author
George S. McWatters
A Scottish-born New York police officer turned his years on the force into colorful nineteenth-century detective writing. Best known as the “Literary Policeman,” he wrote lively books that mix crime stories, city life, and memoir.
1 Audiobook
Knots Untied; Or, Ways and By-ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives
by George S. McWatters
About the author
George S. McWatters was a Scottish-born writer and New York City police officer who became known in newspaper circles as the “Literary Policeman.” Sources consulted here describe him as a respected figure among the bohemian and literary crowd around Pfaff’s in New York, while also noting his practical police work and his affection for children.
He is best remembered for Knots Untied: Or, Ways and By-Ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives and for Detectives of Europe and America. His writing draws on crime, investigation, and urban life, giving modern readers a vivid look at how nineteenth-century detective stories were told by someone with firsthand experience.
An obituary source says he died in April 1886 at age seventy-four after a short illness. It also notes that he served on New York’s police force for about eight years and, under Superintendent Kennedy, worked as chief of the Lost Children’s Bureau.