Morse et al unearthed

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Al Stevens

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I mentioned to Judy that I might have a short ready to submit to a mystery magazine and that I hadn't read one in years. I thought I should probably get a few issues of something.

She pointed to the bookcase above her nightstand where she had a decade of EQMMs from the early 1990s on. I pulled one out at random, and there was a Colin Dexter short about Inspector Morse, which the intro said was the first Morse piece Dexter had written for EQMM.

My next several evenings are thus occupied with mystery shorts from twenty years ago.

A rerun of a Morse episode is on PBS tonight. I'm glad they've brought them back. We watch the Inspector Lewis spin-off every week.
 

juniper

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I watch the Inspector Lewis ones too. Haven't seen a Morse one on recently.

I tried to read the first book, "Last Bus to Woodstock", last week but didn't get into it. I was disappointed that I didn't like it.

Last month I subscribed to EQMM, can't get it at the bookstore here. They carry Alfred Hitchcock but not Ellery Queen.
 

Shakesbear

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I gave myself a present a few years ago - complete boxed set of all the Morse episodes. They are fascinating if you watch them in the sequence they were filmed in - seeing the way forensics and other technology progressed. I also play 'spot Colin Dexter' as he appears in some, maybe all, of the episodes. Colin Dexter is a difficult writer to get into - some of his writing is very wordy, but the plots and characters make the effort of reading the books worthwhile - at least I think they do. I also think that his skill as a writer progressed, so reading a later book may be easier. Possibly.

I like the Lewis spin offs, but think that some of them are much darker than Morse.

A couple of years ago I went to hear Colin Dexter talking about most things. He was witty and down to earth. He is also deaf and had to have some of the questions repeated to him. He signed books after the talk and I now have several signed copies. One thing he did say, iirc, is that he thought John Thaw was the perfect Morse and he would not allow more Morses to be filmed with another actor.
 

Fallen

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Oh wow. I've grown up with Morse (hubby has all of Dexter's novels). It surprised me with Lewis, though, as I didn't think I'd like it.

I loved John Thaw as an actor (Dexter seemed to chasracterise Morse as John Thaw after a while, I think). Loved him in the Sweeney (can't believe they're making this a new movie with Ray Winston).

But Morse is an absolute favourite.

Ramble over. :D
 

dangerousbill

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A rerun of a Morse episode is on PBS tonight. I'm glad they've brought them back. We watch the Inspector Lewis spin-off every week.

I never missed a Morse episode, but it was more for his unique character than the stories. Half the time, the convoluted plots left me scratching my head. Turns out that the original stories are just as confusing.

I actually prefer the Lewis series. I think they've done a great job of preserving the Morse tradition, with a greater variety of characters and stories.
 

skylark

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I live a whole two miles from Woodstock, in a village which is part of the plot.

My daughter travels daily on the bus route featured.

There's my claim to fame, anyway :) Love the books. The problem I have with the TV series is the repeated jarring as the characters exit a door in one college to reappear in a quad in another one.
 

Friendly Frog

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I never missed a Morse episode, but it was more for his unique character than the stories. Half the time, the convoluted plots left me scratching my head. Turns out that the original stories are just as confusing.

I actually prefer the Lewis series. I think they've done a great job of preserving the Morse tradition, with a greater variety of characters and stories.
I quite agree. I found many of the Morse episodes a bit dragging. But there were many good ones. The last one, The Remorseful Day was very memorable. John Thaw was an excellent Morse.

But I do enjoy Lewis more. The dialogue is much more snappier. And the dynamic between Lewis and Hathaway is really entertaining.
 

Al Stevens

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I see a lot of Morse in Lewis now that he's matured.
 
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