Dr. Sam Johnson, Detector by Lillian de la Torre

Lillian de la Torre wrote a series of short stories which featured detection by British lexicographer, Dr. Sam Johnson. These stories were, of course, recorded by his biographer, James Boswell. These stories would have taken place during the later years of the 1700's. de la Torre published the stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. The first collection of nine of these stories was published as Dr. Sam: Johnson, Detector in 1946. These stories would be part of the very early development of the historical mystery story and the mystery story in which a famous person acts as a detective which are still being written today.

In these stories, Dr. Sam Johnson tackles a variety of crimes. In the story of the "Flying Highwayman", Johnson and Boswell join the blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and together they catch an elusive highwayman. Dr. Johnson proves that a woman who claims to have second sight really doesn't. Lord Monboddo finds a wild boy who has been living in the woods on nuts and berries. Dr. Sam Johnson proves that he is no such thing.  In "Prince Charlie's Ruby" they meet bonnie prince Charlie. In "The Stolen Christmas" box they find a Christmas gift which had been stolen and make a young woman very happy. In the story "The Great Seal of England" Johnson and Boswell recover the great seal which has been stolen from the Lord Chancellor. de la Torre ends the book with a description of how she combined history and fiction with each story.