Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
England, Oxford, ca 1978
Bogen starter med at en mand samler en ret fremmelig pige op og med dystre formodninger om hvad det vil føre til, lader han tilfældet råde.
Tre år efter følger vi Morse, der bliver sat på en kold sag af sin chef efter at inspektør Ainley der ellers havde sagen er død
Den aften hun forsvandt, ledte hendes far efter hende på skolen og selv om klokken var otte mødte han pedellen, der dog ikke havde set hende. En trafikkontrollør havde dog set hende og husker nu tre år efter at hun havde en taske med. Valeries skoles rektor Donald Phillipson og fransklæreren Acum kommer i søgelyset, da Lewis og Morse checker skoleskemaer og gamle stilehæfter. Skolens fyr er stort og ville godt kunne brænde et lig, så det forsvandt helt. De to kigger også nærmere på Johnny McGuire, som var en af Valeries venner. Han ryger hash og læser danske pornoblade og da Morse presser ham lidt, indrømmer han at Valerie var gravid, men han ved ikke om det var med ham eller en anden. Næste offer på pinebænken er rektoren, for han holder også etellerandet tilbage. Hans kone Sheila fortæller heller ikke alt hvad hun ved, fx ikke at manden en aften elskede med hende og kom til at kalde hende Valerie! Inspektøren Baines har heller ikke helt rent mel i posen, men det koster ham også, for kort tid efter bliver han myrdet med en kniv i ryggen i sit eget køkken. Ingen har noget rigtigt godt alibi, hverken Grace eller George Taylor - som Morse har en teori om måske har skaffet Valerie af vejen, fordi hun var gravid med Georges barn - Acum, som måske blev afpresset af Baines fordi han havde været i clinch med en af eleverne - eller rektoren og hans kone. Faktisk indrømmer både Acum og rektorens kone Sheila Phillipson at de har været hos Reginald Baines den pågældende aften, men begge traf ham ikke hjemme og Morse tror på at de var heldige at komme efter at Baines allerede var myrdet. Ved at kigge Reggie Baines økonomi igennem ser det for Morse ud som om han pressede penge af en eller flere og brugte dem til at købe sex ved fru Taylor. Morse er ved at lægge an til at tilbageholde Taylor-ægteparret, da han får en rapport om at Valerie faktisk fik foretaget en abort den dag, hun forsvandt. Hun delte hospitalsstue med en Yvonne Baker. Og så kan hun jo ikke ret godt være død på den måde, han havde forestillet sig.
Morse blander brikkerne på en ny måde. Han får David Acum tilbageholdt og så prøver han at få fat i mrs Acum ud fra en teori om at hun faktisk er Valerie Taylor. Han får fat i hende, men det er mrs Acum og ikke Valerie Taylor. Men ellers har han ret i meget. David havde været i seng med Valerie og havde givet hende penge, så hun kunne få en abort og stikke af. Men selv var han flyttet til Wales og fundet melodien sammen med sin kone igen.
Næste gæt er at Yvonne Baker er Valerie Taylor, men det holder heller ikke. Morse er ved at gå helt i spåner og give op, men vender bunken en sidste gang og finder ud af at teorien med mrs Acum alligevel holdt. Måske for sent, for mrs Acum er taget til London uden varsel og vil sikkert ikke gerne findes, for det var hende, der myrdede Baines, formentlig fordi han var så led en person.
Udmærket politiroman, hvor Morse og hans kringlede tankegang fylder meget. Oversættelsen er lidt blød et par steder. Fx er "She'll be wearing silk pyjamas when she comes." - Popular song. oversat til Når hun kommer, har hun silkenattøj på - Popsang. Det er i alt fald en underlig popsang så. Jeg tror måske hellere man skulle have ladet være med at oversætte de små kapitelintrocitater. Eller side 214: 'The penis mightier than the sword.' hvor det bare er et mellemrum, der er slettet, men som bliver oversat til 'Din penis er mægtigere end et sværd.' Nej, vel?
Bogen starter med at en mand samler en ret fremmelig pige op og med dystre formodninger om hvad det vil føre til, lader han tilfældet råde.
