The Riddle of the Third Mile (Inspector Morse Mysteries)

This book is classic Dexter. There are more blind alleys and corners throughout than you usually find in two or three books, let alone just one. This case causes Morse to use all his skills and abilities when he tries to unravel this mystery. It starts out with a headless torso turning up in a nearby river. Morse and his faithful Lewis have to identify this body as well as find the killer. More bodies keep turning up and it soon appears that they don't have any suspects, let alone an identity to the first murder victim. Once uncovered though, it's a grand tale of deception and plotting all bound up in the ivory tower of an established, highly-regarded school of learning. Good stuff.

It's certainly a crime of the most perplexing sort--so perplexing (and convoluted) that itwould take an Inspector Morse to separate the "facts" from "fiction"! In Colin Dexter'sMorse novel, one of a long series, the erswhile policeman finds himself "drowning" in a sea of clues,lies, innuendos, red herrings.A dismembered body is fished out of the Oxford Canal--only the torso remains andMorse and Sergeant Lewis are up to the challenge. As if often the case, OxfordUniversity is involved. A don has disappeared, leaving about a plethora of clues. It's thelong and winding road down the halls of academe for the Thames Valley police and thetrail bounces back and forth to London and some of its seedier spots.The scenario seems set with an opening scene out of World War II, when theGilbert brothers (local boys from the Oxford area) face the horrors of the battle of ElAlamein, the youngest of the three dieing. The company commander, a Lt. Browne-Smithjust happens now to be a don in question at Oxford.Dexter pulls on punches as he permits Morse and Lewis to take on thisbizarre--certainly macabre--case. With his usual erudite style, the author's clever, at timeswitty and ascerbic, plot and character development takes the reader for a great ride (andread). Written in 1983, long before, one presumes, Dexter had envisioned Morse's demise("The Remorseful Day"), "The Riddle of the Third Mile" is carefully orchestrated, withthe climactic results rushing in with a top crescendo! (The reader must be a bit careful asthe facts and events come almost as an onslaught!) The tone of this episode, despite itsshocking crime scenario, is one of greater levity than some of his later books ("The WenchIs Dead," for instance),but it was written some 15 years before "Remorseful Day," and the tone and atmosphere are naturally different. This one gives additional insight into Morse'searlier (younger) days, of his stepping down from Oxford and of the first love of his life(Morse is ever the eternal optimist when it comes to beautiful women!). Dexter also fillsthis one with his usual literary allusions, clever references, and an incredible vocabulary(probably only equated by Dame P.D. James or William Buckley, themselves!).I found this one probably to be the most delightful and intriguing of the Morse series,perhaps because of the levity he chooses to exhibit. Regardless, readers of the Morse codewill find this episode in fine keeping with the others. A good read!

It's certainly a crime of the most perplexing sort--so perplexing (and convoluted) that itwould take an Inspector Morse to separate the "facts" from "fiction"! In Colin Dexter'sMorse novel, one of a long series, the erswhile policeman finds himself "drowning" in a sea of clues,lies, innuendos, red herrings. A dismembered body is fished out of the Oxford Canal--only the torso remains andMorse and Sergeant Lewis are up to the challenge. As if often the case, OxfordUniversity is involved. A don has disappeared, leaving about a plethora of clues. It's thelong and winding road down the halls of academe for the Thames Valley police and thetrail bounces back and forth to London and some of its seedier spots. The scenario seems set with an opening scene out of World War II, when theGilbert brothers (local boys from the Oxford area) face the horrors of the battle of ElAlamein, the youngest of the three dieing. The company commander, a Lt. Browne-Smithjust happens now to be a don in question at Oxford. Dexter pulls on punches as he permits Morse and Lewis to take on thisbizarre--certainly macabre--case. With his usual erudite style, the author's clever, at timeswitty and ascerbic, plot and character development takes the reader for a great ride (andread). Written in 1983, long before, one presumes, Dexter had envisioned Morse's demise("The Remorseful Day"), "The Riddle of the Third Mile" is carefully orchestrated, withthe climactic results rushing in with a top crescendo! (The reader must be a bit careful asthe facts and events come almost as an onslaught!) The tone of this episode, despite itsshocking crime scenario, is one of greater levity than some of his later books ("The WenchIs Dead," for instance),but it was written some 15 years before "Remorseful Day," and the tone and atmosphere are naturally different. This one gives additional insight into Morse'searlier (younger) days, of his stepping down from Oxford and of the first love of his life(Morse is ever the eternal optimist when it comes to beautiful women!). Dexter also fillsthis one with his usual literary allusions, clever references, and an incredible vocabulary(probably only equated by Dame P.D. James or William Buckley, themselves!).I found this one probably to be the most delightful and intriguing of the Morse series,perhaps because of the levity he chooses to exhibit. Regardless, readers of the Morse codewill find this episode in fine keeping with the others. A good read! ...

When the trunk of a dismembered body is fished out of the canal, Inspector Morse is almost certain that it is Oxford don Browne-Smith, who has recently dropped out of sight. But then a letter, purportedly written by that don, indicates that perhaps the body is that of a different don. But then perhaps the letter is deliberately misleading, and the remains may be Browne-Smith after all. This is one of the most perplexing of the Morse mysteries. The apparent motive is supplied in a World War 2 flashback at the beginning of the novel, when Browne-Smith's cowardice prevents the saving of a soldier who could be the younger brother of a set of twins in the same tank unit, who are now seeking revenge after all these years. But as the novel progresses, the possible identity of the headless, handless, legless corpse keeps changing, and as soon as a new candidate appears, his readily identifiable body pops up elsewhere, until all the probabilities seem to be exhausted. Don't bother trying to guess the outcome of this novel. Just try to keep up with the sudden changes. Morse is at his best here, unraveling the bewildering texture of this complex mystery thread by thread. The characterizations are excellent, and although the overall plot is a bit incredible, it is handled in Dexter's usual smooth style. This is one of the best of the Morse series.

The reader always hopes that the next page will reveal more intriguing information than the last, and it usualy do'es. Dexter has created a fascinating character in Inspector Morse. However have a dictionary handy when reading all or any of Dexters works, words such as Dolichocepholic, Sinistrality and what about Nigritude. I actualy think they add to the fascination of the storyline. A book well worth reading. but not in short bursts.