Born in Manhattan in 1902, de la Torre received master's degrees from
Columbia University and
Harvard. Her first novel was
Elizabeth Is Missing, or Truth Triumphant, published by
Knopf in 1945. Her most popular works were the
Dr. Sam: Johnson, Detector series of 33 detective stories that cast 18th century literary figures
Samuel Johnson and
James Boswell into
Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Watson roles. This series, which de la Torre began in 1943 with
The Great Seal of England, is one of the earliest examples of the
historical mystery, a
literary genre which combines
historical fiction and the
whodunit/
detective story. She also wrote numerous books, short stories for ''
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, reviews for The New York Times Book Review, poetry and plays. Her play Goodbye, Miss Lizzie Borden
was adapted as the episode "The Older Sister" for Alfred Hitchcock Presents
. She was a President of the Mystery Writers of America, and was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime for The Truth about Belle Gunness'' (1955). She died in 1993 at the age of 91. She was predeceased by her husband George McCue. ==Selected works==