Service of All the Dead [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Colin Dexter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

"[MORSE IS] THE MOST PRICKLY, CONCEITED, AND GENUINELY BRILLIANT DETECTIVE SINCE HERCULE POIROT".
--The New York Times Book Review
This time Inspector Morse brings the imposition on himself. He could have been vacationing in Greece instead of investigating a murder that the police have long since written off. But he finds the crime--the brutal killing of a suburban churchwarden--fascinating. In fact, he uncovers not one murder but two, for the fatal fall of St. Frideswides vicar from the church tower Morse reckons to be murder as well. And as he digs into the lives and unsanctified lusts of the late vicar's erring flock, the list of the dead grows longer. Not even the oddly appealing woman he finds scrubbing the church floor can compensate Morse for the trouble he's let himself in for. So he has another pint, follows his hunches, and sets out to untangle the deadly business of homicide. . . .
"A BRILLIANTLY PLOTTED DETECTIVE STORY".
--Evening Standard (London)
"WILY. . . ELEGANT".
--Observer (London)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"[MORSE IS] THE MOST PRICKLY, CONCEITED, AND GENUINELY BRILLIANT DETECTIVE SINCE HERCULE POIROT."
--The New York Times Book Review
This time Inspector Morse brings the imposition on himself. He could have been vacationing in Greece instead of investigating a murder that the police have long since written off. But he finds the crime--the brutal killing of a suburban churchwarden--fascinating. In fact, he uncovers not one murder but two, for the fatal fall of St. Frideswides vicar from the church tower Morse reckons to be murder as well. And as he digs into the lives and unsanctified lusts of the late vicar's erring flock, the list of the dead grows longer. Not even the oddly appealing woman he finds scrubbing the church floor can compensate Morse for the trouble he's let himself in for. So he has another pint, follows his hunches, and sets out to untangle the deadly business of homicide. . . .
"A BRILLIANTLY PLOTTED DETECTIVE STORY."
--Evening Standard (London)
"WILY. . . ELEGANT."
--Observer (London) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Colin Dexter has won many awards for his novels including the CWA Gold Dagger and Silver Dagger awards. In 1997 he was presented with the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding services to crime literature. Colin's thirteenth and final Inspector Morse novel, The Remorseful Day, was published in 1999. He lives in Oxford. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 402 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786230401
• ISBN-13: 978-0786230402
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,713,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting and spell binding, March 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Service of All the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

Just when you think you know how your mind works, Colin Dexter, through Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis, unravels a tale that puts you back to square one. In the Service for All Dead Morse walks the dark pathways of the mind. He almost backs into the lives of seven people entwined with St. Frideswide's parish in Oxford. With a keen understanding of human nature, much akin to that of Reinhold Niebuhr, he begins to untangle a series of crimes that began two years before. With a chain of deductions and intuition Morse takes you to a breathless and satisfying conclusion to five and perhaps six murders. Definitely one of Dexter's finest tales of murder and detection

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A twist within a turn !, June 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Louisville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Service of All the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

The woman who scrubs the floors at St Fridesworth provides the central character in a plot which requires Cheif Inspector Morse to examine relationships within relationships to effect a solution.

An excellent read... Among Colin Dexter's best !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oldie but goody, July 6, 2007

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Service of All the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

Came across the audio version at the library and listened in the car. It was fun hearing Kevin Whately, the narrator, competently do his own Sgt. Lewis and Inspector Morse. Service/Dead is a complicated mystery, one that highlights the likelihood that some crimes require more than basic investigative skills. Morse's intuition is what makes him an intriguing detective, though sometimes his irascibility is hard to take. If only he'd show some appreciation to Lewis, a dedicated cop if ever there was one, though one lacking Morse's innate talents. This is one of Dexter's more complicated cases, but step by step the solution becomes clear He is certainly a skilled writer, more literate than most in the genre. Always satisfying.