::AMAZON REVIEWS::

A solution and then some
The collection includes Colin Dexter's first and only Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Titled "A Case of Mis-Identity," it is Dexter's take on the Conan Doyle story, "A Case of Identity" (1891). Dexter follows Doyle's plot up to a solution to the mystery by Holmes. But then Dexter expands the story with a contrary solution offered by Holmes older brother Mycroft and still another by Holmes friend and colleague Doctor Watson. Only one of the three solutions turns out to be correct. Dexter's tale first appeared in a collection edited by Hilary Hale, Writer's Crimes 21 (1989) published by Macmillan. To thoroughly enjoy Dexter's story you should read Doyle's.

Boredom reigns
I had not previously read anything by Dexter, whose work has been praised by many. The reasons for that praise are nowhere evident in this sorry collection of plodding tales. The characters are cardboard; the "plot twists" seem based on the author's mistaken belief that telling a boring story, and revealing at the end that something else was really going on, somehow makes the first 90% interesting. The Sherlock Holmes -- what, pastiche? parody? -- I think "theft" is the right description. Of course it sounds like Doyle -- most of the text has been lifted verbatim, and Dexter's additions simply detract from Doyle's great work. The author may be clever and entertaining, but I'm not going to waste my time reading any more of his work on the chance that might be so.

Studied ambiguity
The prisoner was Muldoon. Morse and the other police officers were to link him to terrorism and ensure his stay at the Oxford prison. Lewis, the second in command, was patient with the irrascible nature of his boss, Chief Inspector Morse.

A car thief shares Morse's idea that Die Walkure is the greatest opera ever composed. The car thief pinched a car and returned it, as Morse explained to Lewis. The deception ran on several different levels.

Dexter includes a story he wrote narrated by Dr. Watson and featuring Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft. Watson solves the mystery. In another matter Morse opines that the person who finds the body is the prime suspect. The stories are very modern.

Oh, now...
Oh, now! It's not so bad! Don't you listen to 'em. Bunch of filthy liars. But, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I for one think it a good read. I mean of course it's not like the books; this is just a bit of fun. Some anecdotes with Morse and others. The stories are well-written... adequate anyway...

Morse is OK, but Dr. Watson shines.
Fans of Dexter's Inspector Morse series will probably be a little disappointed by this book, since only five of the ten collected stories actually have the cantankerous Thames Valley detective, and with a few exception those stories tend to be the shorter entries of the batch. But still, this is a very readable collection of mysteries and other crime stories, one which as a whole tends to lean more toward the light-hearted rather than the serious. Probably the high point of the collection is not a Morse story but a Sherlock Holmes tale, in which the perrenially overshadowed Dr. Watson finally gets a little bit of recognition.

Overall not a stellar collection, but easily an enjoyable lazy afternoon's read.