I enjoyed this book and using the same plot device as Josephine Tey did in “The Daughter of Time” did not detract from that enjoyment. Is this is what is meant by “homage”? ( )

Book #8 of the Inspector Morse series. While recovering in the hospital, Morse reads a small book about a murder 100 years earlier that sparks his interest. He tries to find the truth of what really happened. As always, I enjoy reading about Morse and seeing how his mind works. ( )

The 8th book in Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse series, and in my opinion, the best so far - given that it was the first of the series to be awarded the British Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award, I am clearly not alone in this opinion.

It’s a bit of a departure from the usual Morse novel, in that rather than investigating a recent murder, Morse, while convalescing in hospital, becomes intrigued by the tale of a murder on the Oxford canal 130 years earlier, and, enlisting the help of the ever-faithful Lewis, and the daughter of a fellow patient, who just happens to be a librarian at the Bodleian, sets out to discover more about the case, believing that the wrong people were hanged.

The story unfolds well, Dexter describing the processes that Morse’s brain goes through to reach his conclusions, as well as introducing a little more of Morse’s backstory.

One of my only criticisms are the same as for any Morse novel so far - the Morse of the books is in some ways quite an unsavoury character - call me a prude but his obsession with porn is off-putting, and he is such a lecherous old sod. Having said that, he does seem to be reforming slightly on the porn at least; this book was first published when the TV version had run for three series, so perhaps TV Morse was starting to influence book Morse a little.

The other criticism is that Dexter could have at least acknowledged the debt owed to Josephine Tey, whose Daughter of Time used the concept of an invalided detective solving an historical crime some 38 years before Dexter. ( )

I'm so glad I've discovered this set of unabridged productions of the Morse books. At between 6 and 7 hours they are lovely renditions of Dexter's novels.

Lying in hospital recovering from a perforated ulcer Morse is given a small book written by a recently died patient investigating the very cold case of a woman who was found drowned in the Oxford Canal over 100 years earlier. As he reads he feels there was something wrong with the verdict which convicted 3 canal boatmen of the murder, but he can't put his finger on it. Luckily the man in the neighbouring bed is visited by his daughter who works in the Bodliean, just the sort of research assistant he needs.

Highly recommended. ( )

Morse, hospitalized with an ulcer, diverts himself by investigating an 1860 murder. Lewis and the daughter of one of the other patients do the legwork, and we get to see the evidence pretty much simultaneously with the characters. An interesting book, conceptually; not sure what I think, though, of the mystery. I'm probably convinced that the "murderers" were framed, but less convinced that Morse's version is correct. We've seen him get things wrong before....

The nurses flirt with Morse, Morse flirts with the nurses (and the fellow-patient's daughter). That part's lots of fun. As is the interplay with Lewis.

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Slightly related comment: Some of the Morse books are available as ebooks. Some are only available as paper. This one is apparently not available in an American version; I had to buy it from a London bookseller (Blackwells, as it happens). I expect all this can be explained by contractual issues, but it's a mystery. And a pain. ( )