Inspector Morse

“Last Bus to Woodstock” is the novel that began Colin Dexter's phenomenally successful “Inspector Morse” series. 'Do you think I'm wasting your time, Lewis?' Lewis was nobody's fool and was a man of some honesty and integrity. 'Yes, sir.' An engaging smile crept across Morse's mouth. He thought they could get on well together... The death of Sylvia Kaye figured dramatically in Thursday afternoon's edition of the Oxford Mail. By Friday evening Inspector Morse had informed the nation that the police were looking for a dangerous man—facing charges of willful murder, sexual assault and rape. But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key...

Last Seen Wearing is the second Inspector Morse novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. Morse was beset by a nagging feeling. Most of his fanciful notions about the Taylor girl had evaporated and he had begun to suspect that further investigation into Valerie's disappearance would involve little more than sober and tedious routine... After leaving home to return to school, teenager Valerie Taylor had completely vanished, and the trail had gone cold. Until two years, three months and two days after Valerie's disappearance, somebody decides to supply some surprising new evidence for the case... Last Seen Wearing is followed by the third Inspector Morse book, The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn.

“The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn” is the third novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. Morse had never ceased to wonder why, with the staggering advances in medical science, all pronouncements concerning times of death seemed so disconcertingly vague. The newly appointed member of the Oxford Examinations Syndicate was deaf, provincial and gifted. Now he is dead... And his murder, in his north Oxford home, proves to be the start of a formidably labyrinthine case for Chief Inspector Morse, as he tries to track down the killer through the insular and bitchy world of the Oxford Colleges...

“Service of All the Dead” is the fourth novel in Colin Dexter's “Oxford”, set detective series. The sweet countenance of Reason greeted Morse serenely when he woke and told him that it would be no bad idea to have a quiet look at the problem itself before galloping off to a solution. Chief Inspector Morse was alone among the congregation in suspecting continued unrest in the quiet parish of St Frideswide's. Most people could still remember the churchwarden's murder. A few could still recall the murderer's suicide. Now even the police had closed the case. Until a chance meeting among the tombstones reveals startling new evidence of a conspiracy to deceive...

“The Dead of Jericho” is the fifth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set “Inspector Morse” series. Morse switched on the gramophone to 'play’ and sought to switch his mind away from all the terrestrial troubles. Sometimes, this way, he almost managed to forget. But not tonight... Anne Scott's address was scribbled on a crumpled note in the pocket of Morse's smartest suit. He turned the corner of Canal Street, Jericho, on the afternoon of Wednesday, 3rd October. He hadn't planned a second visit. But he was back later the same day—as the officer in charge of a suicide investigation...

“The Riddle of the Third Mile” is the sixth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. The thought suddenly occurred to Morse that this would be a marvellous time to murder a few of the doddery old bachelor dons. No wives to worry about their whereabouts; no landladies to whine about the unpaid rents. In fact, nobody would miss most of them at all... By the 16th of July the Master of Lonsdale was concerned, but not yet worried. Dr. Browne-Smith passed through the porter's lodge at approximately 8.15 a.m. on the morning of Friday, 11th July. And nobody had heard from him since. Plenty of time to disappear, thought Morse. And plenty of time, too, for someone to commit murder...

“The Secret of Annexe 3” is the seventh novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. Morse sought to hide his disappointment. So many people in the Haworth Hotel that fateful evening had been wearing some sort of disguise—a change of dress, a change of make-up, a change of partner, a change of attitude, a change of life almost; and the man who had died had been the most consummate artist of them all... Chief Inspector Morse seldom allowed himself to be caught up in New Year celebrations. So, the murder inquiry in the festive hotel had a certain appeal. It was a crime worthy of the season. The corpse was still in fancy dress. And hardly a single guest at the Haworth had registered under a genuine name...

The Wench is Dead is the eighth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. That night he dreamed in Technicolor. He saw the ochre-skinned, scantily clad siren in her black, arrowed stockings. And in Morse's muddled computer of a mind, that siren took the name of one Joanna Franks... The body of Joanna Franks was found at Duke's Cut on the Oxford Canal at about 5.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 22nd June 1859. At around 10.15 a.m. on a Saturday morning in 1989 the body of Chief Inspector Morse - though very much alive - was removed to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Treatment for a perforated ulcer was later pronounced successful. As Morse begins his recovery he comes across an account of the investigation and the trial that followed Joanna Franks' death... and becomes convinced that the two men hanged for her murder were innocent... The Wench is Dead is followed by the ninth Inspector Morse book, The Jewel That Was Ours.

An Inspector Morse Mystery. The case seems so simple that Inspector Morse deems it beneath his notice. A wealthy, elderly American tourist has a heart attack in her room at Oxford's luxurious Randolph Hotel. Missing from the scene is the lady's handbag, which contained the Wolvercote Tongue, a priceless jewel that her late husband had bequeathed to the Ashmolean Museum just across the street. Morse proceeds to spend a great deal of time thinking-and drinking-in the hotel's bar, certain the solution is close at hand, until conflicting stories, suspicious doings, and a real murder convince him otherwise.

Colin Dexter's Chief Inspector Morse-the cranky, heavy-drinking, and exasperatingly brilliant sleuth of the Thames Valley Police-has become one of the most beloved detectives in fiction. Now, with this collection of eleven short stories, we can savor choice examples of his dry wit, devious cunning, and psychological insight at its best.Colin Dexter tantalizes us with six Inspector Morse adventures, ranging from bite-size morsels of intrigue to longer stories for listeners to sink their teeth into. Then, for added variety, Dexter shows his range with five mysteries featuring new characters and some familiar ones: one story features that other great English detective, Sherlock Holmes, in a tale that rivals those of Conan Doyle himself. "Morse's Greatest Mystery" and the other stories in this collection are a banquet for the mystery lover-rich, varied, and satisfying. Stories included are:As Good As GoldMorse's Greatest MysteryEvans Tries an O-LevelDead As a DodoAt the Lulu-Bar MotelNeighbourhood WatchA Case of Mis-identityThe Inside StoryMonty's RevolverThe Carpet-BaggerLast Call

Little progress had been made by the Thames Valley Police since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The police had no weapon, no suspect, and no motive. But within days of taking over the investigation, Chief Inspector Morse and Detective Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of the victim, Dr. Felix McClure, late of Wolsey College, Oxford. The trail leads to a staircase in Wolsey College and a former "scout" there, one Edward Brooks, who disappears following the theft of a knife from the Pitt Rivers Museum. When another body is discovered, Morse suddenly finds himself with too many suspects, including Brooks' wife, a prostitute, and an enigmatic schoolmistress. Attracted to one of the possible killers, the chief inspector may be too involved for success. It will take much thought, many pints, and not a little anguish before Morse sees the connection between McClure's death and the daughters of Cain.