Few events during that whirlwind of movements, conflicts and upheaval known as "the sixties" took Americans more by surprise, or were more likely to inspire their rage, than the rebellion of those who were young, white, and college educated. Perhaps none have been more maligned or misunderstood since. In A Fiction of the Past, Dominick Cavallo pushes past the contemporary fog of myth, cold disdain and warm nostalgia that shrouds the radical youth culture of the '60s. He explores how the furiously chaotic sixties sprang from the comparatively placid forties and fifties.

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery AllinghamThe Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

Allingham, a contemporary of Agatha Christie, wrote highly detailed, stylish mysteries. Like Christie's Hercule Poirot, Allingham's Albert Campion became a dominant character in her many novels. In The Fashion in Shrouds, Campion finds himself caught up in a series of murders that surround the well-known actress Georgia Wells. As the story progresses, suspects abound. Even Campion's sister, Val, begins to look guilty. After all, Georgia's latest conquest had been Val's beau.