The Way Through The Woods (1994) - Plot & Excerpts
The Way Through the Woods is the tenth novel in the Inspector Morse series, and won the Gold Dagger Award in 1992. It is perhaps the quintessential Morse novel. Its title, part of the couplet,"There once was a way through the woodsBefore they planted the trees"is taken from a poem by Rudyard Kipling. In the novel Colin Dexter continues his predilection for starting each chapter with a quotation. They are not all from literary sources, however. They can be taken from anywhere, as long as the author considers them pertinent to the context. For instance, one is from the magazine, "Homes and Gardens", but it does relate to the Oxford properties and social groupings which comprise the setting of the following chapter.In addition to these stylistic devices, one satisfying element of this novel is the inclusion of many possible solutions to an intellectual puzzle - a devious conundrum which forms part of the plot. When the detectives, and the reader, solve the puzzle, then we believe the explanation to the story - the disappearance of a young woman from Uppsala in Sweden - will be clearly revealed.The reader is implicitly invited to spend a great deal of thought deconstructing the cryptic poem which is presented, and assessing the various theories as to what the "clues" are. Many eminent scholars present their views in the newspaper. Which is correct? In terms of the story itself, the plot is typically complex, and only to be hinted at here. We are moved into the story step by step. Much as in an earlier story when Morse becomes intrigued in a case from his hospital bed, in this novel he is reluctantly on holiday in Lyme Regis. However George Bernard Shaw's expressed view that,"A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of Hell" (which significantly is a chapter heading), also exemplifies Morse's attitude to vacations. Bored out of his mind, he is repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to follow the "Coleridge Trail" to Ottery St. Mary and Nether Stowey. He then tries putting his detective and deductive skills to use by covertly watching and finding out about a woman in the hotel, Louisa, to whom he is attracted. She tells him she works for a model agency, intrigued despite herself by his, "keen blue eyes." He in turn, notices that her eyes partially obscured by make-up, "seemed somehow darkened by a sadder, more durable shadow." And inevitably she does later have a connection to the case in which he becomes involved. During the course of this, Morse's attention is caught by an anonymous riddle, in the form of a five-stanza poem in "The Times" newspaper. The police have requested help from Howard Phillipson, the Times's literary correspondent. The cryptic clues seem to imply that the missing girl has been murdered. Such clues could almost have been designed to intrigue Morse, the crossword puzzle fanatic. He thus becomes involved with the unsolved case of the Swedish girl Karin Eriksson, a secretarial student, who had disappeared a year previously.The crime had previously been the responsibility of Chief Inspector Harold Johnson of Thames Valley CID. Unsurprisingly, he does not take kindly to Morse's being given charge of it, or the insistence of Morse that if there was a body to be found, it would not be on the Blenheim Estate, where all the previous investigation had been concentrated, but in Wytham Woods. The reason for this assertion, seemed entirely to hinge on the verses. But their joint boss, Chief Superintendant Strange, has confidence in Morse and wants to give him some leeway,"He'd have ideas though, wouldn't he, Morse? Always did have. Even if he's been on a case a couple of minutes. Usually the wrong ideas of course, but..."And as always, Morse's loyal sidekick Lewis, is extraordinarily proud to be working with his exasperating colleague, realising with a flash of inspiration that,"They were trying to pick his (Lewis's) brains, because they were envious of his relationship with Morse!" On another occasion he tries to take a realistic view,""I think he's a great man, but he sometimes gets things awfully wrong, doesn't he?" "And he more often gets things bloody right!" said Strange with vehemence.""Or as the author observes elsewhere, "logic sometimes held less sway in Morse's mind than feeling and impulse."For those readers involved in the back story of the series, this is the one in which the "ugly brusque and arrogant pathologist" Maximilan Theodore Siegfried de Bryn" (view spoiler)[has a fatal coronary thrombosis. At this point, whilst he is at death's door, (hide spoiler)]
This is the first inspector Morse I have read, though I know the series well from the television version. I find it odd to move from TV/movie to book and I try to avoid that. The problem--at least with this book--is that I have the actor (is it John Thaw?) so firmly fixed in my mind. And I'm not at all persuaded that the Morse of the book looks like that. He is also, I think, a somewhat different character, although in truth it has been a number of years since I watched any of them so perhaps I am wrong. There are a couple of striking things about this book (which is somewhere in the middle of the run of books, I think. It just happened to be at hand.) One is that it is (quite deliberately) disjointed. There are fragments that are quick looks at other people doing other things at the same time Morse and Lewis go about their investigation. I'm meaning to go back and look at these again, but as I read it through they were simply puzzling. Who is that and what are they doing? I'm wondering if I could always answer that now. While I found that device interesting I was a little annoyed by the occasions on which Morse apparently explained something to Lewis but not to me. I guess it was necessary to make the plot go, but it bugged me. Still and all, this is solid and well written. Morse is not a happy sort and that casts a sort of cloud over the story as a whole, but it is well-written and quite readable. I suppose the question now is whether I go back to the beginning. I think I shall.
What do You think about The Way Through The Woods (1994)?
I live for British detective novels, and the Inspector Morse series, set in Oxfordshire, is just well-written and literate (if not actually literary) enough to alleviate some genre guilt. At the same time, this entry in the series revolves around a porn ring, so it's not all snooty Oxford shenanagins, either. Be forewarned: everyone in this series is always eating cheese sandwiches and drinking bitters, so if you're trying to eat healthily and would find this triggering, you must find a detective with a more balanced diet.
—Paula
From January 2014: Seldom do I reread a book, but having been on a Morse series (TV, that is) marathon, I was intrigued by the episode of this name. The book version is quite different, but the general atmosphere, if you will, bears a strong and interesting resemblance to what I just watched via Hulu.From August 2009: My second Inspector Morse, and a good one. Dexter leads us through a number of twists and turns around the Swedish Maiden but ties it all up almost believably.The quotations that open each chapter were especially apt and entertaining. Morse (and Dexter) are crossword puzzle fans, so it's fitting that Dexter throws in a few unusual words. He sent me to the dictionary twice, which I thoroughly appreciate.
—Kathy Petersen
This turned out to be a complex tale of the Swedish Maiden who was presumed murdered. This involves a perverted group of perverts that meet to view pornography which later turns to murder and blackmail and further murder.Morse becomes involved in a correspondence in the letter pages of the Times newspaper but who starts the correspondence? The book starts of following the case thoroughly but as a climax nears then the leads become more vague forcing the reader to remain engaged. Very difficult to put down and a few loose ends left at the end, nevertheless one of the better Morse tales.
—Colin Mitchell
