Customer Reviews

Death is Now My Neighbor

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm surprised all reviewers haven't given this book 5 stars. To my mind, it is the deepest Morse book. It is only secondarily a murder mystery. Primarily, it is an exploration of human weakness and frailty.Both Morse and (to a lesser extent) Lewis have developed quite a bit as personalities. I'm very much looking forward to their next case.

When Sir Clicksby Breen, at age 69, decides to retire as Master of Lonsdale College, Oxford, two in-house candidates become the frontrunners to succeed him. In both cases, their wives are at least as interested in acquiring the title of "Lady," which comes with the appointment, as their husbands are in becoming Master, and in both cases the wives have something in their backgrounds to hide.

In this somewhat fragmented mystery in which the action evolves on parallel tracks, Inspector Morse is called to investigate the murder of a young woman, Rachel James, in what appears to have been a case of mistaken identity. She is the next door neighbor of Geoffrey Owens, a reporter who dabbles in blackmail, and many people have reason to want him dead, including both of the Oxford dons and/or their wives.

Filled with red herrings and digressions, the mystery follows the life of the dons, the Master, their wives, reporter/blackmailer Geoffrey Owens, a neighbor who may be providing Owens with an alibi, and even the madam of a house of ill repute. The finicky and grammatically precise Inspector Morse, accompanied by his more relaxed and less educated assistant, Sgt. Lewis, play off each other to provide some moments of good humor, and the reader comes to know Morse in new ways--in his increasing fondness for drink and in his new diagnosis of diabetes. He also becomes attracted to a new woman.

Though the mystery is entertaining, it is less polished than some others in this series. With a large cast of characters to develop, Dexter sometimes allows the overlaps and complexities of the characters' relationships to obscure the issue of who murdered Rachel James in her home and why, and when a second murder occurs later in the novel, the case becomes particularly complex, since the murdered person has been one of the suspects in Rachel's murder. The ending, which ties up all the loose ends, comes abruptly, and the motivation of the murderer is not as strong as it is in some of Morse's other cases. An excellent mystery, but not one of Morse's best. n Mary Whipple

With a frighteningly penetrating, ever-active mind, Chief Inspector Morse always attributes more brilliance and originality to the criminal than is warranted. To me, author Colin Dexter's magic act lies in the way he conceals the relative ordinariness of the crimes(and criminals) as we become entranced by Morse's poetic interpretations of them. In this installment of the series we are made privy to the angling of University dons as they vie to become Master of Lonsdale College. There is somewhat less vividness in the portrayal of the academics than I would have hoped--the two competing wives, each with certain similarities to Lady Macbeth, are more compelling. The relationship between Morse and Lewis is quite warm when compared to earlier books in the series, with Morse expressing his appreciation to Lewis in moving terms. The ultimate resolution of the murder relies exceedingly on figuring the amount of time needed to commute between point A and B, which I found tedious. What binds the whole are the personalities of Morse and Lewis. Beyond that we see Morse contemplating life and death with pragmatism and romance, which is what ultimately makes this a haunting book.

This is a suberbly written book. Praises to Colin Dexter. The infamous morse and lewis (Morse and Lewis) are portrayed in an excellent and complex characters that you actually start to fell and care about what happens to them. the story is about a murder which happens in Bloxham Drive and morse and lewis investigate it . it leads up to a story of blackmailing and a local election at Lonsdale College for the new master. The book is well written with short paragraphs that made it easier to read and understand and the beautiful plot twists that i enjoyed thouroghly. I would like to ounce again praise Colin for a job well done and this is the first inspector morse book ive read and im hoping to read others in the futre.

If Inspector Morse and his faithful Lewis are involved, crimes and criminals are usually ferreted out and solved between pub stops. In this latest work, Morse must come to grips with a life-threatening illness and his own aging. All in all, that subplot was more interesting than the slowly revealed, twisting, rather soap-operatic crime plot concerning the Oxford dons. Morse fans will only be scratching the surface if they can't detect the subtle change in his personality brought about by his illness. The fact that he finally reveals his given name is a clue!
Colin Dexter is a masterful storyteller; Morse encounters and faces the same everyday problems those of us with less brilliant minds must also face. He ages; he becomes ill; he survives; he solves and triumphs. Although this is not Morse's best case, it shows Dexter's ability to create an original story each time, and it leaves us hoping to meet Morse and Lewis again, as always...

Colin Dexter is a masterful writer who has done a magnificent job in developing the characters of Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis. I have truly enjoyed watching them develop in his novels over the years and have marveled at the friendship that has developed in these characters of such opposite demeanor.

In this most fascinating mystery, Morse faces his own mortality in some rather surprising ways while trying to resolve a murder that appears to have been a mistake. Blackmail, tabloid journalism and the secrets of Oxford dons all weave together in ways that ultimately reveal a devious but logical solution. One of the author's finest novels -- highly recommended.

Those who enjoy Colin Dexter's 'Inspector Morse' novels will completely enjoy this latest novel starring, those two deep and colorful characters, Morse and Lewis. Readers will enjoy the added tension and humor of Morse dealing with a life changing illness as well as murders in Oxford. This is Dexter's best novel revealing more depths to Morse -including his first name- and a tight, interesting and baffling mystery! I can't wait for the next one!

I've never been disappointed by an Inspector Morse novel. The characters of Morse and Lewis are complex, believable, and endearing, and the plot is always creative and challenging. Colin Dexter is the only successful mystery writer I know who doesn't resort to rewriting the same story over and over. He puts Paretsky, Hillerman, and Grisham to shame.

I'm actually about three quarters of the way through this book. I found it a little slow to get going, but now I can't stand to put it down. Enough said.

This series defies the natural tendency of
detective series to peter out under the pressure of
producing more and more adventures of their heroes.
Here Inspector Morse and Lewis each grow a little
and reveal more of their character, all while solving
a puzzle as neat as any you'll find. As long as
Oxford Dons keep being murdered and murdering, Morse
and Lewis will prosper.

This is the novel in which Morse finally divulges his Christian name and discovers he has diabetes (not a spoiler).

At Lonsdale College, 2 senior Oxford men of letters and their wives are very interested in the Master's position, soon to be vacated by Sir Clicksby Breen. These 2 are the front runners to succeed Breen and both covet the role as the position almost guarantees a title to the incumbent and his wife. Both wives, incidentally, have a lot to hide in their backgrounds.

Morse is called in to investigate the murder of Rachel James, a physiotherapist, who is shot in her home. The murder appears to be a case of mistaken identity as she is the neighbor of Geoffrey Owens, a tabloid journalist who is also a blackmailer. As the plot unfolds, Morse comes across incriminating facts regarding Owens and people whom he may be blackmailing. Some of these people include the University dons and their wives. When a second murder is committed, Morse and Lewis have to ferret out the motive and opportunity from trips to Soho strip clubs, and back to Oxford and Bath.

Though the mystery is entertaining, it is somewhat convoluted and less well written than some of Colin Dexter's other works. It contains a large cast of characters to develop and suspect of the murders.

The ending ties up all the loose ends, but comes abruptly, and seems somewhat forced. An excellent read, but not one of Morse's best.