1960s – History and Mystery Reads

Papa Là-Bas (1968), John Dickson Carr

Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Lively on antebellum New Orleans, with its Creole society, duelling codes and voodoo…

Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Vivid on the cosmopolitan port of Canton and its Arab traders, though the…

Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Evocative of a plague-stricken capital and its aristocratic families, with van Gulik’s usual…

Rating: 8/10 · Translated from Italian Accuracy: Closely based on real events in 1780s–90s Palermo, including…

Rating: 6/10 Accuracy: Good on Georgian London and on the early days of organised policing under…

Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Solid on provincial administration and on the underworld of thieves’ guilds, with van…

Rating: 7/10 Accuracy: Pleasantly evocative of Edwardian society, with its manners, dress and scandals, though the…

Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Excellent on the northern frontier, winter conditions, and the procedure for exhumation and…

Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Rich in Chinese material culture and legal procedure, with van Gulik’s usual open…

RaRating: 9/10 Accuracy: Exceptional; O’Brian built many episodes on real naval actions, including Lord Cochrane’s capture…

Rating: 8/10 Accuracy: Faithful to the ancient sources on Alexander’s youth, with interpretation where they are…

Rating: 8/10 · Translated from French (original title L’Œuvre au noir); English edition 1976 Accuracy: Deeply…