Last Bus To Woodstock: Amazon.ca: Colin Dexter: Books

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The Dead Of Jericho by Colin Dexter
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The Silent World Of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter
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Service Of All The Dead: An Inspector Morse Mystery

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Product Description

'Do you think I'm wasting your time, Lewis?' Lewis was nobody's fool and was a man of some honesty and integrity. 'Yes, sir.' An engaging smile crept across Morse's mouth. He thought they could get on well together . . .' The death of Sylvia Kaye figured dramatically in Thursday afternoon's edition of the Oxford Mail. By Friday evening Inspector Morse had informed the nation that the police were looking for a dangerous man – facing charges of wilful murder, sexual assault and rape. But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key . . .

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In the first Inspector Morse mystery, Morse must use all of his skills to solve the murder of Sylvia Kaye, a beautiful hitchhiker whose bludgeoned body is found outside of a pub in Woodstock, near Oxford. Reprint.

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6 Reviews

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4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars � � � -- -- -- � � �, Jul 8 2007

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

Colin Dexter was born in 1930 and, over the course of his writing career, has won CWA Gold Dagger and Silver Dagger awards. "Last Bus to Woostock" was his debut novel, was first published in 1975 and introduced the world to the famous Inspector Morse.

However, the book's victim is introduced before the hero. Sylvia Kaye and a friend are travelling into Ocford city centre for a night out - unfortunately, believing they had missed the last bus, the pair had hitched into town. Several hours later, Sylvia's body is found in the car park at the back of the Black Prince, with the murder weapon - a heavy tyre spanner - conveniently lying beside her. The case sees Morse paired up with Sergeant Lewis for the first time. The pair seem to have little in common : where Lewis is married and reads the Daily Mirror, Morse is single, lives alone and enjoys the cryptic crosswords in the Times. Morse is fussy about spelling and grammar, enjoys classical music and is partial to a few drinks. The crime scene, being a pub, would appear to be a case of the Inspector mixing work and pleasure - and, although he isn't supposed to drink on the job, he happily bends that rule once in a while. (He also seems to take great pleasure in refusing to allow Lewis do the same). When the investigation gets up and running, Morse is very curious about two people in particular : Sylvia's friend - who, strangely, remains anonymous and doesn't come forward - and whoever it was picked the pair up.

"Last Bus to Woodstock" is quite possibly the politest murder-mystery book I have ever read - for example, Morse's arrival at the scene of the crime is announced with the exclamation "How he hated sex murders !". There didn't really seem to be much method to the investigation - it's built on assumptions and leaps of faith - while I found it a little odd there was no apparent lab work. (The murder weapon, which was found at the scene, was roundly ignored !). I realise the book was written in the 1970s, but surely some fingerprinting and forensics work would have been available - even in Oxford? Overall, the book is a little slow and plodding, and by the time the book reached its climax - where Morse revealed all - I really didn't care all that much. Based on Morse's popularity, I can only assume the series improves drastically as it goes along.

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3.0 out of 5 stars "And now, for your entertainment and delight, Inspector ...", Jul 31 2000

By	"theodosia" (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I have known of Inspector Morse (the hero(?)) of this book, for years through TV, so I had a set ideas of what he, and his cases, were like before I read this book. I should not have been so narrow minded. The plot appears quite simple, and at the start, boring. A young, somewhat "tarty" girl gets nastily murdered outside an Oxford pub. She was seen before the murder with a female companion hitch hiking. The obvious suspect (the owner of the car which picks the girls up) comes forward...and all hell breaks loose. The story is quite difficult to follow and slow, but the character of Morse, the Inspector in charge, and his relationship with his new "sidekick" Sergent Lewis, make the book good, and quite compelling. The "shock" ending is not so great a shock, but more a sad one. What makes the story better than average is Dexter's description of Morse's character and the way his mind works, his little quirks and habits. For a first book in a series it is slow, but still compelling enough to make me want to read more. I would not recommend this book if you are one for skipping ahead, or you get bored easily. The slow build up is something that adds to the whole book, if not the basic plot.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a great series, May 30 2000

By	J. C. Birchley (Wuerenlingen, AG Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I confess to an unfair advantage .... I was living near Oxford when Colin Dexter first introduced his character, Morse. Dexter was not well known at the time but 'Last Bus ...' was a big success locally. I remember walking or driving the same streets that came to life in his book and I was immediately captivated by the way he brought out the atmosphere of the city and the guilty 'looking over the shoulder' mannerism of the characters. Yes, this was the first of the Morse books and a superb launchpad for those to follow. The way he introduced the setting, the characters to his new readershhip ... Of course, the rest is history. Curiously, I still think this is the best of his books.

Terence Hardiman must have been a perfect choice as story reader - he appeared as one of the characters in the TV production - and would have made a good 'Morse'. Gems of literary devices are many, but I particularly liked the bit about the batsman checking the scorebook. A bit like when another character in a different TV series, coincidentally also played by Hardiman, opens an envelope to read the one word denouement, 'Voltaire.' Have I given it away? I think not, but if you can deduce the guilty party from this, you could do Morse's job better than he can. Enjoy.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Morse at his best!
Morse never fails to keep you hooked as you try to keep pace with his ever flowing mind. Colin Dexter is a pure genious in the art of writing a thriller - his novels are... Read more

Published on April 17 1999 by melissa@unitekmiyachi.com

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific mystery!
You won't regret this read. Just when you think you know how it is going to end, you are fooled.Good plot. Good characters. Great dialogue. Read more

Published on May 7 1998 by Gerald Lipsky

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
First I discovered P.D. James, then there was Ruth Rendell...how had I missed Colin Dexter? The characterizations are fantastic (John Thaw of the TV version does not do Inspector... Read more

Published on April 10 1998

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Last Bus To Woodstock (Paperback)

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