Tre år efter følger vi Morse, der bliver sat på en kold sag af sin chef efter at inspektør Ainley der ellers havde sagen er død
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i en trafikulykke. En 17-årig pige, Valerie Taylor, forsvandt for tre år siden og nu har hun måske sendt et brev hjem til forældrene Grace og George Taylor om at hun faktisk er ok. Skal man mon tro på det? Kriminalkommisær Morse har fået kriminalassistent Lewis som assistent på sagen og denne er ret irriteret over at der overhovedet skal forskes i sagen, for ifølge ham er det jo oplagt at pigen er i London og bare vil være i fred.Den aften hun forsvandt, ledte hendes far efter hende på skolen og selv om klokken var otte mødte han pedellen, der dog ikke havde set hende. En trafikkontrollør havde dog set hende og husker nu tre år efter at hun havde en taske med. Valeries skoles rektor Donald Phillipson og fransklæreren Acum kommer i søgelyset, da Lewis og Morse checker skoleskemaer og gamle stilehæfter. Skolens fyr er stort og ville godt kunne brænde et lig, så det forsvandt helt. De to kigger også nærmere på Johnny McGuire, som var en af Valeries venner. Han ryger hash og læser danske pornoblade og da Morse presser ham lidt, indrømmer han at Valerie var gravid, men han ved ikke om det var med ham eller en anden. Næste offer på pinebænken er rektoren, for han holder også etellerandet tilbage. Hans kone Sheila fortæller heller ikke alt hvad hun ved, fx ikke at manden en aften elskede med hende og kom til at kalde hende Valerie! Inspektøren Baines har heller ikke helt rent mel i posen, men det koster ham også, for kort tid efter bliver han myrdet med en kniv i ryggen i sit eget køkken. Ingen har noget rigtigt godt alibi, hverken Grace eller George Taylor - som Morse har en teori om måske har skaffet Valerie af vejen, fordi hun var gravid med Georges barn - Acum, som måske blev afpresset af Baines fordi han havde været i clinch med en af eleverne - eller rektoren og hans kone. Faktisk indrømmer både Acum og rektorens kone Sheila Phillipson at de har været hos Reginald Baines den pågældende aften, men begge traf ham ikke hjemme og Morse tror på at de var heldige at komme efter at Baines allerede var myrdet. Ved at kigge Reggie Baines økonomi igennem ser det for Morse ud som om han pressede penge af en eller flere og brugte dem til at købe sex ved fru Taylor. Morse er ved at lægge an til at tilbageholde Taylor-ægteparret, da han får en rapport om at Valerie faktisk fik foretaget en abort den dag, hun forsvandt. Hun delte hospitalsstue med en Yvonne Baker. Og så kan hun jo ikke ret godt være død på den måde, han havde forestillet sig.
Morse blander brikkerne på en ny måde. Han får David Acum tilbageholdt og så prøver han at få fat i mrs Acum ud fra en teori om at hun faktisk er Valerie Taylor. Han får fat i hende, men det er mrs Acum og ikke Valerie Taylor. Men ellers har han ret i meget. David havde været i seng med Valerie og havde givet hende penge, så hun kunne få en abort og stikke af. Men selv var han flyttet til Wales og fundet melodien sammen med sin kone igen.
Næste gæt er at Yvonne Baker er Valerie Taylor, men det holder heller ikke. Morse er ved at gå helt i spåner og give op, men vender bunken en sidste gang og finder ud af at teorien med mrs Acum alligevel holdt. Måske for sent, for mrs Acum er taget til London uden varsel og vil sikkert ikke gerne findes, for det var hende, der myrdede Baines, formentlig fordi han var så led en person.
Udmærket politiroman, hvor Morse og hans kringlede tankegang fylder meget. Oversættelsen er lidt blød et par steder. Fx er "She'll be wearing silk pyjamas when she comes." - Popular song. oversat til Når hun kommer, har hun silkenattøj på - Popsang. Det er i alt fald en underlig popsang så. Jeg tror måske hellere man skulle have ladet være med at oversætte de små kapitelintrocitater. Eller side 214: 'The penis mightier than the sword.' hvor det bare er et mellemrum, der er slettet, men som bliver oversat til 'Din penis er mægtigere end et sværd.' Nej, vel?
