The Sherlock connection...

How'd you know? I'm reading that novel in paperback right now.

Foyle's War... I want more, and more Morse.

But John THaw (Morse) passed away. However, there was a continuation called, Sergeant Lewis, and a depiction of Morse at a younger age called, Endeavor.

Definitely adult fair of the intelligent,  witty and investigative cat & mouse varieties.

And what is it about Morse that made this so popular? The novels are simple, direct, engaging, but I think Dexter tapped into the Homles/Watson type magic very well. Lewis is in many ways a dunderhead, but oftentimes he supplies the extra mile or insight that gets the case solved.

I'm also thinking that single men of a certain age and high intelligence see themselves in Morse, in his need for mature and intelligent female companionship, for the refinements an advanced culture is supposed to offer those who can appreciate the best of the best. But,  are all those women attracted to Morse, or is that Colin Dexter of wishful thinking? Or, am I missing the attraction the Morse character has upon women?

In real life, when the people who are suppose to be the best of the best commit murder it really sparks up my curiosity, gets my juices flowing and becomes intriguing... as it does many people. Special people murdering other special people, this requires a detective with a special insight to solve it oftentimes. But Morse says he just bumble or stumbles into answers, solutions... Perhaps that is what we all do, and because we are all bumblers and stumblers, we follow Morse as he stumbles along with questions (and women), but then there is that special insight that Dexter applies to turn a story's complexity into a shining moment of pure insight and action for Morse. Ah, the writer's craft at work, Watson!

I'm doing my homework... as all great detectives and next big writers must do, lol. And what fun I'm having, while losing myself in reading and detection. Always that big question mark about death for me now, the never-ending WHY???, the riddle of WHO was this person really, the details of HOW, the zeroing in on WHEN...

Ceridwen... I want to go to your library to study and drink coffee with you someday.

A historical dual narrative, with clues of two time periods is one tough bugger to write. John Fowles pulled one off with THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN  as did RObert WIlson with, A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON.

THE WENCH IS DEAD, which I'm reading at the present time, and have seen the PBS production of the same name thrice.. Well, the book is better IMO.

Did you know John Thaw was one of the most popular entertainment persons of the nineties in Britain? There is something about putting the upper class in its place that propelled 'Morse' to recognition. In America we had CSI and the constant metaphorical extension of bastardized American ideals, the money motive to mirror the Las Vegas mindset and the 'greed over conscious' class.

Murder and death stop time in its bloody, stinky tracks. The victim only has a past... but no present and definitely no future, but the good detective must extrapolate and create futures.  The murderer may inherit the victim's future in many ways; planned or unplanned and I think that is where the good detective drills in to find the answers. Who profits from death? I bit like chess...

Just thinking out loud... like many of us use to do on the old forums where lively threads furnished answers, camaraderie and brought writers closer to completion.

Not sure. I'd better get to re-reading through my collection and find out. A Brit friend of mine has a '62 Jag, like Morse's, and is in the process of restoring it. Doing all the work himself. Lot of work, but so worth it when he's done. I'll get to ride in it, maybe. Someday. I hope.