From Publishers Weekly
Fans will not be disappointed in the reappearance of the irascible yet loveable Inspector Morse, the Oxford policeman who investigates the underside of his beautiful city. This time Dexter employs his lucid prose to describe a century-old murder on the meandering Oxford canal, a case chanced upon by Morse in his reading while hospitalized for an ulcer. Inevitably, there will be comparisons with Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time , in which her sleuth simultaneously convalesces and cogitates upon Richard III, accused of the murder of his two nephews. Dexter's tale is the better of the two. The interior narrative, that of a fetching young woman who meets death during a night-shrouded canal voyage, is placed in a contemporary story in which Morse engages in marvelous repartee with his loyal Sergeant Lewis, with a winsome female librarian and with others who aid him in researching the crime. A surprising and inspired solution concludes a jolly good read that juxtaposes past and present Oxford with imagination and finesse. A new series of Inspector Morse mysteries is airing on PBS. 20,000 first printing; Mystery Guild alternate. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
It is generally true that authors do not make the best narrators for their own works. There are exceptions, with Dexter being a great exception. However, knowledge of both Morse and Dexter would enhance the listening experience since Dexter brings so much of himself to his splendid creation. Morse is in the hospital when he, by chance, encounters a booklet about a murder in the Oxford Canal. He brilliantly unravels the 150-year-old mystery from his hospital bed with the assistance of hospital staff, patients, visitors and the ever faithful Lewis. Dexter's timing, pronunciation and pace are the result of the author-narrator reading. This story, given its style, could have lacked dimension but Dexter's wit and knowledge of his work keep the tale as lively and involving as any present-day, action-packed mystery. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"INSPECTOR MORSE . . . IS A THOROUGHLY CONVINCING DETECTIVE, AND A VERY HUMAN ONE TOO."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Mr. Dexter's books are brilliantly clever concoctions, the prose equivalents of the crosswords his Inspector Morse is hooked on. The author blends elements of the classic puzzle-mystery, the police procedural, and a character saga to create a type of detective novel all his own."
--The Wall Street Journal

Book Description
Bored and impatient with his slow recuperation from a perforated ulcer, Inspector Morse comes across an account of Joanna Frank's long-forgotten death. As he studies the details, he becomes convinced that the men convicted and hanged for her murder were innocent.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is only to entertain himself in the hospital that the impatient Inspector Morse opens the little book called Murder on the Oxford Canal. But so fascinating is the story it tells—of the notorious 1859 murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat Barbara Bray—that not even Morse's attractive nurses can distract him from it. Was Joanna really raped and murdered by fellow passengers? Morse believes the men hanged for the crime were innocent. Now, in one of the most dazzling investigations of his career, Morse sets out to piece together the shattered past, hoping to expose the shocking truth about the Barbara Bray—and a beautiful wench who is journeying towards her death.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fans will not be disappointed in the reappearance of the irascible yet loveable Inspector Morse, the Oxford policeman who investigates the underside of his beautiful city. This time Dexter employs his lucid prose to describe a century-old murder on the meandering Oxford canal, a case chanced upon by Morse in his reading while hospitalized for an ulcer. Inevitably, there will be comparisons with Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time , in which her sleuth simultaneously convalesces and cogitates upon Richard III, accused of the murder of his two nephews. Dexter's tale is the better of the two. The interior narrative, that of a fetching young woman who meets death during a night-shrouded canal voyage, is placed in a contemporary story in which Morse engages in marvelous repartee with his loyal Sergeant Lewis, with a winsome female librarian and with others who aid him in researching the crime. A surprising and inspired solution concludes a jolly good read that juxtaposes past and present Oxford with imagination and finesse. A new series of Inspector Morse mysteries is airing on PBS. 20,000 first printing; Mystery Guild alternate. (Apr.)

AudioFile - AudioFile Review

It is generally true that authors do not make the best narrators for their own works. There are exceptions, with Dexter being a great exception. However, knowledge of both Morse and Dexter would enhance the listening experience since Dexter brings so much of himself to his splendid creation. Morse is in the hospital when he, by chance, encounters a booklet about a murder in the Oxford Canal. He brilliantly unravels the 150-year-old mystery from his hospital bed with the assistance of hospital staff, patients, visitors and the ever faithful Lewis. Dexter's timing, pronunciation and pace are the result of the author-narrator reading. This story, given its style, could have lacked dimension but Dexter's wit and knowledge of his work keep the tale as lively and involving as any present-day, action-packed mystery. S.G.B. ￯﾿ﾽ AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Read by Colin Dexter

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