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Genres
Publication
[Kbh.] : Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1998.
Description
Morse was beset by a nagging feeling. Most of his fanciful notions about the Taylor girl had evaporated and he had begun to suspect that further investigation into Valerie's disappearance would involve little more than sober and tedious routine. The statements before Inspector Morse appeared to confirm the bald, simple truth. After leaving home to return to school, teenager Valerie Taylor had completely vanished, and the trail had gone cold. Until two years, three months and two days after Valerie's disappearance, somebody decides to supply some surprising new evidence for the case.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nakmeister
Morse is given the case of a missing girl who didn’t return home from school one day two years earlier. The case had gone very cold, but then a letter arrives from the girl, Valerie Taylor, saying that she’s fine and no-one should worry about her. Morse is convinced though that she’s dead,
This is the first Morse book that I’ve read, and it’s one of Dexter’s earlier ones. I really like the characterisation of Morse, he is a well rounded and interesting character, and certainly not your average detective. His sidekick Sergeant Lewis, hard working, methodical and rational family man, is the complete opposite of Morse’s character, and I think they compliment each other very well. Last Seen Wearing has many of the elements of the classic detective story (lots of suspects with motive and opportunity, lots of clue scattered everywhere), but also has great characters, and the fact that Morse is infallible and often gets things wrong helps a lot too. Recommended, particularly for fans of classic detective fiction that are after a bit more.
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and sets out to find her killer. And there seems to be a lot of people with something to hide…This is the first Morse book that I’ve read, and it’s one of Dexter’s earlier ones. I really like the characterisation of Morse, he is a well rounded and interesting character, and certainly not your average detective. His sidekick Sergeant Lewis, hard working, methodical and rational family man, is the complete opposite of Morse’s character, and I think they compliment each other very well. Last Seen Wearing has many of the elements of the classic detective story (lots of suspects with motive and opportunity, lots of clue scattered everywhere), but also has great characters, and the fact that Morse is infallible and often gets things wrong helps a lot too. Recommended, particularly for fans of classic detective fiction that are after a bit more.
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LibraryThing member Noisy
A much more assured outing in this second book in the Morse series. Morse has a case foisted on him that he thinks isn't his thing at all: it's a missing girl case from the past that is resurrected because of some anonymous communications.
As the layers of red herrings are peeled back (I can mix
As to the plot, well things progress in a pretty haphazard fashion. It's a while since I've read much detective fiction, but there is no structure to this book in the way of (a) crime gets committed, (b) suspects are revealed, (c) clues are uncovered, (d) detective reveals all and arrests the bad guy in a spectacular denouement. No, no, no. Morse talks to someone; fires off an enquiry; then has a beer or does a crossword or just sits and thinks. Then he heads off in a seemingly random direction. How Lewis copes with him I don't know - I certainly don't understand him. And I think that's what it's all about, because Morse is starting to grow on me, even though I don't think the book is particularly wonderful.
As the layers of red herrings are peeled back (I can mix
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metaphores with the best of them, you know), Morse's character and his relationship with Lewis are developed: the music, crosswords, beer and eye for a woman are all there. As to the plot, well things progress in a pretty haphazard fashion. It's a while since I've read much detective fiction, but there is no structure to this book in the way of (a) crime gets committed, (b) suspects are revealed, (c) clues are uncovered, (d) detective reveals all and arrests the bad guy in a spectacular denouement. No, no, no. Morse talks to someone; fires off an enquiry; then has a beer or does a crossword or just sits and thinks. Then he heads off in a seemingly random direction. How Lewis copes with him I don't know - I certainly don't understand him. And I think that's what it's all about, because Morse is starting to grow on me, even though I don't think the book is particularly wonderful.
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LibraryThing member ishtahar
The one with the girl who may never have died at all and the headteacher who should never have slept with her.
LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
I suspect that this might have scored a five, had it not been for the television series of, 'Morse'. The book is, as I am already beginning to expect from Colin Dexter, excellently written and the plot twists and turns with admirable regularity. It is so well crafted that, despite, as
The novel Morse is much easier to understand as a character than the televised version: he makes mistakes, swears and does the football pools. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the character created for the small screen, it was difficult to understand why this paragon of detective skills with the intellect and breeding of an Oxford don was still a relatively humble chief inspector.
Since hitting on the amazingly novel (pardon the pun) idea of reading the books in order, it is fascinating to watch the development of the character and the relationship between Morse and his Watson, Lewis. It is too soon to expound upon this yet, however.
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aforementioned, having seen a television version of the story, I was convinced with twenty pages left, that the denouement had been changed from the book!The novel Morse is much easier to understand as a character than the televised version: he makes mistakes, swears and does the football pools. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the character created for the small screen, it was difficult to understand why this paragon of detective skills with the intellect and breeding of an Oxford don was still a relatively humble chief inspector.
Since hitting on the amazingly novel (pardon the pun) idea of reading the books in order, it is fascinating to watch the development of the character and the relationship between Morse and his Watson, Lewis. It is too soon to expound upon this yet, however.
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LibraryThing member Othemts
A man who likes his pints, a total hornball (without even being suave or attractive to women like James Bond), and far from a Sherlock Holmes leaping from wrong conclusion to wrong conclusion (and thinking he’s wrong even when he’s right). Inspector Morse is a great character because he’s so
“He musn’t jump to conclusions though. But why the hell not? There was no eleventh commandment against jumping to conclusions, and so he jumped.” (p. 17)
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fallibly human. There sure is a lot of sleaziness in Oxford too. “He musn’t jump to conclusions though. But why the hell not? There was no eleventh commandment against jumping to conclusions, and so he jumped.” (p. 17)
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LibraryThing member Eamonn12
I liked the TV 'Inspector Morse' series and so I decided to try the books. But I found this one very tedious as to story/plot and irritating as to the way Frost's 'cultural' snobbery is harped on throughout. This was also irritating on TV but (mercifully) was somewhat restrained by the medium.
There is also in this book the well-worn recurring male dream: that older men are very attractive to young women. On at least two occasions in this book women considerably younger than Morse find him very sexually attractive. One in particular goes out of her way to try to lure him into her bed. As in Hollywood films, men can grow old, wrinkled and obtuse but the females have to be young, attractive and attracted to the wrinkles. As a male, I do of course wish this were true. It isn't.
I won't be reading more of this stuff any time soon.
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Here, we have pretentious little snippets from 'the classics' heading up each chapter and literary allusions sprinkled throughout the text. Yawn. And both Morse and Lewis bring their reader down so many cul-de-sacs and on so many wild-goose chases that, well... I kept going to the end to see what was the end, but it was hard going. And all this inefficiency on (British) tax-payers' money?There is also in this book the well-worn recurring male dream: that older men are very attractive to young women. On at least two occasions in this book women considerably younger than Morse find him very sexually attractive. One in particular goes out of her way to try to lure him into her bed. As in Hollywood films, men can grow old, wrinkled and obtuse but the females have to be young, attractive and attracted to the wrinkles. As a male, I do of course wish this were true. It isn't.
I won't be reading more of this stuff any time soon.
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LibraryThing member msteketee
i enjoy irascible inspector morse with the best of 'em .. his drinking and moroseness and erudite ways ... but truth be told i own this volume solely for the quotation that begins Chapter Eight ... [dexter tends to do this .. draw from the world of letters and politics for quotes that set up his
source: Harry V. Wade ["American columnist" and my maternal grandfather ..]
"Gypsy Rose Lee, the strip-tease artist, has arrived in Hollywood with twelve empty trunks".
Gotta love the quip. And the squib. oh right .. and gotta love a good mystery.
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chapters or maybe just give him a chuckle]source: Harry V. Wade ["American columnist" and my maternal grandfather ..]
"Gypsy Rose Lee, the strip-tease artist, has arrived in Hollywood with twelve empty trunks".
Gotta love the quip. And the squib. oh right .. and gotta love a good mystery.
