Customer Reviews

The Daughters of Cain

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was a bit wary about starting this novel--I didn't care for THE WENCH IS DEAD or THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS (found them horribly dull, actually)--but I decided to give it a try. It was well worth the effort; of all the Dexter mysteries I've read, THE DAUGHTERS OF CAIN is easily the best.

A former Oxford professor, Dr. Felix McClure, is found stabbed to death in his flat, and as usual, Inspector Morse and his faithful Watson, Sergeant Lewis, are assigned the case. The two discover a suspicious connection between McClure and a ne'er-do-well named Ted Brooks, who himself vanishes suddenly. As you'd expect from the title, the cast of suspects is almost exclusively female, and Dexter does a fantastic job of probing the passions--both love and hatred--that drive women to murder.

Interestingly enough, the most perplexing question is not so much whodunit as howdunit, and the solution that Dexter provides is very tricky, and very clever. You'd be hard-pressed, though, to find a writer plays more fairly with clues; all the information necessary to deduce the solution is there, albeit hidden in plain sight.

But this novel entertains on many levels, plot being the least of them. With Morse at his grumpy, endearingly brilliant best, and Lewis acting once again as the perfect comic foil, the journey is as much fun as the destination. The story is well-paced, and all the characters are so thoroughly engaging that even the less action-packed segments (which basically means the whole book--this is a British mystery, after all) are fascinating. Finally, no other writer in the English language writes quite like Colin Dexter, whose impeccably idiosyncratic prose is a joy to read. The dialogue is frequently hilarious, the social observations are sharp but subtle, and the use of language (words like "dolichocephalic" pop up more than once) is marvelously quirky. In all, a delightfully sophisticated, immensely satisfying piece of writing.

Having long been a fan of Colin Dexter's rogue Inspector
Morse, Daughters of Cain provided hours of enjoyment matching wits and witicisms with the irrascible Oxford
sleuth.

Morse is up against a baffling murder inherited from a
colleague who left the bloodied trail cold and unsolved.
Morse along with his faithful, long suffering Sergeant
Lewis must pick up the tangled threads and make some
sense out of the sensless. An Oxford Professor has been
brutally stabbed to death and the trail leads to the brutal
college handiman who may or may not have been dealing drugs.
When the prime suspect vanishes, Morse is left to sort out
an overabundance of suspects including the brutal handiman's
wife, abused step-daughter prostitute and an Oxford School
Teacher.

Dexter's chapter openings of quotes and aphorisms add to the
enjoyment as the reader tries to find the thread which leads
to the next clue which wraps up the conclusion is a very
fullfilling climax. Morse satisfies while giving some
well needed exercise to the cerebellum.

This book was the first proper novel that i ever read. Several years ago now. And it has brought me so far...It instilled in me my passion for the mystery/detective/thriller genre, and reading itself. It brought me to treasure, above many other things, the importance of a novel's characters, and to consider least of all the actual quality of the prose. This book is undoubtedly written brilliantly, but i enjoyed it so much that i didnt notice. And that told me an important lesson: It does not matter how well a book is written, as long as you enjoy it. (For even if this was written badly, i would still have enjoyed it.)

Morse himself is a puzzle wrapped in so many enigmas and conundrums that his character at times resembles and onion. Even by the final novel, we have not really found out what makes him tick. He remains a puzzle to the last.

Lewis is a very likeable man, an impressive Watson to Morse's Holmes. He is a simple man, but at times can be just as puzzling as Morse.

The plot with this one is simple but incredibly effective. It tells the tale of harmed women, and the revenges that they take. There is one woman in particular who stands out, and that is the teacher, Julia. She is an incredibly strong character, and a rather moving one in how devoted she is to her friend, and her motives for it.

This is a very strong novel, with a truly fitting title. It is an exemplary book of detection, with very strong characters and a very powerful plot. Until he retired, it is truly so that Dexter was probably the best living male crime writer we in Britain had. We lament his departure.

In one of the best of the Inspector Morse series, author Colin Dexter juggles several intricate plot lines, keeping the reader totally absorbed in each subplot and, especially, in the lives of the characters before he deftly brings them all together in a satisfying ending. Assigned to take over the investigation of the stabbing death of Oxford professor Felix McClure in his campus quarters, Inspector Morse learns that a student neighbor of McClure committed suicide--and was a drug user. Morse, assisted by Sgt. Lewis, his less articulate but clever assistant, begins the murder investigation by exploring whether McClure may have discovered the drug supplier.

At the same time, other plot threads are unfolding: Mrs. Julia Stevens, a well-liked high school teacher of "reluctant learners," celebrates her birthday with a cake made by her housekeeper, a severely abused wife. Ted Brooks, formerly a "scout" (custodian) at McClure's Oxford housing and now a museum guard/guide, has recovered from the heart attack he suffered the night McClure was murdered and has an airtight alibi. Elly Smith, who uses the professional name of "Kay" or "K," a young prostitute, is connected to at least five of the characters (and unites the plot lines). When Ted Brooks is found stabbed to death, and further investigation turns up numerous connections among the various characters, the mystery is off and running. As is always the case in this series, a new woman figures in Morse's life.

