The Inspector Morse mysteries by Colin Dexter
First publshed online February 10, 2010
In the 1980s Jim introduced me to P.D. James. I read each new novel published years apart. I discovered the 14 Inspector Morse mysteries, written by Colin Dexter, a few months ago. Needless to say they’re a fearsome but delicious distraction.
Morse is a senior police detective in Oxford, England. As a young man he dropped out of St. John’s College, Oxford. He was on track for a first but fell in love--lost his focus, the woman and his scholarship. After leaving the Army he joined the police department.
Morse’s Christian name is Endeavor, not revealed until the second to the last Morse book, Death is Now My Neighbor. “Morse, just call me Morse,” he says. His father was a fan of Captain James Cook who’s ship HMS Endeavor discovered Australia and New Zealand.
He’s one of the most difficult of the English ‘gentlemen’ detectives---caustic-tongued, head-strong and drinks gallons of the best real ale. He’s also a Times crossword puzzle doer, fretting when it takes longer than 8 minutes. Colin Dexter pens crossword puzzles so wordy clues pepper his mysteries.
Morse’ other passion’s are Wagner and opera. He’s an intellectual snob and a bachelor not immune to attractive female witnesses/suspects. He’s assisted by his trusty sergeant, Lewis.
Lewis is Morse’s polar opposite. He’s a
working class bloke from Wales in the novels, Newcastle, in the TV series. He
drinks in moderation, is com se com sa
about words and Wagner, and is happily
married. He fetches Morse coffee and
beer, despite Morse’ indifference to
paying his fair share of the pub tab.
Although Morse often misjudges suspects
he’s still the best detective in the Thames
Valley Police. He regards the grunt work
of sleuthing beneath him, so rarely
acknowledges Lewis’ mastery at checking
alibis, corroborating witness statements with
other witnesses, record searches, etc., which
Lewis does with affable charm. A mountain of random detail may overwhelm the average detective. But Morse, like Sherlock before him, is a cut above, tapping into his attention to stray detail, intuition and remarkable memory.
You’ll learn much about Oxford reading these mysteries. Many of the books have a map of the city although in the paperback versions it’s too small. The colleges, Bodleian Library, Ashmolean Museum, Randolph Hotel and Cherwell River all figure prominently. (Dexter lives in Oxford).
After the first few books I stopped trying to solve the Morse mysteries. They’re salted with too many characters and plot twists. I read them because of Morse, Lewis and the locale.
Lewis nodded again, then climbed the stairs, wondering
that Monday morning how it would turn out-knowing
how Morse hated holidays; how little he normally enjoyed
the company of others; how very much he enjoyed a very
regular allotment of alcohol; how he avoided almost all
forms of physical exercise. And knowing such things
Lewis realized that in all probability he would fairly soon
be driving Morse out to the Musac-free pub at Thrupp
where a couple of pints of real ale would leave the
Chief marginally mellower and where a couple of orange
juices would leave the chauffeur (him!) unexcitedly
unintoxicated.
--The Remorseful Day
Favorite stories are The Dead of Jericho and The Remorseful Day, which is the last Morse mystery and should be read only after reading all the others.
The novels in the series are:
Last Bus to Woodstock (1975)
Last Seen Wearing (1976)
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (1977)
Service of All the Dead (1979)
The Dead of Jericho (1981)
The Riddle of the Third Mile (1983)
The Secret of Annexe 3 (1986)
The Wench is Dead (1989)
The Jewel That Was Ours (1991)
The Way Through the Woods (1992)
The Daughters of Cain (1994)
Death is Now My Neighbour (1996)
The Remorseful Day (1999)
There are also several Inspector Morse short stories in Morse’s Greatest Mystery and Other Stories
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