- Colin Dexter
- 18+
THE REMORSEFUL DAY [070-3.9]
By: Colin Dexter
synopsis:
Dexter (Death is Now My Neighbor, 1997, etc.) draws a brilliantly
realized series to a close by relying on the irascible Morses
extraordinary capacity of thinking laterally, vertically, and
diagonally. This time, though, Morse seems reluctant to get involved
in the unsolved year-old murder of 50-ish promiscuous nurse Yvonne
Hamilton. Is it because hes weary and ailing, or because he has a
secret vested interest in the naked, handcuffed, gagged victim? When
two anonymous phone calls come into the Thames Valley Police station,
corpulent Chief Superintendent Strange pulls Morse back from a
furlough, along with faithful Sergeant Lewis. Circuitous routes keep
Lewis one step behind the curmudgeonly, miserly, oddly vulnerable
Morse, but not far enough behind to prevent him from wondering why
Morse seems unwilling to take a more active involvement in the case. A
bountiful cast of prime suspects is joined by the usual cast of
colorful locals, all of them dancing with nervous energy, before guilt
brings its own moral retribution. Astute readers who think they have
outwitted Morse should wait till the last two pages before
congratulating themselves. Morse is laid to rest gracefully, though
many a reader will join Lewis in his tearful farewell to one of the
most original, endearing, and consistently rewarding detective series.
By the same author
LAST BUS TO WOOD STOCK LAST SEEN WEARING
THE SILENT WORLD OF NICHOLAS QUINN SERVICE OF ALL THE DEAD THE DEAD
OF JERICHO THE RIDDLE OF THE THIRD MILE THE SECRET OF ANNEXE 3 THE
WENCH IS DEAD THE JEWEL THAT WAS OURS THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS THE
DAUGHTERS OF CAIN DEATH IS NOW MY NEIGHBOUR MORSE'S GREATEST MYSTERY
AND OTHER STORIES
THE
REMORSEFUL DAY
BCA1
LONDON NEW YORK SYDNEY TORONTO
This edition published 1999 byBCA By arrangement with Macmillan an imprint
of MacMillan Publishers Ltd CN 6321 Copyright Colin Dexter 1999 The right of
Colin Dexter to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by
any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does
any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham pie, Chatham, Kent
For George, Hilary, Maria, and Beverley (Please note the Oxford comma)
Acknowledgements My special thanks are due, imprimis to Terry Benczik from
New Jersey, for sending me so many apposite quotations; to Cyndi Cook from
Hawaii, for singing to me as I wrote these chapters; to Allison Dexter, for
sharing with me her expertise on coronary care; to Eddie Andrews, one of my
former pupils, for initiating me (at last! ) into some of the mysteries of
the SO COs and to Chris Burt, producer of so many Morse episodes on TV, for
his constant support and encouragment.
The author and publishers wish to thank the following who have kindly given
permission for use of copyright materials: Extracts from More Poems XLI, More
Poems XVI and A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman are reproduced by
permission of The Society of Authors as the literary representative of the
Estate of A. E. Housman.
Extract from On the Dole in Darlington by David Mackenzie reproduced by
permission of the author. Extract from translation of An Die Musik by Basil
Swift reproduced by permission of the author. Extract from I'm a Stranger
Here Myself by Ogden Nash (from the collection Candy is Dandy, Andre Deutsch
Ltd, Copyright 1938 by Ogden Nash, Renewed) is reprinted by permission of
Curtis Brown Ltd, Andre Deutsch Ltd and Little, Brown and Company, Inc.
Extract from Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is reproduced by permission of the
author.
Extract from The Fiddler ofDooney by W. B. Yeats is reproduced by
permission of A. P. Watt Ltd on behalf of Michael B. Yeats, and Simon &
Schuster Inc. Extract from Come to Think of It by G. K. Chesterton is
reproduced by kind permission of A. P. Watt Limited on behalf of the Royal
Literary Fund.
Extract from Oxford by Jan Morris is reproduced by permission of Oxford
University Press.
Extract from Lovelace Bkeding by Roy Dean reproduced by permission of the
author.
Extract from Night-wood by Djuna Barnes is reproduced by permission of the
author and Faber and Faber Ltd.
Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders but if any has been
inadvertently overlooked, the author and publishers will be pleased to make
the necessary arrangement at the first opportunity.
Ensanguining the skies How heavily it dies Into the west away; Past touch
and sight and sound Not further to be found How hopeless under ground Falls
the remorseful day, (A. E. Housman, More Poems, XVI) When I wrote my 1997