The Daughters Of Cain

“Audacious and amusing . . . may be the best book yet in this deservedly celebrated series.”—The Wall Street Journal It was only the second time Inspector Morse had ever taken over a murder enquiry after the preliminary—invariably dramatic—discovery and sweep of the crime scene. Secretly pleased to have missed the blood and gore, Morse and the faithful Lewis go about finding the killer who stabbed Dr. Felix McClure, late of Wolsey College. In another part of Oxford, three women—a housecleaner, a schoolteacher, and a prostitute—are playing out a drama that has long been unfolding. It will take much brain work, many pints, and not a little anguish before Morse sees the startling connections between McClure's death and the daughters of Cain. . . . Praise for The Daughters of Cain “Very cleverly constructed. . . Dexter writes with an urbanity and range of reference that is all his own.”—Los Angeles Times “You don’t really know Morse until you’ve read him. . . . Viewers who have enjoyed British actor John Thaw as Morse in the PBS Mystery! anthology series should welcome the deeper character development in Dexter’s novels.”—Chicago Sun-Times “A masterful crime writer whom few others match.”—Publishers Weekly

In Mildred Pierce, noir master James M. Cain creates a novel of acute social observation and devasting emotional violence, with a heroine whose ambitions and sufferings are never less than recognizable. Mildred Pierce had gorgeous legs, a way with a skillet, and a bone-deep core of toughness. She used those attributes to survive a divorce and poverty and to claw her way out of the lower middle class. But Mildred also had two weaknesses: a yen for shiftless men, and an unreasoning devotion to a monstrous daughter.

Morse had solved so many mysteries in his life. Was he now, he wondered, beginning to glimpse the solution to the greatest mystery of them all . . . ? How can the discovery of a short story by a beautiful Oxford graduate lead Chief Inspector Morse to her murderer? What awaits Morse and Lewis in Room 231 of the Randolph Hotel? Why does a theft at Christmas lead the detective to look upon the festive season with uncharacteristic goodwill? And what happens when Morse himself falls victim to a brilliantly executed crime? Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories is a dazzling collection of short stories from Inspector Morse's creator, Colin Dexter. It includes six ingenious cases for the world's most popular fictional detective – plus five other tantalizingly original tales to delight all lovers of classic crime fiction.

Death is Now My Neighbour is the twelfth novel in Colin Dexter’s Oxford-set detective series. As he drove his chief down to Kidlington, Lewis returned the conversation to where it had begun. ‘You haven't told me what you think about this fellow Owens – the dead woman’s next-door neighbour.' ‘Death is always the next-door neighbour,’ said Morse sombrely. The murder of a young woman, a cryptic ‘seventeenth-century’ love poem, and a photograph of a mystery grey-haired man is more than enough to set Chief Inspector Morse on the trail of a killer. It’s a trail that leads him to Lonsdale College, where the contest between Julian Storrs and Dr Denis Cornford for the coveted position of Master is hotting up. But then Morse faces a greater, far more personal crisis . . . Death is Now My Neighbour is followed by the thirteenth and final Inspector Morse book, The Remorseful Day.

The Daughters of Cain is the eleventh novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. Bizarre and bewildering – that's what so many murder investigations in the past had proved to be . . . In this respect, at least, Lewis was correct in his thinking. What he could not have known was what unprecedented anguish the present case would cause to Morse's soul. Chief Superintendent Strange's opinion was that too little progress had been made since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The victim had been killed by a single stab wound to the stomach. Yet the police had no weapon, no suspect, no motive. Within days of taking over the case Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of Dr Felix McClure. When another body is discovered Morse suddenly finds himself with rather too many suspects. For once, he can see no solution. But then he receives a letter containing a declaration of love . . . The Daughters of Cain is followed by the twelfth Inspector Morse book, Death is Now My Neighbour.

The Riddle of the Third Mile is the sixth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. As portrayed by John Thaw in ITV's Inspector Morse. 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. . . Dr Browne-Smith passed through the porter's lodge at approximately 8.15 a.m. on the morning of Friday, 11th July. And nobody has heard from him since. By the 16th of July the Master of Lonsdale is concerned, but not yet worried. Plenty of time to disappear, think Chief Inspector Morse. And plenty of time, too, for someone to commit murder . . . As bodies begin to pile, Morse sets out on a journey through intricate and complicated history, from World War Two Egypt to present-day London, in search of answers. The Riddle of the Third Mile is followed by the seventh Inspector Morse book, The Secret of Annexe 3.

The first intriguing case 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. But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key . . . Last Bus to Woodstock is followed by the second Inspector Morse book, Last Seen Wearing.

Winner of the CWA Silver Dagger Award, The Dead of Jericho is the fifth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set Inspector Morse series. As portrayed by John Thaw in ITV's Inspector Morse. 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. As 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 her suicide investigation. Following another local death, Morse is not convinced of Anna’s suspected suicide and begins the search for answers . . . The Dead of Jericho is followed by the sixth book in the detective series, The Riddle of the Third Mile.