Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Uncertain Glory | 1914 | Molly Thynne | N/A |
| 2 | The Draycott Murder Mystery / The Red Dwarf | 1928 | Molly Thynne | Buy |
| 3 | The Murder on the Enriqueta / The Strangler | 1929 | Molly Thynne | Buy |
| 4 | The Case of Sir Adam Braid | 1930 | Molly Thynne | Buy |
Before creating the Dr. Constantine character, Molly Thynne wrote four standalone crime novels. The earliest, The Uncertain Glory (1914), predates the Golden Age proper and has a different tone from her later work. Her other standalones — The Draycott Murder Mystery (1928), The Murder on the Enriqueta (1929), and The Case of Sir Adam Braid (1930) — show the influence of the interwar detective fiction boom and are more polished in their plotting.
These books share the general characteristics of the period: English settings, murders in enclosed communities, and a methodical approach to detection. They lack a recurring sleuth, so each stands entirely on its own. For readers working through Thynne’s bibliography, the standalones provide useful context for her development as a writer before the Constantine books, but they can equally be read in any order.