Mystery Monday: Cecil John Charles Street
I continue to look for detective and crime novels written in
the 1930s and 1940s. I have stumbled on a wonderful blog called The Passting Tramp that focuses on mystery writers from that era, discovering that there are more
authors from that time period than Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. 
My most recent find is Cecil John Charles Street. Born in
1884 on Gibraltar where his father was serving, Street followed his father’s
footsteps and went into the military. He served in WWI and the Irish War of
Independence, and ultimately mustered out as a Major. Married twice, he had one
daughter with his first wife. He was awarded the military cross as well as the
OBE (Order of the British Empire) – some say it was for the prolific number of
books he wrote.
He published an estimated 140 novels under six pseudonyms.
(I cannot imagine! It’s all I can do to produce a full manuscript in 8-9
months!) Under the name John Rhode, he wrote a series of more than fifty books
featuring forensic scientist Dr. Priestly. A second long series (more than 40
books) was written under the name of Miles Burton.
Street was often referred to as one of the Masters of
Humdrum Mystery, a derogatory term coined by critic and author Julian Symons.
(However, perhaps Street has the last laugh as his books are highly
collectable, and commanding significant prices.) His claim to fame is his
ingenious ways of “bumping off” the victims in his stories. Who knew there were
that many ways to kill someone?
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