The Jewel That Was Ours [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Colin Dexter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1992

When an American tourist is found dead of a heart attack in the posh Randolph Hotel and an irreplaceable piece of ancient jewelry is missing, Inspector Morse begins an investigation. (Mystery).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chief Inspector Morse is dispatched to Oxford to untangle a plot involving the death of the American who intended to donate a fabulous jewel to the Ashmolean Museum. Soon after, the professor who is hyping the receipt of the jewel is murdered, and the plot takes off on a giddy series of revelations tied to the professor's assorted drunken sprees and amorous liaisons among the Oxford elite. Unfortunately, the story seems overedited, and the reading by popular British actor Edward Woodward leaves much to be desired. Woodward plays a great Inspector Morse, and some of his other British voices are wittily done. However, every American voice sounds alike; read: Southern hick. Woodward's female voices are uniformly squeaky. Nonetheless, the story will keep listeners guessing, and Dexter is in top form. For large mystery collections.
Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, N.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

For Dexter, a decidedly conventional outing, this one involving an American tour group and their Oxford guides and Inspector Morse's investigation into who among them pilfered the Wolvercote Jewel, a Saxon buckle that Mrs. Laura Stratton was planning on presenting to the Ashmolean Museum. Laura dies in her hotel tub; the philandering tour-lecturer, Dr. Thomas Kemp, is found murdered; and Morse and sidekick Lewis are kept busy checking alibis, train schedules, romantic entanglements, and past tragedies. Discarding several pet theories that prove to be incontrovertibly flawed, Morse eventually--in an old-fashioned gathering-of-the-suspects confrontation scene--nitpicks his way to a solution, then retires to the King's Arms for a pint of Flowers Bitter. Based partly on a storyline that Dexter wrote for the PBS series, this effort succeeds best in the small details--e.g., the use of a hearing aid as a clue--while being somewhat slapdash and sketchy in its character analysis and dialogue. Less impressive than the eight previous Morse stories, and far less adroit than Dexter's handling of The Wench is Dead. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Pr (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560544767
• ISBN-13: 978-1560544760
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,789,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Morse to the Rescue, January 22, 2008

By 

John F. Rooney - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jewel That Was Ours (Mass Market Paperback)

.

In this traditional British mystery a group of elderly American tourists are on a bus tour in Oxford. It turns out that the travelers have more than their share of secrets. When an accidental death and a murder occur, Inspector Morse suspects that events in the pasts of some of these tourists and their guides are playing a part in present events. (We don't learn Morse's first name until the final book in this fine series.)

Dexter's books have a sly, malicious sense of humor and much is said in a tongue in cheek fashion. Morse is a lot of fun for the reader. He's not a happy man, but he is a bright bachelor able to bounce back from adversity as long as he has his booze, his crossword puzzles, his classical music, and an infrequent roll in the hay. He is not willing to take any blame for swallowing all those red herrings put out for him and the reader.

The final unraveling of the plot is very complicated, defies common sense and is more ingenious than credible and leaves you wondering if you haven't been taken for a bus ride yourself.

As in the classic British mystery this book even has all the suspects gathered together in a meeting with the police inspector ticking off the facts of the case and pointing to the murderer. Readers will learn the title has two meanings. Inspector Morse is a brilliant detective whose bursts of insight sometimes send his investigations off in the wrong direction and sometimes lead to the arrests of innocents. Exculpatory evidence often turns up to prove that he's been too hasty. For these errors he is unapologetic and good at ignoring his mistakes. Sergeant Lewis in this Colin Dexter outing fawns over his boss a great deal and is all to ready to overlook his superior's miscues.

The book provides an interesting overview of Oxford and some of its oddities. With this mystery in hand, just hop aboard the bus, have fun, and go along for the ride. You'll have fun as long as you don't object to a supposedly logical man's logic going off track at times.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewel of A Mystery !, July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jewel That Was Ours (Mass Market Paperback)

Inspector Morse occupies the bar of the Randolph Hotel while he investigates the titillating Shelia Williams and the odd disappearance of a priceless jewel. The jewels owner's heart attack leads to complications, complicity, murder, and an enormously entertaining run through a list of American tourist suspects. A superb plot, well written, well executed. An excellent read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read.A few good twists., October 27, 1999

By 

Emma-Mary D Hawk (Orlando USA. Recently of Oxford, GB.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jewel That Was Ours (Mass Market Paperback)

Although I figured out why the murder was committed and by whom, I didn't work out how until the end of the book. As usual Morse was knocking back the beer, flirting in his subtle way and actually got a "little"!!! bit friendly with a suspect. A good read.