Cecil John Charles Street, who wrote under the pseudonym John Rhode among others, was a British Army major and a highly prolific writer of detective fiction. Born in 1884, Street initially pursued a military career, serving as an artillery officer. During the First World War, his duties shifted to intelligence and propaganda as he worked for the military intelligence department MI7.
Following the war, Street continued his government service during the Irish War of Independence. Operating as an Information Officer for Dublin Castle, he split his time between Dublin and London, working in close cooperation with the British official Lionel Curtis.
Street later channeled his analytical and administrative experiences into a successful career as a novelist. He earned his living writing numerous detective novels under several pen names, most notably John Rhode, Miles Burton, and Cecil Waye. His transition from military propagandist to a staple of British crime fiction marked him as a significant contributor to the genre during the mid-twentieth century.
