Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories
Rex (Author photograph) New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1993. First American Edition [stated], First printing [stated]. Hardcover. [8], 242, [4] pages. Signed by the author on the title page. Norman Colin Dexter (29 September 1930 – 21 March 2017) was an English crime writer known for his Inspector Morse series of novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as an ITV television series, Inspector Morse, from 1987 to 2000. His characters spawned a sequel series, Lewis, from 2006 to 2015, and a prequel series, Endeavour, from 2012 to 2023. He also set crosswords for The Oxford Times. Dexter did his national service with the Royal Corps of Signals and then read Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1953 and receiving a master's degree in 1958. He began writing mysteries in 1972 during a family holiday. Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975 and introduced the character of Inspector Morse, the irascible detective whose penchants for cryptic crosswords, English literature, and Wagner operas reflected Dexter's own enthusiasms. Dexter's plots used red herrings, "presenting Morse, and his readers, with fiendishly difficult puzzles to solve". Dexter received several Crime Writers' Association awards: two Silver Daggers for Service of All the Dead and The Dead of Jericho; two Gold Daggers for The Wench is Dead and The Way Through the Woods; and a Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. In 1996, Dexter received a Macavity Award for his short story "Evans Tries an O-Level". In 1980, he was elected a member of the by-invitation-only Detection Club. In the 2000 Birthday Honours Dexter was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature. Chief Inspector Morse, the irascible, brilliant detective of the Thames Valley Police, returns in six tales of detection, accompanied by five self-contained mysteries ranging in setting from a prison cell to a hotel lounge in the American Midwest. Derived from a Kirkus review: Eleven stories, including six featuring irascible, imposingly well-read Inspector Morse. Criminals mostly take the honors for ingenuity in the other five, which range from prison escapes to confidence schemes to a redaction of one of Sherlock Holmes's most celebrated cases. Most readers will turn first to the Morses, they reveal Dexter at his best. The title story is little more than a trifle recasting Morse as a reformed Scrooge; ``As Good as Gold'' a chance for him to fake evidence; `Neighbourhood Watch' a new turn on a familiar legend; and ``Last Call'' a job of detection. But `Dead as a Dodo' is a gem of ingenuity, and `The Inside Story'—a substantial tale of murder doubling as a crime story written by the victim—is a masterpiece, a Morse novel in miniature. Even in the short form, Dexter never writes the same piece twice, and his headlong pace—the stories are miracles of velocity despite their cargo of allusions—keeps you from ever seeing ahead of him. Old fans of Morse and Dexter will devour this batch at a single gobble. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Inspector Morse, Murder, Investigation, Lulu-Bar Motel, Revolver, Carpet-bagger, Thames Valley Police
ISBN: 0517799928
[Book #91877]
Price: $175.00