This time the detective must save his friend Bat Scanlon who is neck-deep with the Chinese underworld! Detective Ashton-Kirk is a charismatic detective who solves crime for fun and has partners in Pendleton and Fulton. Just like his famous predecessor Sherlock Holmes, Ashton-Kirk is a consulting sleuth with knowledge of diverse and eclectic fields. Excerpt: Impatiently, Ashton-Kirk threw down the last of the morning newspapers. Commonplace, said he. And sordid. I am inclined to agree with De Quincey’s ‘Toad-in-the-Hole’ that the age of great criminals has passed.