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| Plot Summary of The Wench Is Dead |
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"
Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series is certainly one of the best out of Britain (or
anywhere else, actually) and for Morse fans, “The Wench Is Dead” is a different twist for
the usually predictable plot lines for Dexter and Morse. Morse is hospitalized (ulcers, no
less--and who is surprised as the good inspector doesn't hesitate to show his appreciation
for good ale and Scotch!) and naturally becomes bored (He can only do so many Times
crosswords at a time!). He is given “Murder on the Oxford Canal”--a story of a young
woman who was found drowned in 1859. Her assailants were arrested, tried, and hanged,
but to Morse, something is amiss. Something just doesn't add up. So, from his hospital
bed, he begins a unique investigation of his own--to prove that the wrong men were
hanged! The persistence he and his assistants show makes a gripping narrative itself. To
say it is compelling reading is an understatement; this is Colin Dexter (and Inspector
Morse) at their best. (Need I add that Morse proves his theories correct--for all the good it
did the originally convicted men, of course!)"
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
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"The eighth of Dexter's Inspector Morse series finds Morse recovering from a bleeding ulcer in Oxford's Radcliffe Hospital. Reading to stave off boredom, he runs across the tale of a murder case that took place (and was ostensibly solved) more than a century before. The body of a young woman was found drowned in the Oxford Canal in 1859, and two men eventually hanged for the murder. Increasingly convinced the men were innocent, Morse must prevail on others -- not only his indefatigable assistant Sergeant Lewis but Christine Greenaway, a comely librarian who regularly visits a relative in the hospital -- to help him research this crime for which all the principals are long gone. Witty, cosmopolitan, and erudite but quite readable."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Wench Is Dead |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
- nearly 100%
Special suspect?
- chronically deranged person
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Water adventure
Yes
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
- 60's-90's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- druggie/wino disease
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Small town?
Yes
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual forms of death
- drowned
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Colin Dexter Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Fenella
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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