Dr. Sam Johnson, Detector

By Lillian de la Torre

For over two hundred years, devotees of English literature have lost themselves in James Boswell's Life of Johnson, a biography of the great eighteenth-century thinker and writer, chronicling everything from kitchen chemistry experiments to tackling a pickpocket to his legendary investigation of the Cock Lane ghost. But Dr. Sam Johnson was more than a great thinker—he was also a talented sleuth.   From the chilling affair of the waxwork cadaver to the thrilling search for the stolen seal of England, the nine cases in this volume show Johnson at his very best—using his legendary intellect to apprehend the worst killers and thieves the era had to offer.   Written by Lillian de la Torre, a mystery author with "a finely tuned ear for eighteenth-century prose," these charming stories are so believable, so perfectly in keeping with the Dr. Johnson we know and love, it's hard to believe they aren't true (TheNew York Times).  

• Language: English
• Publisher: mysteriouspress.com
• Release date: Nov 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789540529

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.  

Reviews for Dr. Sam Johnson, Detector

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Written in the language used in the 18th century, Dr. Sam:Johnson is a Sherlock Holmes type person, except that he actually existed. He was a brilliant man and created the first global dictionary. The fictional cases depicted are solved by Johnson based on careful consideration of the thinkings of the man. Much like Holmes' Watson, Boswell records the meanderings of Johnson.