Historical Mystery
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The Council of Egypt (1963), Leonardo Sciascia
Rating: 8/10 · Translated from Italian Accuracy: Closely based on real events in 1780s–90s Palermo, including…
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The Demoniacs (1962), John Dickson Carr
Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Good on Georgian London and on the early days of organised policing under…
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The Lacquer Screen (1962), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Solid on provincial administration and on the underworld of thieves’ guilds, with van…
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The Witch of the Low-Tide (1961), John Dickson Carr
Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Pleasantly evocative of Edwardian society, with its manners, dress and scandals, though the…
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The Chinese Nail Murders (1961), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Excellent on the northern frontier, winter conditions, and the procedure for exhumation and…
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The Chinese Lake Murders (1960), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Rich in Chinese material culture and legal procedure, with van Gulik’s usual open…
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The Chinese Gold Murders (1959), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Detailed on coastal trade, the Korean community and provincial administration, with the usual…
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The Chinese Bell Murders (1958), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Legal procedure, customs and administration are exact, though van Gulik openly mixed Ming…
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Fire, Burn! (1957), John Dickson Carr
Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Strong on the founding of the Metropolitan Police in 1829 and the public…
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Captain Cut-Throat (1955), John Dickson Carr
Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Good on the Boulogne camp of 1805, Napoleon’s planned invasion of Britain, and…
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The Chinese Maze Murders (1956), Robert van Gulik
Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Solid on legal and frontier administration, with van Gulik’s usual candid blending of…
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By Night Under the Stone Bridge (1953), Leo Perutz
Rating: 8/10 · Translated from German; English edition 1989 Accuracy: A rich, precise evocation of Rudolf…
