for his client, it is essentially Hatter and to an extent Cynthia who undertake the investigation.
This involves Hatter riding a ramshackle bicycle across the village to many (rather, most) people’s amusement, and a slow (not just because of the bicycle) journey in which some helpful information is revealed but nothing of great significance. Cynthia too pitches in as such as she can, while also bearing with her mother’s strong disapproval of Leslie. This is a mystery where things seem almost to crawl, with bits of information and clues being found but no links emerging between them and Hatter at times on dead-end paths, but towards the later part the reader does begin to see what might be involved.
The Draycott Murder Mystery was a nicely done little mystery, which may have felt a little slow paced but was fun to follow all the same. I loved the opening scene which would have done excellently for the screen, where one could have had lots of shadows and noises and creaking doors (the windy/stormy evening providing the perfect backdrop). As we move into the mystery proper, this flavour does lessen but it was still interesting to follow Hatter and his investigations. He uncovers some relevant information early on but then fixes his attention on one suspect, who certainly has much to hide, but is the person the murderer?
There were some aspects that might rankle with modern readers, such as the attempts to ‘protect’ Cynthia from things, or give her tasks so as to keep her away from the ‘important’ work (she does, however manage to uncover important information on her own all the same). The other aspect was more one of amusement than annoyance—the perception of age with Lady Sybil (of course she is suffering from prolonged illness and heart trouble) at 40 being perceived as old (though ‘still beautiful’).
On the other, there were some encouraging portrayals too, with Hatter for one able to see the plight of a ‘tramp’ who is involved in the matter (‘he had only just begun to understand how peculiarly helpless the class to which this man belonged must be’), something people of his class and standing wouldn’t have ordinarily realised. There is also, besides the romance of Cynthia and Leslie, a thread of romance between an older couple which was nice to see.
The mystery itself turned out an interesting, though somewhat tragic one, with the reader able to at least put some things together based on what Hatter finds. The full picture, one of course, gets only at the end, when all is explained.
While not extraordinary as a mystery, this was a good one all the same, after reading which I would want to read more of Thynne.
The Draycott Murder Mystery (1928), Thynne’s first novel, is set in the country and there is a country home but it isn’t your typical country house mystery. In an eerie and quite enticing opening, we find ourselves witnessing events on what appears to be an isolated farm, as there are movements amidst the dark and silence and mysterious goings on. To this a young man, John Leslie, the owner of the farm as we later find, returns to find the body of a woman at a desk in his home—shot through the head. As the scene shifts, he has run to the village Constable Gunnet to report his find, but circumstances are such that he is suspected and arrested for the murder, and committed to trial. The victim was a Mrs Draycott who had recently been staying at the Staveleys’ country home, and was now visiting her sister Miss Allen who also lived in the village. Lady Cynthia Bell, Leslie’s fiancée and Miss Allen the victim’s sister are convinced John has nothing to do with it (as are others who know him) and Cynthia’s friend Lady Sybil Keen concerned for her friend soon brings in her husband, a leading barrister Sir Edward Keen and her childhood friend ‘Hatter’ Fayre, only recently back from India. While they do engage the services of a solicitor, Mr Grey who is young and enthusiastic and works for his client, it is essentially Hatter and to an extent Cynthia who undertake the investigation.
This involves Hatter riding a ramshackle bicycle across the village to many (rather, most) people’s amusement, and a slow (not just because of the bicycle) journey in which some helpful information is revealed but nothing of great significance. Cynthia too pitches in as such as she can, while also bearing with her mother’s strong disapproval of Leslie. This is a mystery where things seem almost to crawl, with bits of information and clues being found but no links emerging between them and Hatter at times on dead-end paths, but towards the later part the reader does begin to see what might be involved.
The Draycott Murder Mystery was a nicely done little mystery, which may have felt a little slow paced but was fun to follow all the same. I loved the opening scene which would have done excellently for the screen, where one could have had lots of shadows and noises and creaking doors (the windy/stormy evening providing the perfect backdrop). As we move into the mystery proper, this flavour does lessen but it was still interesting to follow Hatter and his investigations. He uncovers some relevant information early on but then fixes his attention on one suspect, who certainly has much to hide, but is the person the murderer?
