Over the Father’s Day weekend I was able to devour my first Inspector Morse novel by Colin Dexter. Death is Now My Neighbor is actually the 12th book of the series and would not have been my first choice when entering this esteemed British mystery series, but alas it was the only copy that was to be found.
For those of you Americans who are not interested in British media you are no doubt scratching your heads and wondering what the hell it is that I am going on about, here is the brief synopsis from Wikipedia:
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse is a fictional character in a series of thirteen detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33 episode television series produced by Central Independent Television from 1987–2000, in which he was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officer with the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. With a Jaguar car (originally a Lancia), a thirst for English real ale and a penchant for music (especially opera and Wagner), poetry, art, classics, classic cars, and cryptic crossword puzzles, Morse presents a likeable persona, despite his sullen temperament.
I have been a huge fan of the CIT, now iTV, series starring the venerable John Thaw as Morse and Kevin Whately as his assistant DS Lewis every since I saw The Dead of Jericho on Masterpiece Theater on PBS all those years ago. Since then I have watched them all over and again many times. Inspector Morse for me is comfort television, regardless of what is happening I know that old curmudgeon Morse will lift my spirits with his vast knowledge of Wagner, real ale, and of course, murder.
That being said, Death is Now My Neighbor is the second to last book in the series, and I would not recommend anyone start from this point. There are several sub-plots through the last few books will be ruined if you do. For instance, the end of this novel is where we finally learn the first name of DCI Morse, a closely guarded secret for almost 20 years. Morse is also getting on in his age by this time, and his penchant for real ale, scotch, and cigarettes have taken their toll on him.
But all of that is simply fodder for the real meat of this book, the murder. From Amazon this time:
Inspector Morse, the slightly cantankerous Oxford detective of BBC (& PBS) fame returns in Colin Dexter's intellectual thriller Death is Now My Neighbor. When the Master of Lonsdale College retires, two senior dons are left competing for the single spot that will be the penultimate position of their academic careers. A seemingly unrelated murder takes Morse and his partner Lewis from the strip clubs of Soho on a case that leads unexpectedly back to the manicured grounds of the Oxford college. This puzzling, stimulating, and thoroughly enjoyable British mystery, is chock full of antiquarian clues and literate allusions, making it a rewarding, stimulating read.
The book is a delight and the writing was masterful. Mr. Dexter does do one thing that I was not aware of until now. Each chapter of his has an epigraph from someone, be it popular media to Euripides, that gives some allusion as to what comes next. This was a wonderful added touch to the novel and really goes to show the breadth of knowledge and the shear volume of material that Mr. Dexter must go through on a daily basis.
I have already acquired the first few books of the series and will read The Last Book to Woodstock shortly.
