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Inspector West #12
A Case for Inspector West
Ruthless. He was as cold-blooded a killer as Roger West had ever encountered--and his modus operandi had the simplicity of absolute genius. Find a man with an expensive car, ask him if he's wealthy, then kill him. Take his keys and car, and go rob his home. Simple. Or was it?
- GenresMystery
Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
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About the author
John Creasey
705 books79 followersAKA Gordon Ashe, M E Cooke, Norman Deane, Robert Caine Frazer, Patrick Gill, Michael Halliday, Charles Hogarth, Brian Hope, Colin Hughes, Kyle Hunt, Margaret Lisle, Abel Mann, Peter Manton, J.J. Marric, Richard Martin, Rodney Mattheson, Anthony Morton, Jeremy York, Henry St. John Cooper and Margaret Cooke.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 12, 2023
John Creasey wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms during his career as a novelist.
This is one of the Chief Inspector Roger West books known alternatively as 'A Case for Inspector West' in the UK.
Members of an extended family are gradually being shot dead in their cars and houses in The Home Counties, Yorkshire, and the West Midlands. CI West has a suspect in mind but he seems more interested in having relationships with women and sponging money off them than killing their male relations. The plot is suspenseful, moves along quickly, and involves putting together a picture from various clues that makes a jarring, fractured image. Eventually another shooting results in the shooter being arrested, however the truth dawns that not all the victims were shot by the same person...
This is one of the Chief Inspector Roger West books known alternatively as 'A Case for Inspector West' in the UK.
Members of an extended family are gradually being shot dead in their cars and houses in The Home Counties, Yorkshire, and the West Midlands. CI West has a suspect in mind but he seems more interested in having relationships with women and sponging money off them than killing their male relations. The plot is suspenseful, moves along quickly, and involves putting together a picture from various clues that makes a jarring, fractured image. Eventually another shooting results in the shooter being arrested, however the truth dawns that not all the victims were shot by the same person...
July 3, 2023
A ruthless killer is stalking the wealthy and he has a brilliant plan. Jump out in front of their fancy cars, force them to stop, and then insist that they give you a ride...at gunpoint. Once you're sure they're rich, direct them to a lonely spot, kill them, take everything of value, grab their keys, and then go rob their houses. Nice and simple--and nearly foolproof. But is the plan really as simple and direct as it seems?
It isn't long before Inspector Roger West discovers a link between the murdered men...a link that's more than just wealth. All are connected to the same family and it seems there is a dirty little secret that might give cause for someone to seek revenge. But the very people he's now trying to protect tell him lies and mislead him and one of his officers is falling in love with a suspect making his job a little bit harder. Just when he thinks he's got the killer locked up, another murder takes place and West finds that he needs to look at the puzzle from another angle.
A highly suspenseful entry in the Inspector West series--full of action and a more thrillerish atmosphere. For quite a bit of the book, it seems that West is just one step behind and we begin to wonder if our detective has met his match. Of the West books I've read so far, this one has the least attention to making a mystery and leaving clues about. We pretty much know who the killer must be from the beginning--what we don't know is the extra details that set the plot in motion. I don't think Creasey has been quite fair with this. I definitely didn't see the final twist coming and even once I finished the book I couldn't really look back and say "Oh...I missed that clue."
Now, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did. It's a good story and I very much appreciate the way West handles the case--as well as how he handles the different personalities involved (including his lovesick assistant). He has a great deal of compassion for some of the suspects in the case as well. A very good--and slightly unusual--addition the inspector's cases.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
It isn't long before Inspector Roger West discovers a link between the murdered men...a link that's more than just wealth. All are connected to the same family and it seems there is a dirty little secret that might give cause for someone to seek revenge. But the very people he's now trying to protect tell him lies and mislead him and one of his officers is falling in love with a suspect making his job a little bit harder. Just when he thinks he's got the killer locked up, another murder takes place and West finds that he needs to look at the puzzle from another angle.
A highly suspenseful entry in the Inspector West series--full of action and a more thrillerish atmosphere. For quite a bit of the book, it seems that West is just one step behind and we begin to wonder if our detective has met his match. Of the West books I've read so far, this one has the least attention to making a mystery and leaving clues about. We pretty much know who the killer must be from the beginning--what we don't know is the extra details that set the plot in motion. I don't think Creasey has been quite fair with this. I definitely didn't see the final twist coming and even once I finished the book I couldn't really look back and say "Oh...I missed that clue."
Now, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did. It's a good story and I very much appreciate the way West handles the case--as well as how he handles the different personalities involved (including his lovesick assistant). He has a great deal of compassion for some of the suspects in the case as well. A very good--and slightly unusual--addition the inspector's cases.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
August 17, 2011
Having never read a John Creasey book before I wasn't sure if I'd like it. However I found West to be an appealing protagonist. The plot seemed well paced, and the ending was fairly satisfying. It didn't leave me in awe of the cleverness of the plot the way an Agatha Christie does. However it was sufficiently enjoyable to make me want to read more of the Inspector West series.
March 30, 2011
The West books are considered Creasey's finest, so I read several during this period. I really wanted to like them, and thought maybe THIS one is weak but the others are better. No soap for any of them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews