Customer Reviews

The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (Inspector Morse Mysteries)

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Written in 1977, this is the third of the thirteen-novel Inspector Morse series. Here Morse is not so well-developed as he becomes in later novels, when the reader of the series has more background to draw from, but he is still a fascinating character--a single man, a huge fan of crossword puzzles, a beer-lover, and a committed student of classical music, who is also crotchety, impatient with his less educated assistant (Sgt. Lewis), and unwilling to give up on a case until all the pieces fit perfectly.

Here Morse and Sgt. Lewis are called to Oxford to investigate the murder of Nicholas Quinn, a profoundly deaf man who worked on the university's Examinations Board, developing the tests to determine future entrants to the university. Security breaches have occurred and copies of the test may have been sold in the Middle East. No one knows whether Nicholas Quinn was involved, and if not, who was. Most importantly, who killed him, and why?

As Morse investigates the case, the private lives of the various dons and their secretary are revealed, and when Monica, the secretary, is attacked and injured, she arouses Morse's finer feelings (a "rescuing" trait of Morse which continues to develop in later novels with other "damsels in distress"). With none of the players exactly who they seem to be and questions arising as to when, exactly, Nicholas Quinn died, Morse pursues numerous dead ends and actually arrests several innocent people.

Written fully ten years before some of the best of the series, this novel is fun to read as a Morse curiosity, but it is still a well-developed mystery. Morse's character is obviously still evolving--he makes a lot of mistakes which need to be corrected-- and his relationship with Sgt. Lewis is still "in process." The famed red Jaguar has not yet appeared--Morse drives a Lancia here--and his diabetes and his love of scotch whisky are still unknown to the reader. Morse is a man of integrity, however, and he is committed to finding the killer--his character and methods to be fully developed by the author in future novels. n Mary Whipple

Another one of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse mysteries. The main character, Inspector Morse, and his sidekick, Sergeant Lewis, tackle another murder mystery. This time of a deaf man, recently hired to work for the Foreign Examinations Board in Oxford. Everyone seems to be a suspect, but as usual Lewis' non-challant remarks and Morse's sharp mind, solve the mystery - a complex who-dunnit. I believe that this book is one of the earlier Inspector Morse mysteries, since some characteristics of Morse are not in-line with that is known so far. For example, Morse is a well educated man, with interest in classical music, Latin, history and The Times crossword puzzles. However, in one scene, Morse does not know what Darjeeling is. There are also other discrepancies: Morse drives a Lancia in this book, which I find very inappropriate, him being a snobby Enlighman. Morse's usual vintage maroon Jaguar is more in-line. Other than those little discrepancies, the book was yet another good exercise for the mind and an enjoyable read. The Oxford setting still always takes me back to those college days, when I used to roam around Oxford myself.

This is a truly wonderful book. It's a classic example of a "who-done-it" with the British twist! It is also a brilliant example of how Morse's wonderful mind works. In it we see Morse in all his glory - brilliant, quirky, and vulnerable! I clearly remember seeing this one done on film, but even as good as that one was, it cannot match the complexity of this book. In the story, Morse is afer the killer of an employee of one of Britain's national examination companies. We see the world of the ivory tower in a completely new light, and Morse is almost out-matched by a brilliant killer. Wonderful stuff and a true mystery classic!

This is one of the great books. This book is a perfect example of what makes Dexter so great, his knack for writing great, realistic and likeable characters! Quinn's a sympathetic character; you just have to relate to him.
The plot is, a bit like usual, but hey, why mess with a working formula? The books are a little cynical at times, but hey, we're not living in the days of Agatha Christie writing anymore, the world is like Dexter describes it, "like as not"
Great read! I consider it one of the better Dexters (along the lines of Service of all the dead and Remorseful day)
This is a gret mystery/criem books since it doesn't have the need to follow a formula, or describe VEREY detail of the Police station and the interriagtions. It's a cross between an avergae detective fiction and a great novel.

This is vintage Dexter and vintage Morse. What I appreciated about this book is how the author took an aspect of a character (deafness) and built a classic mystery. This is a fine addition to the series.

In "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn" (1977) Colin Dexter is at it again building a scaffolding for one of his ingenious and infuriating Inspector Morse mysteries. No wonder that a poor dumbfounded mortal like Sergeant Lewis follows in his wake as Morse stumbles on toward his solution while making all sorts of missteps along the way. Only a crossword puzzle master like Dexter would create such a maze and provide the reader with so many brambles, red herrings and miscues.
Nicholas Quinn, very deaf, is hired to become one of the staff of an Oxford group that makes up examinations for foreign students. Quinn has learned lip reading in order to survive in his profession, and it's the lip reading that ultimately dooms him. At first the hiring committee was reluctant to hire Quinn, but he was championed by a chemist named Roope. Quinn is poisoned, and another of the staff members is murdered.
As usual timing and alibis are crucial in a Morse mystery. This one revolves around the various times that suspects took trains and attended a certain movie house. Coincidence plays a great part in a Dexter plot. It's a wonder that Morse doesn't get in trouble with the public accusations of guilt and the later retractions he has to that make. His brilliant deductions are often the result of sheer luck rather than his keen intelligence.
As usual Morse is attracted to one of the female suspects, and he becomes very jealous of her when he finds that she is fooling around and even calls her a tart. Certain women get turned onto him, but nothing ever seems to come of it so Morse subsists on his Classical music, his pints of beer and an occasional scotch.
When Morse interrogates suspects, he sometimes lies to them in order to gain information. Morse is brilliant but can make unbelievable gaffs. It's fun to watch the verbal sparring between the pig-headed Chief Inspector Morse and the commonsensical Lewis.
There is a very complicated solution in this one which numbs Morse's listeners with its intricacies, and it'll be a numbing experience for the reader as well. As usual Morse keeps coming to the wrong conclusions until the very end. If killers really came up with schemes as elaborate and intricate as Dexter dreams up, our detectives would have be Mensa-types to capture them.

Colin Dexter was born in 1930 and, over the course of his writing career, has won CWA Gold Dagger and Silver Dagger awards. "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn" was first published in 1977 and is the third book to feature the famous Inspector Morse.

The book opens with the aftermath of a round of interviews at Oxford University. The position, recently vacated by George Bland, is with the Foreign Examinations Syndicate - Bland has since moved abroad to open a new examinations centre. As his replacement, the Syndicate's secretary - Tom Bartlett - is quite keen on a chap by the name of Fielding...and, initially, seems to be getting the candidate of his choice. However, thanks to the intervention of a colleague called Roope - a chemist, who'd formerly spent 2 years with the Anglo Arabian Oil Company - the panel appoints Nicholas Quinn instead. Bartlett isn't at all happy - he and Roope clearly don't get on with each other, and Bartlett is convinced that Quinn's deafness with cause significant problems. Unfortunately for Quinn, he'd have been better off not winning the position : by the fifth chapter, he's dead.

The first few chapters race through the final months of Quinn's life, treating us to a quick tour of the Syndicate before Morse makes his appearance. The syndicate based in a very grand (and historic) building...though it is now a little cramped for the staffing levels. While his hearing had admittedly been poor, only the telephones had caused him any real problem (Luckily, he had been expert lip-reader). The most significant event had been the wooing of delegation from the Sheikdom of Al-jamara. The Sheikdom, thanks to its bountiful oil reserves, has plenty of money....something the Syndicate badly needs.

Morse is still some way off a fully rounded character in this book. He seems to have had a little in common with Quinn - both were single men who enjoyed leering over the ladies. (Morse's other main hobbies are apparently drinking beer, listening to classical music and taking on the crossword in the Times). He's also a rather grumpy character, and it's his dim-but-occasionally-lucky sidekick, Lewis, who bears the brunt of Morse's bad moods. Overall, I'd say this book is a great improvement on its two predecessors - though, at times, it's still a little too refined and unconvincing for me to take it entirely seriously.

A very well-written and enrossing story....Morse keeps us guessing until the very end. I found the characters to be interesting and complex, the dialog entertaining, and the story itself very cleverly written. Colin Dexter is a true genius.

As the academics are being bumped off, Morse has his hands full of suspects: most of whom have something to hide.

Once again, Inspector Morse, using his impressive powers of deductive reasoning, sifts through statements, lies and alibis to track the reasons for the killings, thereby finding the culprit or culprits.

Oxford Dons, the beautiful Monica and a risque movie seems an unlikely mix, but they bring a challenge for Morse and his trusty sidekick Lewis to rise above.

As usual, Colin Dexter is in fine form with his Inspector Morse.