Hello Bookworms,
Recently,
I received something wonderful! The entire collection of Colin Dexter’s
Inspector Morse novels including Morse’s Greatest Case and other Short Stories
(a huge thanks to my family for this generous gift!! J
They know how much I love PBS’s Endeavor and Inspector Lewis). I’ve already
started the set and today I’m going to review the first novel in the series:
Last Bus to Woodstock!
Summary
When
a woman is found murdered outside of a pub, the case seems pretty normal. All
that needs to be done is to find out who killed Sylvia Kaye. But as Inspector
Morse and his new partner Sargent Lewis begin to inspect the clues, this case
is more twisted that they thought. Rather than narrowing down their list of
suspects, it just keeps growing. Morse is really going to have to employ his
mind if he’s going to find the killer and close the case.
Review
This
is the first Colin Dexter book that I’ve read. Some of the things I like about
it are:
First,
it’s the original Inspector Morse. I am one who loves to
go back to the original stories if I find I like to television adaptations. I
always like to know what qualities the original writer gave the character. What
were the original thoughts of the author?
Second,
the way Mr. Dexter changed from character to character.
There are moments in the book where there are several short paragraphs back to
back. This is Colin Dexter’s way of showing you what happening “meanwhile” and
giving you the whole picture! I like that!
Finally,
the solution. Wow! I will admit I could not see where
we were going with the case! Every time I thought I knew who it was, it would
change again! In two sentences it all became clear and I had to stifle a
massive gasp! You’ll love it!
What didn’t I like?
The
case itself. I’m not one to love rape/sex centered
cases and unfortunately this was one. And sometimes, the author was WAY too
graphic. This isn’t Fifty Shades of Morse’s Suspects it’s an Inspector Morse
Mystery. I wouldn’t recommend the first book for younger audiences. Adults,
read at your own risk. That was a massive disappointment to me because Colin
Dexter is hailed as one of the best but, it wasn’t so bad as to scare
me away from all Inspector Morse novels. I’m proceeding with the second and I
think it might be better than the first!
Until next time,
Lizzie <3
