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Last Seen Wearing: An Inspector Morse Mystery

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Last Seen Wearing: An Inspector Morse Mystery (Paperback)

by Colin Dexter (Author)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pan (Jul 19 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0330251481
ISBN-13: 978-0330251488
Product Dimensions: 17 x 11 x 2.6 cm
Shipping Weight: 223 g

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #1,326,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#62 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dexter, Colin

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

In this adroit thriller by the author of A Vow of Silence , single mother Joy Prentice fears that her three-year-old daughter, Sally, kidnapped from the London restaurant where Joy works, has been murdered. The police investigation gets nowhere until Joy begins receiving notes from the kidnapper--whom police experts believe to be a deeply disturbed man--implying that Sally is still alive, but not for long. Although there are no official suspects, Joy believes one of two men has abducted the child: either Sally's father or a mysterious stranger who recently tried to befriend the young mother. Then when the kidnapper reveals his demented intentions, Joy must outthink the police and outwit her daughter's captor. With a flair for detail Black tells a tale as riveting as a tabloid headline.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Joy Prentice, abandoned by her lover when she was pregnant, is determined to do the best job she can as a single parent. Then three-year-old Sally vanishes from her bed in the back of the restaurant where Joy works, leaving the young woman frantic and at a loss as to why such a thing should happen. Aided by police and Rory Baird, a recent acquaintance for whom Joy is developing romantic feelings, she pursues a series of vague clues which eventually lead to the kidnapper's identity and Sally's recovery. This is adequately done but lacks the compelling power necessary for a true thriller. Not a necessary acquisition.
-Judith A. Gifford, Salve Regina Coll. Lib., Newport, R.I.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

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3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars It's the Sergeant Who's the Star, Aug 12 2008

By	Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Last Seen Wearing (Paperback)

Colin Dexter was born in 1930 and, over the course of his writing career, has won CWA Gold Dagger and Silver Dagger awards. "Last Seen Wearing" was first published in 1976 and is the second book to feature the famous Inspector Morse.

"Last Seen Wearing" sees Morse and his sidekick, Lewis, assigned to a missing persons case. Just over two years previously, Valerie Taylor - a seventeen year old pupil at a local comprehensive school, had disappeared. The case had been investigated by one of Morse's colleagues, Chief Inspector Ainley, but was never closed. Morse has now inherited the case following Ainley's death in a car accident. Although technically a "cold case", it was one that Ainley had never stopped investigating - albeit unofficially and in his own time, in the latter stages. Ainley was returning from London when he had his car accident - Morse believes he discovered something important there.

The day she disappeared, Valerie had come home for her lunch - although she left to return to school for her afternoon lessons, it seems she never arrived there. However, a letter has now arrived home - apparently from Valerie, saying she's fine but doesn't want to be found. According to the postmark, it was posted in London the day after Ainley's death. Morse, for no clear reason, decides that Valerie is actually dead and the letter is a forgery.

Since Valerie disappeared on the way back to school, Morse and Lewis naturally look into her school-life. Three staff-members, as it turns out, crop up regularly in the investigation. One is the school's headmaster - who had only been appointed to the position three years previously. (From the book's prologue, there's a suspicion he may have had a quick roll in the hay with Valerie on the day of his interview. Naturally, he wouldn't have known she was one of his prospective pupils at the time). Phillipson is still relatively young - he's only in his mid-thirties and is married with two young children. The school's vice-principal, on the other hand, is a single man in his fifties called Baines. He'd been passed over by the school's Board of Governors for the headmaster's position, and it's clear that he and Phillipson don't get on well together. The final staff member is David Acum, who had only taught in the school for one year - leaving shortly after Valerie had disappeared to take up a teaching position in Wales. Acum had taken Valerie's last class before she went missing.

While it's a better book that "Last Bus to Woodstock" - the first in the Morse series - there are still plenty of flaws in "Last Seen Wearing". Despite working on what was officially a missing persons case, it seemed strange that Morse had no clear photo of Valerie's face - the clearest shot mentioned appeared alongside a newspaper article. I was a little puzzled how Morse was supposed to recognise Valerie if he found her. I also found it strange that Morse didn't spend more time talking to Valerie's school-friends - only one of them, an ex-boyfriend, is even mentioned. Later on, when a murder is actually committed, Morse removes the weapon from the corpse and tosses it aside - taking no interest in fingerprints or forensics. (At this point, I was wondering how he still had a job). Dexter's style of writing didn't do much for me either - "I wish we could be naughty together, don't you ?" and "Watch out you miserable sinner, whoever you are, who did poor Valerie in !" are just a couple of samples. Largely an easy read, though it's no classic.

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2.0 out of 5 stars A confusing mess, Nov 18 2000

By	Chelsea (USA) - See all my reviews

This book seemed promising at first, but got worse as the chapters went by. A poorly constructed plot with bland characters made it hard to stay interested. The seperate parts were not well connected, and it was hard to lose interest. Even the mystery was not intriguing, and hardly made me want to find out what happened. There was no action, and it mostly consisted of interveiws and dialogue with no real point. However, there were some clever lines that showed Colin Dexter has some talent. This was my first book by this author, and it will probably be my last.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very clever, very funny, an excellent leisure reading, Sep 5 2000

By A Customer

If you are tired of American detective stories that contain so much violence and gore, you will find this British detective story like a breath of fresh air. It doesn't matter if this is the first Morse story you read. The characters are so well written, the plot so well developed that it will keep you guessing till the very end. Morse, until those "supercops" in American's novels, uses his wit instead of muscles, logic instead of guns to solve crimes. Yes his personality is less than perfect, he makes mistakes from time to time, but that's exactly what makes this character believable and likable. And he's got that British sense of humor, too! I have to tip my hat to Dexter for his fine writing, and I will certainly look for more of his books. If you like well written, clever, funny detective stories with a dose of British humor, look no further.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very clever, very funny, an excellent leisure reading
If you are tired of American detective stories that contain so much violence and gore, you will find this British detective story very refreshing. Read more

Published on Sep 1 2000