Who is Inspector Ford from Without Feathers and what is their importance?

A parody of Ellery Queen and other similar mystery detectives, Inspector Ford is a whodunit detective. As a parody, however, Inspector Ford lacks the intelligence and deductive ability that most fictional detectives supposedly have. Like many characters in Allen's writings, the inspector represents a kind of authority. Because he has a title, "Inspector," and a position that implies brains and capability, the reader assumes Inspector Ford has these qualities. The reader is quickly disillusioned.