A unique episode in the "Inspector Morse" canon The Jewel That Was Ours started out as an episode for television written by Julian Mitchell, entitled "The Wolvercote Tongue." "Inspector Morse" was a very popular TV series starring John Thaw as Morse and Kevin Whately as Lewis, who by the time of this episode were both well established in their character roles. "The Wolvercote Tongue" went to air in season 2 on 25th December 1987, and was only developed into a novel, his ninth in the "Inspector Morse" series, by Colin Dexter in 1991.Writers, especially of detective fiction, often say that when a well-loved character is portrayed on television, the visual image of the actor, their familiar mannerisms and way the character is depicted then "feed into" subsequent books which they might write. But it must be a rare case where not only the actors' versions are well-established enough in the public's mind to influence the author, but an actual plot too! It is not clear who had the idea initially, but it says a lot for the skill of Julian Mitchell, who wrote and adapted several episodes in the TV series, that he should have captured the feel of the novels so well that Colin Dexter paid him the compliment of developing the idea in this way. The endings of the two stories, though, are quite different. It has to be said that the first third of the novel falls a little flat, especially coming straight on the heels of the excellent "The Wench is Dead" which had won a gold dagger award. It starts with three hosts who are preparing to welcome an exclusive tour group of Americans to the elegant Randolph Hotel in Oxford. Sheila Williams is a liaison and event organiser for the university. She has been having an affair with another of the organisers, Dr. Theodore Kemp, who is the curator of the Ashmolean Museum. We enter the story at the point where it looks as if Kemp has broken this off. The third host is the tour's leader, John Ashendon. Among the tourists in the exclusive party are Eddie Stratton and his wife, Laura, Phil Aldrich, Janet Roscoe, a vociferous and opinionated woman, Howard and Shirley Brown, Sam and Vera Kronquist and Nancy Wiseman. The first part of the novel revolves around the death of Laura Stratton, who is found dead in her room at the Randolph Hotel, shortly after the group has arrived. Her handbag, in which she has been keeping the Wolvercote Tongue, has been stolen. The "Wolvercote Tongue" forms part of a jewelled Saxon belt buckle, and Laura had been intending to donate it to the Ashmolean museum during the tour, thereby fulfilling her late husband's wishes. Her first husband had been fairly wealthy, a "middle-bracket philanthropist" who had willed much of his precious collection to museums. The high point of the group's tour of Oxford was to be Laura Stratton's presentation of the Wolvercote Tongue, which obviously now had to be cancelled. In the meantime Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis investigate the theft as rifts, rivalries and resentments reveal themselves between the organisers.In part two of the book, (view spoiler)[ only a couple of days later, a battered and naked corpse is dragged from the River Cherwell. This proves to be the body of the Ashmolean's expert on the Wolvercote Tongue, Theodore Kemp. Morse had already had his suspicions about the death of Laura Stratton. Now he is sure there is a connection with the theft of the Wolvercote Tongue, as Kemp had made strenuous attempts to locate the Wolvercote Tongue after its rediscovery and disappearance in 1873. He had finally tracked it down to its American owner. It seemed far too much of a coincidence for Kemp to die at the point when he would finally be able to lay his hands on it. Morse and Lewis therefore turn their attentions to investigating both cases as suspicious deaths, despite the pathologist's insistence that Laura Stratton died of natural causes. (hide spoiler)]
Although it's only my second Colin Dexter novel, and although I didn't find it as compelling as the first one I read (Death is Now My Neighbor, which evidently I failed to log in this space), I look forward with great verve and anticipation to reading another Dexter novel. Those regular readers of this blog will well remember the posts I've already written about this Jewel That Was Ours (here, here, here, here and here) and will understand why I enjoy reading Dexter novels. He includes such light-heartedness into what could otherwise be dry and rote mysteries. They are reminiscent of Agatha Christie stories and are even more fun to read after one has seen the Inspector Lewis Series on Masterpiece Mysteries on PBS (go here for more info).Just like his other novel, Dexter has included a well stocked pantry of interesting vocabulary (which will be posted soon) and several eye-catching passages that I've already linked to. I particularly liked the one referring to the traditional English breakfast. It does drag a bit every now and then, but whose work doesn't? Would I recommend it? Yep. Would I read it again? Yep. Will I? Not for a bit. Will I read another? Sure will and looking forward to it.
What do You think about The Jewel That Was Ours (1993)?
As always, Dexter's sophisticated plotting and gift for evoking atmosphere are a treat. As I've noted in reviews of other volumes in the series: if you're put off by Latin tags, dirty jokes, or dirty jokes disguised as Latin tags, Inspector Morse is probably not your cup of tea. But I enjoyed this, although, as a devotee of the Rules of Fair Play for detective stories devised by Christie et al., I could quibble with the amount of disclosure Dexter allows to the reader before the denouement. The characters of both Morse and Lewis--and their relationship--are nicely developed in this installment, though. And I thought the women in the story were more thoughtfully and interestingly developed than sometimes... a conscious bow to a feminist, or at least to a female, readership? evolution as an author? I don't know, but I relished it.
—Lucy Barnhouse
Another is the Inspector Morse series and equally as complex as others in the ouevre. An American tourist dies of an apparent heart attack in a local hotel and Morse is less than pleased to be called out on this seemingly innocent death. But this is a Morse mystery, so you know that there is much more going on that meets the eye. As usual Morse gets off track immediately once he figures out that something is amiss and we try to follow his logic as he moves toward the answer. Colin Dexter's book are such fun to read and can be rather educational when Morse gets on a roll regarding literature, music, et al. I watched the television series before I read the books, so I can see John Thaw as a more attractive Morse than Dexter describes him in print. One of the great modern British mystery series.
—Jill Hutchinson
It seems I'm on an official Inspector Morse kick now. I just finished this title, and I'm about to pick up another! I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to after figuring out the which TV episode it corresponded to. I found bits of that annoying, but this story deviated from the tv show in all the right places! The solution makes (more) sense and the characters are well expressed. I enjoy how the pov jumps around frequently within a given chapter and Morse is more likable than he was in the first book of the series. (Please realize I'm not reading them in any order other than library availability). Definitely an enjoyable read.
—Sarah