There were some aspects that might rankle with modern readers, such as the attempts to ‘protect’ Cynthia from things, or give her tasks so as to keep her away from the ‘important’ work (she does, however manage to uncover important information on her own all the same). The other aspect was more one of amusement than annoyance—the perception of age with Lady Sybil (of course she is suffering from prolonged illness and heart trouble) at 40 being perceived as old (though ‘still beautiful’).
On the other, there were some encouraging portrayals too, with Hatter for one able to see the plight of a ‘tramp’ who is involved in the matter (‘he had only just begun to understand how peculiarly helpless the class to which this man belonged must be’), something people of his class and standing wouldn’t have ordinarily realised. There is also, besides the romance of Cynthia and Leslie, a thread of romance between an older couple which was nice to see.
The mystery itself turned out an interesting, though somewhat tragic one, with the reader able to at least put some things together based on what Hatter finds. The full picture, one of course, gets only at the end, when all is explained.
While not extraordinary as a mystery, this was a good one all the same, after reading which I would want to read more of Thynne.
November 30, 2024
3.5 stars, I really enjoyed this one, a challenge read with the Reading the Detectives group, and my first mystery by this author. I enjoyed her style, she made her characters very human and relatable, impressive for an early Golden Age mystery (1928).
I must confess I was chugging along, enjoying the plot, but getting distracted by pandemic news. I got frustrated about halfway through, after the likable amateur detective confronts the obvious suspect, and he vehemently denies it! This made me suspicious of another character I suspected, but I had no idea what the motive would be - so I jumped ahead and read the end, and was right for a change! Then I went back and read the last quarter or so, the long drawn out confession- never my favorite, but inevitable in a mystery, especially of this period. still, Thynne handled it very well, I thought, and made me feel sympathetic to the killer.
I would read further mysteries by this author, although she only wrote six books. I really thought she was setting up Hatter Fayre as a series detective, but my Kindle edition indicates she had another, totally unrelated detective for three of her other mysteries. I would definitely give them a look in future for her intelligent plots and characters.
I must confess I was chugging along, enjoying the plot, but getting distracted by pandemic news. I got frustrated about halfway through, after the likable amateur detective confronts the obvious suspect, and he vehemently denies it! This made me suspicious of another character I suspected, but I had no idea what the motive would be - so I jumped ahead and read the end, and was right for a change! Then I went back and read the last quarter or so, the long drawn out confession- never my favorite, but inevitable in a mystery, especially of this period. still, Thynne handled it very well, I thought, and made me feel sympathetic to the killer.
I would read further mysteries by this author, although she only wrote six books. I really thought she was setting up Hatter Fayre as a series detective, but my Kindle edition indicates she had another, totally unrelated detective for three of her other mysteries. I would definitely give them a look in future for her intelligent plots and characters.
June 28, 2020
This was a Golden Age mystery by an actual aristocrat. I'm used to older mysteries not having much depth, but this was a standout. We have a man arrested for a crime he didn't commit, red herrings, young love, devoted love, and a victim who probably deserved it. I will definitely read this author again.
June 4, 2020
Poor Hatter! Molly Thynne’s The Draycott Murder Mystery is a mystery from the Golden Age of Mystery in the U.K.
which was in the 1920s and 1030s. It has been reprinted by the Dean Street Press in 2016 and re-released so mystery lovers would be able to read this classic British mystery. British Golden Age ‘detective novels’ center on settings “of between-the-wars aristocratic life” which this author can truly claim as she was ‘the Marquess of Bath of Longleat’.
