Ashton-Kirk, detective adventures

John Thomas McIntyre (1871-1951) was a Philadelphia author. He wrote extensively in mystery fiction, and in many other genres. Ashton-Kirk, the detective star of his Ashton-Kirk: Investigator (1910), was an early example of the "upper crust, genius amateur sleuth who works with the police" that would play such a major role in the Golden Age to come, through such examples as Lord Peter Wimsey and Philo Vance. The book's setting among collectors will also echo through the Golden Age. McIntyre also wrote hard-boiled realistic novels of Philadelphia life. These books often contain elements of crime and urban corruption. They were critically acclaimed in their day, and are now seen as examples of noir fiction. Late in life, McIntyre wrote some crime thrillers under the pseudonym Kerry O'Neil, often featuring Jerry Mooney, "the Robin Hood of Philadelphia", an ex-cop private eye who likes to run benevolent con schemes. The last three were panned by Anthony Boucher as "unfair" and full of "execrable writing" (ouch!). McIntyre also used the Kerry O'Neil pseudonym for magazine short stories, including some Westerns. In this book: Ashton-Kirk, Investigator Ashton-Kirk, Criminologist Ashton Kirk, Secret Agent The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill