America's Sherlock Holmes

The Legacy of William Burns

William R. Hunt - Foreword by Jerry Clark

William Burns is best known as ‘America’s Sherlock Holmes’ and became director at the Bureau of Investigation, to be immediately followed by J. Edgar Hoover. But before he became director, Burns had a long, highly publicized career as a government detective for the Secret Service, then as the head of the famed Burns International Detective Agency, which he founded after leaving government service.
These successes encouraged Burns to start his own agency and he successfully competed with his hated rival, the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He was a public hero for many years (except among labor union men who remembered his questionable tactics in the notorious McNamara case involving the bombing of the Los Angeles Times). But to the general populace, he was a white knight protecting the public interest until he disgraced his government office.

Globe Pequot / Lyons Press

Pages: 288 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4930-4031-5 • Paperback • April 2019 • $19.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-4930-4032-2 • eBook • April 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.99)

Subjects: True Crime / General, History / United States / 20th Century

America's Sherlock Holmes

The Legacy of William Burns

Paperback

eBook

Summary

William Burns is best known as ‘America’s Sherlock Holmes’ and became director at the Bureau of Investigation, to be immediately followed by J. Edgar Hoover. But before he became director, Burns had a long, highly publicized career as a government detective for the Secret Service, then as the head of the famed Burns International Detective Agency, which he founded after leaving government service.
These successes encouraged Burns to start his own agency and he successfully competed with his hated rival, the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He was a public hero for many years (except among labor union men who remembered his questionable tactics in the notorious McNamara case involving the bombing of the Los Angeles Times). But to the general populace, he was a white knight protecting the public interest until he disgraced his government office.

Details

Globe Pequot / Lyons Press

Pages: 288 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4930-4031-5 • Paperback • April 2019 • $19.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-4930-4032-2 • eBook • April 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.99)

Subjects: True Crime / General, History / United States / 20th Century

Author

William R. Hunt was a former professor of History Emeritus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He wrote weekly history features for the Anchorage Daily News.

America's Sherlock Holmes

The Legacy of William Burns

William R. Hunt - Foreword by Jerry Clark

America's Sherlock Holmes

The Legacy of William Burns

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