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jen0788's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Each Morse I have read has strengthened compared to the previous book. Outdated views in places but overall good book
gwatkins's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
matt4809's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
waddlealot's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
slipperbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I've never watched Morse on TV, so I didn't have any expectations before I started reading this. The mystery was somehow too confusing in my opinion, but Morse is an interesting character, though a bit annoying sometimes. My favorite character was Quinn, who seemed like a good person. Maybe I'll try some other books from Colin Dexter someday.
tartancrusader's review against another edition
3.0
There's something about these that keeps drawing me back to them, despite the fact that I don't really like Morse at all, or find him particularly impressive as a detective.
bucherca49's review against another edition
4.0
Having watched all the Morse dramatizations of this series, I am predisposed to like Morse and to like the novels. I wonder if I would like the novels if I had not watched Morse first. John Thaw (the actor who played Morse) made Morse likeable for me, despite his many flaws. This was a complex plot with some interesting twists and turns.
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
It's still early days in terms of Morse as a character, and he's a bit blunter and more worldly than he'd eventually become, but Dexter is already comfortable enough with Morse and Lewis for them to be as vivid on the page as Thaw and Whately made them on screen.
As a crime novel and a puzzle, it's great - although the Morse cliche of everything being wrapped up slightly wrong in the last few pages and then finally being worked out properly as we get to the very end is VERY present - with the plot being intricate and clever, and the clues given with utmost fairness throughout. It's also nice to be able to see the inner workings of Morse and have the crossword thing work as a sort of parallel way of solving the crime, a subtlety we never get time for on screen.
The biggest problem - and it's one where I would have to look at later novels to see if Dexter improved with this - is Dexter has a terrible habit of overstressing certain character types and thought processes. There's an awful lot of exclamation marks which feel a bit... weirdly adolescent? And more pertinently Monica Height seems to have escaped from a seventies farce and is a horribly misogynistic character. Otherwise, very good
As a crime novel and a puzzle, it's great - although the Morse cliche of everything being wrapped up slightly wrong in the last few pages and then finally being worked out properly as we get to the very end is VERY present - with the plot being intricate and clever, and the clues given with utmost fairness throughout. It's also nice to be able to see the inner workings of Morse and have the crossword thing work as a sort of parallel way of solving the crime, a subtlety we never get time for on screen.
The biggest problem - and it's one where I would have to look at later novels to see if Dexter improved with this - is Dexter has a terrible habit of overstressing certain character types and thought processes. There's an awful lot of exclamation marks which feel a bit... weirdly adolescent? And more pertinently Monica Height seems to have escaped from a seventies farce and is a horribly misogynistic character. Otherwise, very good
conprimo's review against another edition
3.0
As always, I like Samuel West as the narrator on these.
Once again I've been irritated by the casual derogatory terms used towards the women in the books. The detective and his sergeant closing off the book with a visit to a porn studio.
The mystery itself was once again convoluted and well planned. Not my favourite mystery books, but readable enough. Definitely a product of the period in which they were written/set.
Once again I've been irritated by the casual derogatory terms used towards the women in the books. The detective and his sergeant closing off the book with a visit to a porn studio.
The mystery itself was once again convoluted and well planned. Not my favourite mystery books, but readable enough. Definitely a product of the period in which they were written/set.