(She never married.) This vintage mystery is set in the north of England in March where the cold has produced freezing winds in a lonely area, an unlocked door to a farmhouse, and a fountain pen (a Red Dwarf) wedged in the grass all play a part in this ‘whodunnit’. Allen ‘Hatter’ Fayre decides to look a bit deeper and finds “more than one rival suspect” which places him in a sad position as he is friends with the suspects. This 1928 mystery has many details so please pay attention. 4 stars.
which was in the 1920s and 1030s. It has been reprinted by the Dean Street Press in 2016 and re-released so mystery lovers would be able to read this classic British mystery. British Golden Age ‘detective novels’ center on settings “of between-the-wars aristocratic life” which this author can truly claim as she was ‘the Marquess of Bath of Longleat’.
(She never married.) This vintage mystery is set in the north of England in March where the cold has produced freezing winds in a lonely area, an unlocked door to a farmhouse, and a fountain pen (a Red Dwarf) wedged in the grass all play a part in this ‘whodunnit’. Allen ‘Hatter’ Fayre decides to look a bit deeper and finds “more than one rival suspect” which places him in a sad position as he is friends with the suspects. This 1928 mystery has many details so please pay attention. 4 stars.
December 30, 2020
It took me nearly a year to finish this book, reading off and on, often abandoning for months at a time. Part of the issue is that I read it on Kindle, and that is my least favorite reading option (I prefer physical books first, followed by audiobooks.) But ultimately, the story really lacked drive and seemed to go nowhere for the majority of the time. A rather average, uninspired story.
November 10, 2018
Two and a half stars for a disappointing little mystery. All the elements are there: the country house party, the young lass who makes everyone feel affectionately protective of her, the sterling young man accused of murdering the disliked demi-mondaine; solicitors, lords and ladies, an endearing tramp and what have you. And yet it took me days and days to finish the book, because the telling lacked spark. There was a lot of talk, but most of it was tell-not-show--second and third-hand relating of events that take place off the page. The characters felt wooden, like something out of a society play of the period. I'm sure there's an audience for bricks under hats, but as someone said of Gladstone: it wasn't enough that he always had several aces up his sleeve; he had to give the impression that God had put them there. If you like rabbits out of hats in the final chapter, go for it.
The sad part is that this book could have been so much more than it was. No wonder Thynne is not known today for her whodunits.
The sad part is that this book could have been so much more than it was. No wonder Thynne is not known today for her whodunits.
July 8, 2020
This was my third Molly Thynne book but I hadn't realized that I was reading out of order since this seems to be her first mystery, and not her third. I'll have to try and get back on track here. The other two featured Professor Constantine and this one features an amateur sleuth, Hatter Fayre, recently returned from most of a lifetime in India.
I found this enjoyable, but lengthy at times.
Found a new word, at least one I wasn't acquainted with - "agley". I came close to a definition from its usage - awry. Google adds askew to awry. "the world gone agley" or some such thing. Why is it always the old Scottish words that get me (all right, not always; sometimes it is English slang).
I didn't get the murderer. It was clear that it wasn't the accused.
I found this enjoyable, but lengthy at times.
Found a new word, at least one I wasn't acquainted with - "agley". I came close to a definition from its usage - awry. Google adds askew to awry. "the world gone agley" or some such thing. Why is it always the old Scottish words that get me (all right, not always; sometimes it is English slang).
I didn't get the murderer. It was clear that it wasn't the accused.
September 22, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I had never read Molly Thynne before and discovered a good golden age writer. I really enjoyed the characters; they seemed very realistic. The dialogue was good, though for some modern reader it may be too much prattle. Even though I guessed who the culprit was around 50% of the way through, it was well plotted with plenty of red herrings and twists and turns. Hopefully this writer will be re-discovered by a larger audience.
March 13, 2023
This is the first of Molly Thynne's six detective novels from the late 1920's/early 1930's and it is probably the weakest.
They are all well-written and of interest to those who like to explore some of the unjustly neglected golden age British crime writers.
Thanks to Dean Street Press, these and many others are given a second chance and many, like this, are well worth the reading.
3.5stars.
They are all well-written and of interest to those who like to explore some of the unjustly neglected golden age British crime writers.
Thanks to Dean Street Press, these and many others are given a second chance and many, like this, are well worth the reading.
