A new book which tells the unique story of Manchester’s first Royal Detective, James Wood, has hit the shelves – penned by his great grandson, former Matlock Mercury editor Don Hale.

Born in 1885, James was a former sharp-shooter in Queen Victoria’s mighty Army of the Empire, who progressed through the ranks of the City Police to become the youngest superintendent in their history, and a highly successful “thief taker”.

For many years around the turn of the century he also helped protect a number of prominent VIP’s and visiting members of the Royal Family, and Don’s book, Secrets of the Royal Detective, gives an insight into his life and career, as well as looking at some of the major changes to social life around Manchester prior to 1914.

During 15 chapters Don recalls his memories of his great grandfather and great grandmother, looks at how James’ career progressed, and reveals his involvement with memorable events such as the Daily Mail air race and the development of Manchester United.

It also contains cameo stories about his famous friends and associates, as well as a comprehensive record of his crime detection duties with a host of examples taken from his personal records and diaries.

There are also about 50 pictures covering James’ period in office, together with extracts from the Manchester Evening News and Oldham Evening Chronicle which give a taste of the news stories of the day.