The Exploits of Dr. Sam Johnson, Detector

By Lillian de la Torre

A brilliant thinker and his trusted assistant sit in their drawing room, pondering a story in the newspaper, when the door opens and the subject of the article enters, begging for help. It's a classic scene from English detective fiction, set not at 221B Baker Street, but 1 Inner Temple Lane—the home of Dr. Samuel Johnson and his biographer, James Boswell. This mystery, concerning a disputed title, a kidnapped earl, and one of the greatest fortunes in England, will be no match for Dr. Johnson.   Based on true criminal cases of the era and inspired by Boswell's legendary Life of Johnson, the seven stories in this volume touch on witchcraft, murder, theft, and the scientific breakthroughs of the Enlightenment.   "I am lost without my Boswell," said Sherlock Holmes—and Dr. Johnson was no different. Lillian de la Torre's delightful stories of Boswell and Johnson show the original Watson and Holmes in action.    

• Language: English
• Publisher: mysteriouspress.com
• Release date: Nov 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789540505

Lillian de la Torre

Lillian de la Torre (1902–1993) was born in New York City. She received a bachelor's degree from the College of New Rochelle and master's degrees from Columbia University and Radcliffe College, and she taught in the English department at Colorado College for twenty-seven years. De la Torre wrote numerous books; short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine; reviews for the New York Times Book Review; poetry; and plays, including one produced for Alfred Hitchcock's television series. In her first book, Elizabeth Is Missing (1945), she refuted twelve theories on the disappearance of a maidservant near the Tower of London in 1753, and then offered her own answer. Her series of historical detective stories about Dr. Samuel Johnson and James Boswell comprise her most popular fiction. De la Torre served as the 1979 president of the Mystery Writers of America.