The Way Through The Woods
An Inspector Morse Mystery, by Colin Dexter
Fans of Colin Dexter’s mysteries enjoy not only a multi-layered and finely tuned plot, but are as equally infatuated with the author’s irascible Oxford-educated and opera-loving detective, Inspector Morse. Morse, following in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, is at once fascinating and alternatively an annoyingly intellectual snob who fancies his own self high above the throng.
Morse is not particularly well liked by his peers but is, more accurately, tolerated by his fellow officers because his keen intelligence and native intuition leads him to solve puzzles that would otherwise remain enigmas to the Thames Valley CID. Even Morris’ straightforward sidekick, Lewis, is held at a distance despite the pair’s frequent on-duty chats over pints of beer in public houses in and around Oxford.
In The Way Through the Woods, Chief Inspector Morse begins a very unusual fortnight’s holiday in Dorset, much to the consternation of his boss, Chief Superintendent Strange. “You couldn’t stick being away that long!”, Strange incredulously bellows to Morse. “Building sand castles! For over a fortnight!”
Perhaps, Strange had been right that Morse isn’t the sort who should take a holiday. Having driven his vintage maroon Jaguar to the Bay Hotel, Morris mused that he’d probably made a mistake. His always inquisitive mind cannot tolerate inactivity. So, what was he thinking booking himself into a hotel for a vacation?
Before he could down a pint of Best Bitter in the hotel’s bar, Morris’ mind had become intrigued with a puzzle far more attractive than his usual fascination with solving crosswords. A pretty woman in her forties, wearing a little black dress that more than hinted at a delicious figure, was sitting near him in the bar. Morris noticed that she seemed to be carefully studying the wine list held in her slim, impeccably manicured hands.
Rather fancying himself a bit of a ladies’ man, he attempted to strike up a friendly conversation. Unmoved by Morris’ obvious interest in her, the woman made a point of ignoring his advances. She was far more interested in being alone, enjoying a glass of wine and an evening spent in solitary reading of her copy of The Times.
Miffed at this rejection, Morris looked over her shoulder to read in intriguing snippet of an article in The Times that the woman was holding. Straining to read the fine print, Morris could just make out the headline and a line or two of the story in the newspaper. It seemed that a noted literary expert from The Times had been contacted by the police. The police were asking for help to solve a riddle which might assist them with a missing person case.
Later, Morse would get his own hands on a copy of the newspaper and read the extraordinary story for himself. A riddle, in the form of a five stanza poem, had been anonymously sent to the police. The investigators believed that the poem held possible clues to the mystery of a young Swedish student, Karin Eriksson, who had disappeared near Oxford nearly a year earlier. In their investigations during the last 12 months, the police had speculated that the young woman might have been hitch-hiking and become the victim of foul play. Karin Eriksson had disappeared, seemingly vanished into thin air, and her back pack which had been found along the highway was the only clue.
Now, 12 months had passed since the young woman had vanished. Why were anonymous cryptic poems being sent to the police now? Poems with literary references indicating that the body of Karin Eriksson might be found in a woodland area and that her very soul was crying out for justice?
Despite being on holiday, Morse begins an investigation which will lead readers through the historic Wytham Woods and Blenheim Palace to an astonishing and dramatic conclusion. To unravel the mystery of the ‘Swedish Maiden’, Morse and his partner Lewis will be challenged to not only decipher riddles but track down long hidden clues surrounding the mysterious life of the missing woman.
The complex plot and the highly literate prose of The Way Through The Woods is proof that Colin Dexter is one of the finest mystery authors of our time. If you’ve enjoyed the wonderful BBC Inspector Morris Mysteries, which starred the late John Thaw, don’t just stop at watching the television series in re-runs ... you need to read the original books for yourself. To quote Inspector Morse, “The secret of a happy life is to know when to stop ... and then go that bit further.”
