About
"Queer people" by Basil Thomson is a memoir of policing and intelligence written in the early 20th century. It offers an insider’s account of Scotland Yard and the Special Branch, showing how organization, legwork, and luck—not fanciful forensics—solve real cases, and how war fever and rumor can hinder sound judgment. Expect lively true-crime and espionage anecdotes: jewel thefts, confidence tricks, spy scares, political violence, and the everyday craft of detectives and “thief-catchers.”
The opening of this work moves from a brief, modest preface into a brisk demystification of detective fiction, as the narrator contrasts Sherlockian showmanship with the Yard’s methodical systems and field craft. He sketches the CID’s structure, praises “thief-catchers,” and illustrates practical ingenuity with sharp vignettes (baiting bus pickpockets, posing as a gardener, outwitting suspects in shops and on the Tube). The next chapter exposes “adolescent lying” through cases of forged poison-pen le
Source and licence
This work is public domain or openly licensed. The licence terms are published by the source.
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