It has been ages since I wrote a book review (or anything for that matter) in English. Now this really feels awkward! How did I use to do that? Anyway, I hope to get back into the swing of writing reviews in English.
So far, I have read two Colin Dexter books, Last Bus to Woodstock and Last Seen Wearing. As someone who is not very seasoned in crime fiction, I doubt if I am in the right position to say anything about these books. The problem for me with reviewing whodunits is that, although each book has its own standalone story, they do not seem to vastly differ from one another in its essence. So instead of reviewing each book respectively, I am going to attempt to review the two books at once without giving the plot away.
I initially started with the new TV series, Endeavour, starring Shaun Evans on Amazon Prime Video, most seasons of which I binge-watched within a few weeks even at the cost of the extra rent. It was a pure joy revisiting Oxford (and, may I add, I had actually seen its shooting going on just around Wellington Square near Rewley House, though, alas, ignorant of what all the fuss was about). The TV series is no doubt a great one to watch if you too are in love with the city of Oxford. In the hope of a bookish trip to Oxford, I decided to read the original novels in order. It turned out that there is not as much description of the ‘city of dreaming spires’ as I hoped there would be. In fact, at least in one book, much of the story happens in London. Not that I mind that. The novels were still worth reading.
Arguably, the Inspector Morse series falls into the category of crime/detective fiction. (I am afraid I do not really know the exact difference between crime fiction and detective fiction.) Its protagonist, Morse, is a talented inspector working in Oxford. Like the famous Sherlock Holmes, Morse is a bit of a nerd, who loves crosswords and is particularly interested in a case that involves a dead body. I think that there is a marked difference between Morse and other well-known fictional detectives like Holmes or Poirot; Instead of being a reliable detective who almost seems omniscient, Morse is very much a flawed character. Grumpy, edgy, obstinate, peevish, irascible, and lecherous. You do not find that feeling of assurance, not in Morse. His inner struggles either as a detective facing an insoluble case or as a lonely middle-aged man who cannot help thinking about sexy young women are explored in the books. That brought a real breath of fresh air to my crime fiction repertoire.
Colin Dexter is no doubt a superb writer, but I can totally see why some people find his books problematic, particularly regarding his descriptions of women. What really put me off was not Morse being a lecher (A protagonist does not always have to be likable), but the way Dexter portrayed women. They all seemed superficial and even stupid if I may say so. They just are not gripping enough as characters.
Having read two of the Morse series, I am now going to put it aside for a while, but I do hope to get back to it sometime in the future and see through how the books and the characters develop in Dexter’s later books.
I am sorry this review is a bit boring. It made me feel better though to be able to write about books again. Bye.