REVIEW OF DAUGHTERS OF CAIN BY COLIN DEXTER

My first read of Colin Dexter and the famous Inspector Morse and his side kick Lewis. I have seen the films but the book brought them so much closer to me.

A don at a college in Oxford is found murdered. Morse is brought in when the first inspector dealing with the case backs out due to personal reasons. Morse is very sure of who the murderer is but how to place him at the scene of the crime is the problem. On top of it all, the chief suspect has a mild heart attack and is hospitalized and put out of reach from the cops who want to question him.

We then have the very mild, subservient wife of the chief suspect. Whereas our suspect Ted Brooks is brash, overconfident, rude and crude we have Mrs Brooks bending over backwards to be whatever her husband wants her to be. Physically and mentally abused by her husband she finds a loyal friend in Julia Stevens for whom she cleans house. Into this unlikely mix is also a prostitute who finally coincidentally turns out to be the daughter of the murderer.

How Morse solves the crime through a series of deductions and logic form the best part of the story. The other good part is the character of Morse - tight fisted, not willing to part with a penny, conveniently forgetting his wallet, his rudeness to Lewis, his condescending attitude to everyone around him, his rude remarks on the quality of music they listen to or his quirky habit of quoting Latin to those who have never studied the language all mark Morse as Morse.  Lewis is the gentleman here - never getting ruffled as he sees that Morse is sicker than what he wants people to know and also desperately lonely which is something that Morse is desperate to hide.

Liked this book and going on to the next one which is a bonanza as two stories in one!

I do hope I will be able to post more reviews than I did over the last two weeks. Work got in the way.