Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories

October 30, 1995
Dexter (The Daughters of Cain) demonstrates his absolute mastery of the art of plotting in these 11 short stories, six of which feature Inspector Morse. Morse fans might fear that, by confining the Thames Valley investigator to the short form, Dexter risks losing all that irascible interplay between the beer-swilling snob of a copper and his dogged subordinate, Lewis. Not to worry. In the title story, Morse's heretofore unrecognized largesse is put to the test when the Christmas charity collection at a local pub is pilfered. In another, a car is borrowed and the owner receives a charming letter and an opera ticket. All these stories are powered by such ruthlessly cunning plot lines that the reader is quickly tipped the wink and finds himself or herself feverishly striving to second-guess the sleuth. In one non-Morse story, ``At the Lulu-Bar Motel,'' Dexter spins an elaborate plot but struggles to create all-American con men, but another Morseless yarn, ``Evans Tries an O-Level,'' is a terrific prison-break tale. Watching Dexter--and Morse--work in constricted space is great, challenging fun.

Here are 10 short mysteries solved by Inspector Morse and several other top-notch sleuths, including Sherlock Holmes. The smooth narration by James Nelson keeps listeners awaiting further deductions and surprising conclusions. Nelson shifts from British to Scottish to quasi-American accents seamlessly (although the American accents slip from time to time). His slow cadence provides time for listeners to try to solve the mysteries before Inspector Morse does. Engrossing till the last, the performance is marred only by bleed-through recording ghosts on several of the tapes. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine