Raymond West, a crime novelist by trade, struggles to reconcile his professional grasp of mystery with his role as father to sixteen-year-old Mabel West, whose fervent detective aspirations he staunchly resists. Preoccupied with shielding her from what he deems an unsuitable path, he clashes with her unconventional tendencies—most notably chastising her for escorting a pet duck to a formal gathering. Despite his insistence that she embrace ordinary pursuits, he begrudgingly permits her relocation to London to aid Hercule Poirot, contingent on her regular visits to St. Mary Mead to check on her observant great-aunt, Jane Marple. This stipulation subtly anchors Mabel’s investigative endeavors to familial oversight, threading her into cases ranging from jewel heists and gold bullion conspiracies to the labyrinthine *Sleeping Murder* homicide inquiry. Raymond’s presence intermittently surfaces across these narratives, his authorial perspective contrasting his daughter’s hands-on sleuthing, yet his influence remains tethered to their fraught dynamic and his cautious concessions.