3.5stars.
March 29, 2020
Nicely written with strong characters. The plot is quite interesting if unlikely. The author, I think, shows and describes really well, knowledge from her own experience of very upper crust English society. An unexpected ( to me anyway ) twist at the end. Not bad at all.
November 19, 2019
3.5*
Despite the fact that I guessed the identity of the murderer long before the end, I enjoyed reading about Fayre working on the case.
Despite the fact that I guessed the identity of the murderer long before the end, I enjoyed reading about Fayre working on the case.
March 31, 2020
I did like this book better than the other two I have read by this author. I gave the other two 4 Stars, and would have given this 5 had it not been for the fact I had guessed the murderer from very early on. I did, however enjoy the story's twists and found it compulsive reading to see if I had guessed rightly. I hadn't realised until I had finished that this was the author's first book, and was under the impression that she had improved as her writing progressed. I will be reading the rest of the crime books in this series in due coarse.
Read
August 25, 2021I found this Golden Age mystery quite a pleasant story, although never riveting. For my tastes, there was too much lucky coincidence and stumbling over pieces of evidence by chance.
The prose was easy to read, but with some odd formatting that sometimes made it difficult to work out who was talking, entailing backtracking. And there was a lot of talking! Pages and pages of characters telling each other the plot. I may have skimmed a little 😳
As to the actual storyline, I found it odd that everyone was so convinced that the outlook was bad for the (wrongly accused - that's hardly a big spoiler!) defendant based on the stated evidence against him, although obviously investigative methodology/technology was different nearly a century ago. The other thing that struck me was a lot of travel between (roughly) Carlisle and London. That's over 300 miles, which surely couldn't have been a trivial journey but somehow didn't come across as a big deal (apart from when the plot needed it to be...)
My major criticism is a feeling that the author wasn't playing fair with the reader. Someone would find out something Very Important (with lots of reflection on How Important This Was), but the reader wouldn't be allowed to learn the information at the same time the character did. That possibly reflects the age of the writing, but always leaves me with a feeling that the author is cheating.
The prose was easy to read, but with some odd formatting that sometimes made it difficult to work out who was talking, entailing backtracking. And there was a lot of talking! Pages and pages of characters telling each other the plot. I may have skimmed a little 😳
As to the actual storyline, I found it odd that everyone was so convinced that the outlook was bad for the (wrongly accused - that's hardly a big spoiler!) defendant based on the stated evidence against him, although obviously investigative methodology/technology was different nearly a century ago. The other thing that struck me was a lot of travel between (roughly) Carlisle and London. That's over 300 miles, which surely couldn't have been a trivial journey but somehow didn't come across as a big deal (apart from when the plot needed it to be...)
My major criticism is a feeling that the author wasn't playing fair with the reader. Someone would find out something Very Important (with lots of reflection on How Important This Was), but the reader wouldn't be allowed to learn the information at the same time the character did. That possibly reflects the age of the writing, but always leaves me with a feeling that the author is cheating.
October 3, 2016
This was Thynne's first murder mystery, and it started out strong with great atmospheric introduction to the small village of Keys, stronger winds and the discovery of a dead woman inside a young man's farmhouse on his return from a long trek through the countryside with the early clue of another party involved peering through the window yet unseen by the young man. Though this young man had no acquaintance with this dead woman, he is the one chosen by law to be accused of her murder. Thynne did skilfully present the most improbable of murderers, couched within some rather maudlin, or perhaps old-fashioned ideas about love and marriage. Read this one during a storm.
How is this for a sample sentence written in 1928: "The gale swept on its devastating way across the open meadowland that surrounded Keys, increasing every moment in violence and causing the timbers of the small farmhouse which stood at the end of a blind lane about a mile from the village to creak and groan under its terrific onslaught."
3.5 stars for me and my last but best Thynne reading
How is this for a sample sentence written in 1928: "The gale swept on its devastating way across the open meadowland that surrounded Keys, increasing every moment in violence and causing the timbers of the small farmhouse which stood at the end of a blind lane about a mile from the village to creak and groan under its terrific onslaught."
3.5 stars for me and my last but best Thynne reading
May 20, 2017
Kindle Unlimited | I've read enough fair-quality golden age mysteries to recognize a good one, and this is a good one. On the one hand I wish I'd heard of Thynne years ago, on the other I'm pleased to have the opportunity to read her now, when I can do it free. My only complaint is my usual one: I knew who the killer was fairly early on, which makes it less enjoyable to follow along with the supposed red herrings and the amateur detective's investigations. At the 40% mark there was an interaction between characters that I thought was a flashing neon sign pointing out the killer. I guess it just wasn't as obvious at the time of publication, when the reading public hadn't had exposure to quite so many of this style of mystery as I have become accustomed to. Still worth the read and very well done.
March 24, 2017
Well, ...
I was prepared to love this novel but although written in style with lovely drawn characters I just did not feel the urge to read on and on. The tension gets lost too offen, the smalltalk is a bit too lengthy and so after having read more than half of it I just skipped to the end to find out I guessed the murderer correctly which was an astonishing surprise.
I was prepared to love this novel but although written in style with lovely drawn characters I just did not feel the urge to read on and on. The tension gets lost too offen, the smalltalk is a bit too lengthy and so after having read more than half of it I just skipped to the end to find out I guessed the murderer correctly which was an astonishing surprise.
June 14, 2017
A really great lost classic. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
May 8, 2019
This was an intense and dramatic mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.
December 7, 2025
I miss Dr Constantine, but it’s still an above-average Golden Age mystery.
This is the first of this author’s six mysteries. The real mystery is why she wrote only six books (all highly praised by critics and other writers) and then stopped. The answer is probably simple economics. She was born into an aristocratic family and had a private income. With no need to earn a living, she got tired of writing and stopped. Understandable, but a loss to mystery lovers.
The opening is nothing if not dramatic. A young gentleman farmer returns home to find a murdered woman in his parlor. She’s upper class, judging by her clothes and jewelry. She’s also a stranger to John Leslie and he wonders why she picked his house to get murdered in. Good question.
He calls in the police and (to his amazement and horror) discovers he's their prime suspect. They refuse to believe he didn't know the dead woman. His gun was recently fired. Ballistics is a primitive science at the time, but it's the same caliber bullet as the murder bullet and that's good enough for the police. Leslie is arrested and charged with murder.
After four years of the horrors of WWI, John Leslie is looking forward to a quiet life in rural northern England. Although new to the area, he’s well-liked. He’s engaged to the popular daughter of a local JP. Although he’s not from a prominent family and has no money, Lady Cynthia’s good-natured father has no objections to the marriage. Her socially ambitious mother has plenty of objections and voices them loudly.
Her vocal opposition makes Leslie wonder if he’s being fair to Lady Cynthia. She’s a strong-minded modern woman with her own opinions. One of them is that her mother should be ignored. After a particularly bitter argument, Leslie takes a long walk to cool off. He returns home to find a dead body.
In the best tradition of Golden Age mysteries, the victim is a first class stinker. This relieves the reader of the need to feel bad about the death, as well as furnishing plenty of suspects. Although John Leslie is telling the truth when he insists he never met the dead woman, other people in the neighborhood DO know her.
Tina Draycott was born into an upper class family, but she’s greedy, ruthless, and vindictive. Her good looks cause many men to fall in love with her and most of them regret it.
The local doctor was a good friend of Tina’s first husband. When she ran off with another man, her husband became an alcoholic and eventually died of it. Dr Gregg has no love for Mrs Draycott and she has a particular hold on him that makes him fear her. Would he murder to remove the threat?
Tina’s older sister is a pleasant country woman and her polar opposite. She openly disapproves of her younger sister’s lifestyle, but that doesn’t seem like a motive for murder. Tina has hinted that she has a new source of income and her sister wonders if it had something to do with her death. There’s very little that Tina Draycott wouldn’t do to get money or cause trouble.