Dexter excels here in creating female characters with whom the reader identifies, and as the lives of these women unfold, their attempts to overcome the hardships life has dealt them elicit sympathy and understanding, not only in the reader but in Inspector Morse, too. The mystery is fast paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns, but as it develops and moves to its conclusion, it is the female characters who generate the movement and keep the reader's interest. The satisfying conclusion is surprising, since it does not tie up all loose ends, leaving some uncertainties which are, themselves, highly satisfying. n Mary Whipple

Colin Dexter's 'Morse' series is an acquired taste, and to be honest, I think I've acquired more of a taste for his characters rather than the stories. The plot of this one didn't quite sustain itself through to the end, but the interaction of Morse, Lewis, and the rest of the inhabitants of Dexter's 'universe' are so well-written that the plots are almost secondary.

The Morse series is an extremely intelligent and wonderfully written series. This book is one of the stronger ones in a series of very strong books. Nothing prepares you for the denouement in this book - not even if you've seen the serialized version from BBC. It is powerfully written and hits with an explosive power. In the book Dexter explores the female psyche and does a very good job of depicting the power of female friendships. He also does not hold back any punches when it comes to revenge for past wrongdoings and the effects that evil people have on the people that they are in contact with and live with. It starts with the murder of a College Don, but the case leads Morse down a winding and tortuous path that exposes the power of hate and retribution. On the way he even finds love, and the way that Dexter depicts this fresh blooming love is memorable in the simplicity in which he describes it. It's like watching an unfolding flower. This is a great novel, and I highly recommend this entire series.

This book is well-written with a clever plot. However, the author uses some literary devices that detract from the enjoyment of the story.

First, the investigators frequently just barely miss some important clue. For example: "And if Morse had waited there only a few seconds longer, he would have heard someone call her name "Eleanor Smith?" I'm not sure why authors think that readers enjoy that kind of thing, and it got annoying after a while.

Second, the author would sometimes end a chapter with a cliffhanger, and not explain it until later. For example, "'When did the envelopes start coming?' And Susan's eyes jumped to his, suddenly flashing the unmistakable sign of fear." You know that something of vital importance has been uncovered, but you have wait until later for the author to explain what it is. Maybe you like this kind of thing, but I don't see how the book would have been better if I didn't have to wait.

These kind of devices, along with the fact that the much is revealed a third of the way through the book, made me skip from page 90 to the end just to find out what happened. I couldn't bear to sit through the long slow denouement.

I won't read any more books by this author.

This was my first bit of Dexter's work to read and I was somewhat disappointed. Some parts I just didn't get, even after rereading the section 2 or 3 times. For example, there was some dialogue about Kay's last name towards the end of the book, but it made no sense and didn't seem to have anything to do with the plot.

I was also frustrated because the investigators summarized the logistics of the murder at the end, but I just could not follow the logic. Furthermore, the explanation was not backed up by evidence, it was just Morse's rambling.

I prefer a more organized and evidence-supported explanation of the crime. In mysteries I like, I found myself wanting to reread the entire story to spot the clues as they unfold, but not in this case. Sorry Mr. Dexter.

"The Daughters of Cain" proves once again that Colin Dexter, who is himself a champion crossword puzzle solver, is never satisfied with telling a simple story with a simple solution. He's of the old locked door mystery genre. The more convoluted and labyrinthine the murder plot and solution, the more fun for him. Dexter's Inspector Morse explores many twists and turns in the case before he stumbles on the right one. His hapless cohort Sergeant Lewis often supplies more commonsense paths.
Usually Dexter readers are baffled and shaking their heads at the end, but it's fun to be led astray. We love to see Morse sparring with Lewis and drinking his daily ration of pints in pubs where he often snares Lewis into springing for more than his share of the grog. What bothers Lewis most about his boss, more than his arrogance, his stinginess, and his complacency, is his total lack of gratitude. While Morse does the brain work, Lewis does the donkey work. (Now "the ill-used Lewis" has his own television series so toeing the mark does pay off.)
In this one Felix McClure, a professor at Oxford is stabbed, and the murder weapon, a knife, becomes extremely important in this complex tale. Knives have seldom been moved around as much as in this baffling case. At times it seems as if too many knives are involved. Drugs, undergraduates, a hooker, a drugs supplier--all are a part of the plot.
Morse once again falls for an attractive woman, Ellie in this case, a young woman, and, as usual women are attracted to Morse. He has some magnetic charm that draws them to him even though he is the perennial curmudgeon.
When Edward Brooks, a scout at an Oxford college, turns up a corpse, Morse suspects three women: Brooks's maltreated wife Brenda; Julia, an employer whom Brenda has befriended, and Brenda's daughter Ellie.
Coincidences play a big part in the plotting and the way that characters intersect sometimes defies belief. Two-thirds of the way into the book you know who-dunnit, but you don't know if anyone will be caught. The solution seems obfuscated and needlessly convoluted but it's a fun sojourn.

"The Daughters of Cain" is very entertaining. It is the first Colin Dexter mystery I have read. However, I didn't understand why a woman who knows her husband has committed a murder and the police are after him, throws the evidence away, then kills him. Why didn't Mrs. Brooks give the evidence to the police or tell them about it? Her husband would have spent the rest of his life in jail and she would have gotten rid of him that way. Also, her employer seems to be altruistic in helping dispose of the husband. She is dying and has nothing to lose. Actually, the employer, Mrs. Stevens, has left Mrs. Brooks to go to jail when they are caught. I know this is a novel, but the relationship between Morse and Ellie Smith seemed unprofessional. This is a very well written book and entertaining 'til the end, but flawed.