Lillian De La Torre (1902–1993)

The cleverness of the concept --one of the first significant series of historical mysteries, with Sam Johnson as the detective and Boswell, of course, as his Watson (a parallel already suggested by Sherlock Holmes "I am lost without my Boswell.") -- does not always match the quality of the mysteries themselves. However, the author has a good feeling for 18th century style, unlike many modern "historical" mystery writers..

I was lead to believe that this book would be kind of trashy, but I didn't find it so at all. It appears to be a soberly written account of the whole sordid story of Belle's crimes and the sensational aftermath. The author takes the evidence all together and, in the final pages, puts forth her own surprising theory to explain the inexplicable events. I'm not sure whether I agree with her idea, but it's worth thinking about. This book is as good as any if you want a short but thorough look at show more the case. show less

This reads like Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, with the more ornate language and manners of an earlier time added on top of them.

If you are a fan of Samuel Johnson and his time period, this book of short stories is sure to amuse.

If you are not used to the vocabulary and mannerism of Johnson's time, the book may be a bit of a slog, but I found it charming in its attempts to be accurate to its source material.

I will be seeking out the other Samuel Johnson detective fiction by this author show more as I found these enjoyable. show less

Dela Torre was one of the pioneers of the historical mystery and obviously has great fun writing not only her stories but her dedication in high 18th century style. feels much more authentic than many later historical mysteries.