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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a good book!, 1 Mar 2001
By A Customer
I am new to reading full length novels (i'm only 11) and i decided to start with this one. I can honestly say that this novels has inspired me to read. The plot is great, teh writing brilliant, the characters really interesting. I have no fault at all with this book. it is entirely thought provoking and you can totally understand the motives of the criminal(or criminals) and even feel a certain compassion for them, no you DO feel compassion for them. This book has shaped my future reading material. thank You Mr Dexter.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The classic murder mystery once again, 12 Sep 2009
Or at least that is the way it looks. Colin Dexter starts off with his usual prologue where one can pick up odd bits of information, which at the time of reading them don't mean an awful lot but which appear to become useful as one reads the main body of the book. Although, if you have read other Inspector Morse mysteries, you will know that that is not always the case.
The main story starts off with Morse taking over the investigation into the murder of Felix McClure, a Oxford professor. Both Morse and Lewis, or perhaps more the former than the latter, quickly decide on the identity of the murderer. Even though they manage to interview the chap before they get a chance to arrest him for murder, he himself is being murdered.
Enter the daughters of Cain. These are a wife, a step-daughter and a teacher and each one of them has a good (if not a very good) reason to get rid of the chap in question. In the end, Morse decides that the wife did it. On this occasion I find Morse's evidence not terribly conclusive because there is plenty of evidence pointing at the other two `daughters' or at a joint effort.
What I found odd is how eagerly the step-daughter pursues Morse and how excited Morse is about her advances. I find this odd because the book gives the impression that Morse is now just an aging alcoholic and I also find it odd because Morse should know better than becoming involved with a murder suspect.
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5 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Set apart from the rest of their kind by..the mark of Cain", 1 April 2006
In one of the best of the Inspector Morse series, author Colin Dexter juggles several intricate plot lines, keeping the reader totally absorbed in each subplot and, especially, in the lives of the characters before he deftly brings them all together in a satisfying ending. Assigned to take over the investigation of the stabbing death of Oxford professor Felix McClure in his campus quarters, Inspector Morse learns that a student neighbor of McClure committed suicide--and was a drug user. Morse, assisted by Sgt. Lewis, his less articulate but clever assistant, begins the murder investigation by exploring whether McClure may have discovered the drug supplier.At the same time, other plot threads are unfolding: Mrs. Julia Stevens, a well-liked high school teacher of "reluctant learners," celebrates her birthday with a cake made by her housekeeper, a severely abused wife. Ted Brooks, formerly a "scout" (custodian) at McClure's Oxford housing and now a museum guard/guide, has recovered from the heart attack he suffered the night McClure was murdered and has an airtight alibi. Elly Smith, who uses the professional name of "Kay" or "K," a young prostitute, is connected to at least five of the characters (and unites the plot lines). When Ted Brooks is found stabbed to death, and further investigation turns up numerous connections among the various characters, the mystery is off and running. As is always the case in this series, a new woman figures in Morse's life. Dexter excels here in creating female characters with whom the reader identifies, and as the lives of these women unfold, their attempts to overcome the hardships life has dealt them elicit sympathy and understanding, not only in the reader but in Inspector Morse, too. The mystery is fast paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns, but as it develops and moves to its conclusion, it is the female characters who generate the movement and keep the reader's interest. The satisfying conclusion is surprising, since it does not tie up all loose ends, leaving some uncertainties which are, themselves, highly satisfying. Mary Whipple
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