Leslie is lucky to be defended by respected barrister Sir Edward Kean, who’s determined to clear his client of the charges. Sir Edward’s beloved, fragile wife Sybil is fond of Lady Cynthia and concerned about the effects of Leslie’s legal nightmare on her. She assures Cynthia that John WILL be acquitted, but how can she be so sure? Does she know something she isn’t telling?
The amateur detective is Allen Fayre, a likable middle-aged man who’s recently returned to England after years in the tropics. He knew Lady Cynthia as a child and is determined to help John Leslie for her sake. He’s read mysteries and knows how a detective sets about his work. He’s proud of his results and puzzled at Sir Edward’s lack of enthusiasm. They both want John Leslie cleared, so why would Sir Edward object to any help? Does he have something to hide?
Two men (one in Tina’s past, one previously connected to Lady Sybil Kean) are supposedly dead, but are they? In the chaos of war, identifications aren’t always correct. Is it possible that a doctor would sign off on a death certificate to help a friend who wants to disappear? Then there’s the complication of England’s strict divorce laws in 1929. Getting a divorce is difficult and living together without being married is social and professional suicide if it becomes known.
It’s a lively, well-written mystery and I enjoyed it. I wish Thynne had written more, but I’m grateful e-publishing has made her books available almost one hundred years after she wrote them. It’s also one of the pitifully few mysteries in which I begin to suspect the guilty party fairly early on. I pay more attention to the characters than to the clues, so I’m usually the last one to guess the solution. This one was a pleasant exception and I'm looking forward to reading the last two.
This is the first of this author’s six mysteries. The real mystery is why she wrote only six books (all highly praised by critics and other writers) and then stopped. The answer is probably simple economics. She was born into an aristocratic family and had a private income. With no need to earn a living, she got tired of writing and stopped. Understandable, but a loss to mystery lovers.
The opening is nothing if not dramatic. A young gentleman farmer returns home to find a murdered woman in his parlor. She’s upper class, judging by her clothes and jewelry. She’s also a stranger to John Leslie and he wonders why she picked his house to get murdered in. Good question.
He calls in the police and (to his amazement and horror) discovers he's their prime suspect. They refuse to believe he didn't know the dead woman. His gun was recently fired. Ballistics is a primitive science at the time, but it's the same caliber bullet as the murder bullet and that's good enough for the police. Leslie is arrested and charged with murder.
After four years of the horrors of WWI, John Leslie is looking forward to a quiet life in rural northern England. Although new to the area, he’s well-liked. He’s engaged to the popular daughter of a local JP. Although he’s not from a prominent family and has no money, Lady Cynthia’s good-natured father has no objections to the marriage. Her socially ambitious mother has plenty of objections and voices them loudly.
Her vocal opposition makes Leslie wonder if he’s being fair to Lady Cynthia. She’s a strong-minded modern woman with her own opinions. One of them is that her mother should be ignored. After a particularly bitter argument, Leslie takes a long walk to cool off. He returns home to find a dead body.
In the best tradition of Golden Age mysteries, the victim is a first class stinker. This relieves the reader of the need to feel bad about the death, as well as furnishing plenty of suspects. Although John Leslie is telling the truth when he insists he never met the dead woman, other people in the neighborhood DO know her.
Tina Draycott was born into an upper class family, but she’s greedy, ruthless, and vindictive. Her good looks cause many men to fall in love with her and most of them regret it.
The local doctor was a good friend of Tina’s first husband. When she ran off with another man, her husband became an alcoholic and eventually died of it. Dr Gregg has no love for Mrs Draycott and she has a particular hold on him that makes him fear her. Would he murder to remove the threat?
Tina’s older sister is a pleasant country woman and her polar opposite. She openly disapproves of her younger sister’s lifestyle, but that doesn’t seem like a motive for murder. Tina has hinted that she has a new source of income and her sister wonders if it had something to do with her death. There’s very little that Tina Draycott wouldn’t do to get money or cause trouble.