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LibraryThing member otterley
I remain firmly convinced that Dexter would have lapsed into obscurity without the far superior TV adaptations. The Morse of this book is a disagreeable, slightly pervy middle aged man with a crossword obsession - much less appealing to the predominately female fan base of the detective genre than
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John Thaw's tortured romantic. Positives about the book are its depiction of a rather broader and more realistic Oxford (comprehensives and rubbish dumps didn't feature in the TV adaptation of this one!) and its deft plotting, largely translated without change to the screen. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaulsu
Weird mystery. Every single person except the Head's secretary is a suspect more than once. There are more red herrings than one can shake a stick at.
Additionally, Morse's over-ripe libido got a bit boring--that and the quantity of beer he consumed. I will read one more in the series, but my guess
Additionally, Morse's over-ripe libido got a bit boring--that and the quantity of beer he consumed. I will read one more in the series, but my guess
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is that will be the last. Show Less
LibraryThing member ecw0647
It’s always a pleasure to return to the wonderful stories of Colin Dexter and Inspector Morse, that all too-human English detective who drinks too much and realizes he needs to place his collection of Victorian erotica in a less conspicuous place on his bookshelf.
In this case, Victoria Taylor,
This case has numerous false leads and Morse swings from a feeling of ecsatitic success at seeming to arrive at the solution only to have his idea dashed to the ground when the evidence fails to support his conclusions. In the end, one of those “false” inspirations proves to be the correct one. The coincidences are seemingly too much for Lewis, but as Morse points out, “It’s an odd coincidence, Lewis, that the forty-sixth word from the beginning and the forty-sixth word from the end of the Forty-sixth Psalm in the Authorised Version should spell ‘Shakespear.’ “
In this case, Victoria Taylor,
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an attractive seventeen-year-old disappeared two years ago. Morse is handed the case following the death of Inspector Ainley who had just become interested following receipt of a note that Victoria was alive and did not want to be pursued. Morse is convinced she is dead and that possibly the real killer was sending the notes in hopes the investigation will cease. Lewis, Morse’s sergeant on the case, can’t understand Morse’s obsession with the case that Lewis believes is open-and-shut: the girl is alive and well in London and doesn’t want to be found. To his mind, Morse just insists on taking a simple case and making it into a complicated mish-mash.This case has numerous false leads and Morse swings from a feeling of ecsatitic success at seeming to arrive at the solution only to have his idea dashed to the ground when the evidence fails to support his conclusions. In the end, one of those “false” inspirations proves to be the correct one. The coincidences are seemingly too much for Lewis, but as Morse points out, “It’s an odd coincidence, Lewis, that the forty-sixth word from the beginning and the forty-sixth word from the end of the Forty-sixth Psalm in the Authorised Version should spell ‘Shakespear.’ “
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
So the subplot for this book is Morse's weird obsession with pornography? Lovely. That aside, I really enjoyed this one, particularly Lewis's exasperation with Morse's overly-elaborate theories. The ending was pretty weak, though. I think Dexter tried to cram one too many plot twists in for the
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page count. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andrew-theQM
This was a very enjoyable read and quite an intriguing and complex case. It certainly showed up Morse's vulnerabilities and faults. However it lost half a star as I was disappointed with the ending. 3.5 Stars.
LibraryThing member smik
I read most of the Morse novels over 30 years ago and then followed them up by watching the Morse TV series. I really hadn't realised, until I listened to this particular book, the extent of differences between the original books and what was done for television.
I got a little confused towards the
LAST SEEN WEARING is #2 in the series and is full of red herrings and false threads. Morse leaps from one idea to another, often operating on a few dodgy facts, and drawing some shaky conclusions from them. He becomes very despondent after one theory after another bites the dust, but in the end he does get it right. It is a very wasteful way of doing detective work, and there is not much logic to it. All of this does make reading the novel a very academic exercise, and I guess that's what sets Colin Dexter apart from the rest.
But don't go away thinking that this Morse is the one you've seen John Thaw play.
He is a much coarser person, but I think by the time we get to later in the series some of these cruder bits have been toned down.
