Inspector Roger West is a handsome family man detective and appears in a police procedural series with 43 titles. A man so good looking, apparently, that he is given the nickname ‘Handsome West’.
Over the series he is promoted from Inspector to Superintendent and his marriage and family evolves. He is married to Janet West and they have two sons, named after Creasey’s own children, Martin and Richard. West is a devoted husband and father and, although he attracts the attention of numerous women, he never betrays his beloved wife. He has a playful and loving relationship with Janet and whenever he staggers home after drinking with his bachelor friends, such as Mark Lessing, she warmly gives him a telling off but doesn’t really mind.
West is humane, a kind and empathetic man who hates to be the bearer of bad news, especially to grieving families. He is young, highly intelligent and perceptive, and a devoted family man. He is one of Creasey’s personal favourite protagonists and emerged out of Grice of the Yard in the Toff books.
By the end of the series Roger has been promoted to Chief Superintendent, the youngest ever at the Yard. Through the series he picks up a few returning adversaries such as master criminal Carosi. He also finds himself the target of deadly plots and even gets framed.
“I will admit that I would rather Russians learned about London and the English police through West than, as they have learned about them for so long, through Sherlock Holmes.”
– John Creasey
Listen to Inspector West: A Classic BBC Radio Crime Collection here.
See the full list of Inspector West titles here.