Leslie is lucky to be defended by respected barrister Sir Edward Kean, who’s determined to clear his client of the charges. Sir Edward’s beloved, fragile wife Sybil is fond of Lady Cynthia and concerned about the effects of Leslie’s legal nightmare on her. She assures Cynthia that John WILL be acquitted, but how can she be so sure? Does she know something she isn’t telling?
The amateur detective is Allen Fayre, a likable middle-aged man who’s recently returned to England after years in the tropics. He knew Lady Cynthia as a child and is determined to help John Leslie for her sake. He’s read mysteries and knows how a detective sets about his work. He’s proud of his results and puzzled at Sir Edward’s lack of enthusiasm. They both want John Leslie cleared, so why would Sir Edward object to any help? Does he have something to hide?
Two men (one in Tina’s past, one previously connected to Lady Sybil Kean) are supposedly dead, but are they? In the chaos of war, identifications aren’t always correct. Is it possible that a doctor would sign off on a death certificate to help a friend who wants to disappear? Then there’s the complication of England’s strict divorce laws in 1929. Getting a divorce is difficult and living together without being married is social and professional suicide if it becomes known.
It’s a lively, well-written mystery and I enjoyed it. I wish Thynne had written more, but I’m grateful e-publishing has made her books available almost one hundred years after she wrote them. It’s also one of the pitifully few mysteries in which I begin to suspect the guilty party fairly early on. I pay more attention to the characters than to the clues, so I’m usually the last one to guess the solution. This one was a pleasant exception and I'm looking forward to reading the last two.
September 18, 2024
This is generally not a very well-conceived or well-written mystery story. I have two main complaints: one, the case that the crown tried against the innocent man was exceedingly thin -- it consisted of three parts 1) he could not account for his time; 2) the body was found in his house; and 3) a gun of the same type (not the same gun, just the same kind of gun, they didn't have ballistics tests apparently at that time) was found with one shell missing and sitting in a drawer in his house. Pathetic. They could not show any motive because they had no evidence that the man charged was ever remotely acquainted with the victim.
My second complaint is that although the "who" of whodunnit was in the book from the beginning, the motive was a secret to everyone else until at least 80% into the book, something that the reader could not possibly have known or even guessed. So not playing fair with the reader.
I did enjoy some of the characters, including the amateur detective "Hatter" Fayre, and others. The story exposition was adequate, but significantly failed to keep me turning pages at many points. It took me longer to get through this book than I would have expected a relatively short book (206 pages) to take. I don't expect to be searching out any of the other 5 mysteries by this author, and this is one mystery for which it is no mystery why it did not survive past the golden age.
My second complaint is that although the "who" of whodunnit was in the book from the beginning, the motive was a secret to everyone else until at least 80% into the book, something that the reader could not possibly have known or even guessed. So not playing fair with the reader.
I did enjoy some of the characters, including the amateur detective "Hatter" Fayre, and others. The story exposition was adequate, but significantly failed to keep me turning pages at many points. It took me longer to get through this book than I would have expected a relatively short book (206 pages) to take. I don't expect to be searching out any of the other 5 mysteries by this author, and this is one mystery for which it is no mystery why it did not survive past the golden age.
September 3, 2025
This is my first time with this author and I won't hesitate to read her again if I come across something. Fayre bugged me a few times when he tried to keep following up a clue that was obviously dead. I think all the clues are there to figure out most of it before the end but I did not. I just enjoyed the story (helped by nice weather these past couple days) and was surprised by the end.
If you read the kindle version, you will see passages that were highlighted by other people which speak to deeper truths. Here's one of the first ones, "until you have seen a man at his job, it is wiser not to pass judgement on him."
This is another one I liked, spoken by a character who was quite sick: "Sometimes I think these very strong people are really the weakest. Their hold on things is so tremendous that when they lose them..." Sentence unfinished and the author leaves it that way trusting the reader to figure out the rest.
If you read the kindle version, you will see passages that were highlighted by other people which speak to deeper truths. Here's one of the first ones, "until you have seen a man at his job, it is wiser not to pass judgement on him."
This is another one I liked, spoken by a character who was quite sick: "Sometimes I think these very strong people are really the weakest. Their hold on things is so tremendous that when they lose them..." Sentence unfinished and the author leaves it that way trusting the reader to figure out the rest.
September 21, 2025
A delightful vintage (1928) crime novel. This time a retired civil servant who comes back to England after several years “in the Tropics,” is the amateur detective. When a young man is charged with a murder he did not commit, his lawyers, his girlfriend, his neighbours and tenants all gather to support him, and their eagerness helps ‘Hatter’ Fayre in his search for the real criminal. Even the murdered woman’s sister is eager to help in the search. In some respects, one might almost call this an inverted detective story, so soon are we given to guess the Name.
The rest of the novel is used to lay various red herrings and false trails, or are they false? For at the end of each, is a genuine piece of the whole jigsaw. The very first clue is the real clincher…
Molly Thynne was reputed to enjoy a degree of both popularity and success as a crime writer. ‘Draycott' was the first of her novels I came across, but the breezy style is too tempting to resist the others!
The rest of the novel is used to lay various red herrings and false trails, or are they false? For at the end of each, is a genuine piece of the whole jigsaw. The very first clue is the real clincher…
Molly Thynne was reputed to enjoy a degree of both popularity and success as a crime writer. ‘Draycott' was the first of her novels I came across, but the breezy style is too tempting to resist the others!
May 9, 2017
This is again a book by chance from Kindle Unlimited and I am glad I picked it :)
Molly Thynne has written 6 six golden age mysteries and published in as many years, between 1928 and 1933; the first being Draycott Murder Mystery.
A whodunit mystery which starts with the discovery of the body of a middle-aged woman by the young John Leslie in his bedroom, who is a stranger to him. The case twists and turns and ends up with John being prosecuted for the murder.
A faithful fiancee, her enthusiastic uncle who loves mysteries, a strict and successful lawyer, an ailing aunt, a supportive friend and an uncooperative doctor, everyone believes in his innocence. Only the proofs are against him.
Thynne keeps you on the hook and very well engages you in the story.The culprit comes as a shock but nevertheless, you empathize with him. A good read for the mystery lovers.
Molly Thynne has written 6 six golden age mysteries and published in as many years, between 1928 and 1933; the first being Draycott Murder Mystery.
A whodunit mystery which starts with the discovery of the body of a middle-aged woman by the young John Leslie in his bedroom, who is a stranger to him. The case twists and turns and ends up with John being prosecuted for the murder.
A faithful fiancee, her enthusiastic uncle who loves mysteries, a strict and successful lawyer, an ailing aunt, a supportive friend and an uncooperative doctor, everyone believes in his innocence. Only the proofs are against him.
Thynne keeps you on the hook and very well engages you in the story.The culprit comes as a shock but nevertheless, you empathize with him. A good read for the mystery lovers.
May 10, 2025
I did enjoy this, but I found certain aspects of the plot unbelievable--the lack of anything other than circumstantial evidence on which the main suspect was arrested, as the biggest example. I also thought the author wasn't playing fair, as, on more than one occasion the investigator comes across something, it's highly significant and they're not sure what to do--but we're not told what it is. In fact, there's an entire chapter where Fayre is mooning over what to do about what he now knows to the point of even discussing it with another character and STILL not saying what it is he's so upset about.
I did enjoy the characters and the interactions between them and would probably read other books by this author.
I did enjoy the characters and the interactions between them and would probably read other books by this author.
December 18, 2017
Fine, but nothing special. I wasn't really taken by any of the characters. They're all fine, and mildly interesting, but not engaging. I was irritated by the attitude towards the victim - it was clear that the author thought that she entirely deserved to be murdered, but gave little to no evidence for this. I know, I know, it's 'of its time' that women couldn't be sexually active or leave their husbands without enormous stigma, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. And I don't. The plot was fairly decent but not great. The book is well written, which is about the best I can say about it really.
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