I got a little confused towards the
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end (or did I momentarily drop off to sleep?) with the result that I had to listen to the last hour again to be sure that I knew the way it all finished up.LAST SEEN WEARING is #2 in the series and is full of red herrings and false threads. Morse leaps from one idea to another, often operating on a few dodgy facts, and drawing some shaky conclusions from them. He becomes very despondent after one theory after another bites the dust, but in the end he does get it right. It is a very wasteful way of doing detective work, and there is not much logic to it. All of this does make reading the novel a very academic exercise, and I guess that's what sets Colin Dexter apart from the rest.
But don't go away thinking that this Morse is the one you've seen John Thaw play.
He is a much coarser person, but I think by the time we get to later in the series some of these cruder bits have been toned down.
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LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
I enjoyed this second of the Inspector Morse books almost as much as I enjoyed the first. I like that Morse is somewhat a flawed character - much like all of us. I did get a little lost in all the misconceptions that Morse had during the course of the investigation, so I was confused at times. I
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think Lewis and Morse make a good pair, and I look forward to reading the remainder of these books. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1976
Physical description
268 p.; 17.8 cm
ISBN
8759509597 / 9788759509593
Local notes
Omslag: Kjeld Brandt
Omslagsfoto fra Central ITV fra tv-serien
Omslaget viser kommissær Morse i skikkelse af skuespilleren John Thaw. Morse kigger lidt skeptisk frem for sig
Oversat fra engelsk "Last seen wearing" af Gerd Have
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Morse, bind 2
Side 22: Men nu måtte han hellere lade være med at drage forhastede slutninger. Men hvorfor helvede ikke? Der var ikke noget ellevte bud mod forhastede slutninger, så han drog dem.
Side 24: En mand, hvis kone er enke, er ikke megen nytte til. - skotsk ordsprog
Side 48: Han har bestemt en del fantasi og en ganske god hukommelse. Men med et sært snilde bruger han de egenskaber på en måde som ingen anden. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Side 51: Ex nihilo nihil fit.
Side 146: Han prøvede at se så snedig ud, som hans totale mangel på ideer ville tillade ham.
Side 225: Alle lykkelige familier ligner hinanden; men alle ulykkelige familier er ulykkelige på deres egen måde. - Leo Tolstoj
Side 234: Incest er ikke kedeligere end så meget andet. -- graffiti på en toiletvæg i en pub i Oxford
Side 242: Penge købes ofte for dyrt. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Side 254: Når man har elimineret det umulige, må det, der står tilbage, hvor usandsynligt det end kan forekomme, nødvendigvis være sandheden. - A. Conan Doyle i De Fires Tegn
Side 306: Jeg har kun opdaget én måde at nå et tog på - og det er at komme for sent til det foregående - G. K. Chesterton
Omslagsfoto fra Central ITV fra tv-serien
Omslaget viser kommissær Morse i skikkelse af skuespilleren John Thaw. Morse kigger lidt skeptisk frem for sig
Oversat fra engelsk "Last seen wearing" af Gerd Have
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Morse, bind 2
Side 22: Men nu måtte han hellere lade være med at drage forhastede slutninger. Men hvorfor helvede ikke? Der var ikke noget ellevte bud mod forhastede slutninger, så han drog dem.
Side 24: En mand, hvis kone er enke, er ikke megen nytte til. - skotsk ordsprog
Side 48: Han har bestemt en del fantasi og en ganske god hukommelse. Men med et sært snilde bruger han de egenskaber på en måde som ingen anden. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Side 51: Ex nihilo nihil fit.
Side 146: Han prøvede at se så snedig ud, som hans totale mangel på ideer ville tillade ham.
Side 225: Alle lykkelige familier ligner hinanden; men alle ulykkelige familier er ulykkelige på deres egen måde. - Leo Tolstoj
Side 234: Incest er ikke kedeligere end så meget andet. -- graffiti på en toiletvæg i en pub i Oxford
Side 242: Penge købes ofte for dyrt. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Side 254: Når man har elimineret det umulige, må det, der står tilbage, hvor usandsynligt det end kan forekomme, nødvendigvis være sandheden. - A. Conan Doyle i De Fires Tegn
Side 306: Jeg har kun opdaget én måde at nå et tog på - og det er at komme for sent til det foregående - G. K. Chesterton
Other editions
Last seen wearing by Colin Dexter (Paperback)
Similar in this library
Series
Pages
268
DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |