The Wench Is Dead WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD
The body of Joanna Franks was found at Duke's Cut on the Oxford Canal at about 5.30 am. 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 trial that followed Joanna Franks' death ... and
becomes convinced that the two men hanged for her murder were innocent …
The Inspector Morse novels have been adapted for the small screen, with huge success, in Carlton/Central Television's series starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately. The Wench is Dead is the last of the novels to be adapted, to be broadcast in November 1998. 'Morse solves a 130-year-old mystery in delightful style.' Mail on Sunday
'Dextrously ingenious.' Guardian The Riddle of the Third Mile
'Runs the gamut of brain-racking unputdownability.' Observer Last Seen Wearing
'Brilliant characterisation in original whodunnit.' Sunday Telegraph
Paperback - Pan (1983)
The Dead of Jericho WINNER OF THE CWA SILVER DAGGER AWARD '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 … 'Let those who lament the decline of the English detective story reach for Colin Dexter' Guardian
'The triumph is the character of Morse' Times Literary Supplement
'The writing is highly intelligent, the atmosphere melancholy, the effect haunting.' Daily Telegraph
Service of all the Dead WINNER OF THE CWA SILVER DAGGER AWARD '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 … 'A brilliantly plotted detective story.' Evening Standard
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn '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 ... 'Morse's superman status is reinforced by an ending which no ordinary mortal could have possibly unravelled.' Financial Times
Paperback - Pan (1977)
Last Bus to Woodstock The first Inspector Morse Novel "Good clue, don't you think?"
"l'm afraid I'm not very hot on crosswords, sir"
"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 would 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 wilful 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 … 'Highly effective ... exceptionally clever' Sunday Times
The Wench Is Dead
The Wench Is Dead