John Rhode

John Rhode was the pen name of Cecil John Charles Street (b 1884), who began his military career as an artillery officer in the British Army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels. John Street produced two long series of novels – one under the name of John Rhode, the bulk of them featuring the academic Dr. Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton, the majority featuring the retired naval officer Desmond Merrion, and four novels under the name Cecil Waye.

The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Dr. Thorndyke to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analyzing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.