Morse’s Greatest Mystery and Other Stories

By: Colin Dexter

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

Colin Dexter’s Chief Inspector Morse - the cranky, heavy-drinking, and exasperatingly brilliant sleuth of the Thames Valley Police - has become one of the most beloved detectives in fiction. Now, with this collection of 11 short stories, we can savor choice examples of his dry wit, devious cunning, and psychological insight at its best.

Colin Dexter tantalizes us with six Inspector Morse adventures, ranging from bite-size morsels of intrigue to longer stories for listeners to sink their teeth into. Then, for added variety, Dexter shows his range with five mysteries featuring new characters and some familiar ones: one story features that other great English detective, Sherlock Holmes, in a tale that rivals those of Conan Doyle himself. “Morse’s Greatest Mystery” and the other stories in this collection are a banquet for the mystery lover - rich, varied, and satisfying.

Stories included are:

• "As Good as Gold"
• "Morse’s Greatest Mystery"
• "Evans Tries an O-Level"
• "Dead as a Dodo"
• "At the Lulu-Bar Motel"
• "Neighbourhood Watch"
• "A Case of Mis-identity"
• "The Inside Story"
• "Monty’s Revolver"
• "The Carpet-Bagger"
• "Last Call"

©1993 Colin Dexter (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Delightful.” ( Wall Street Journal)

“Brilliant…Inspector Morse is back, and more than welcome.” ( Houston Chronicle)

“Fear not. In Dexter’s dexterous hands, the short-form Morse is every bit as wily and irascible as he is in the popular Morse novels and the long-running PBS Mystery! series.” ( Raleigh News & Observer)

Colin Dexter books deserve better narration!!!

Left in the first chapter. Colin Dexter books need a better narrator,
the narrator is simply unbearable

that narrator

I've read the stories before but thought I'd listen to the audio version. It might just be me, but I couldn't get through it with that narrator

Bad narrator

I’m afraid this man should have retired earlier than he did. All I hear is the voice of a man who smoked 40 woodbines for most of his life. He also does not do different characters’ voices well. Inspector Strange just sounds, well, strange.

If You’ll Just Drop Me Off at the Nearest Pub…

You could call that Inspector Morse’s tagline. It seems as if his devoted, long-suffering sergeant is always dropping his boss off at the local, then going on to interview suspects and collect clues—when he’s not being finagled into buying the rounds himself. Tight with money, tighter in his deductions, something of a legend in his own bailiwick, Morse may not know all, but he (usually) knows more than those around him. And, though culturally literate, he carries his learning lightly—even his love of Wagner.

The stories are just as entertaining as the main character most of them host, ranging widely from petty larceny to ticklish questions of investigative ethics. Though no fan of sequels to the classics, I thoroughly enjoyed the Holmes/Watson remake. Like a turducken, another well-wrought story contains a chilling, well-wrought shorter story within. The two prison break tales are priceless. In short, there’s nary a damp squib in this lot of fictional fireworks. And the suave, insinuating, intelligent Frederick Davidson was the perfect choice to perform these nuanced, intelligent stories.

Disappointment!

The stories were unexpectedly light and abrupt -- more like Father Brown, but without the smooth slide into the end.
The reader was most unpleasant for me. He tried for such a rough voice that he was nearly unintelligible, ran everything together, and didn't differentiate characters well.

Another narrator please!

I love Morse stories on tv so when I found the books i was thrilled but couldn’t listen much, I found the narrator unbearable, it’s so sad I will not be able to listen to any of Morse’s adventures with that narrator

Great narrator; great stories

Nicely done mix of short stories! Narrator does a spot on job of pacing and characterization.

Why Does Morse Sound Like a Disney Villain?

Cartoonishly villainous voice for Morse ruins this book completely. Stories themselves are fun for fans of Dexter.

Great !

I really like these s
tories ! They keep you in suspend ! I like to try to figure out who the villaidn or killer is ? I think I should have been a detective !

Frederick Davidson IS Morse

There’s no truer rendering in film/play/ or book than this narrator’s.
Ignore the other critic’s opinion.
If you KNOW the character, there’s no question who the narrator portrays.
Enjoy and cheers!