The international-bestselling author answers readers’ questions and discusses the origins of the Oxford inspector with a penchant for classical music.

In 1975, Inspector Morse debuted, working to solve the case of a murdered hitchhiker in Colin Dexter’s Last Bus to Woodstock. The book led to a multimillion-bestselling mystery series and a television show that spawned a spinoff and a prequel. But how did the beloved DCI from Oxford come to be exactly?

In this quick read, Colin Dexter addresses some of the many questions posed to him by his readers. He reveals what motived him to break into crime writing and which authors and novels influenced him. He discusses Morse’s many traits and inner workings, as well as how he got his first Morse novel published. He also shares how he maintains a discipline with writing, how he deals with critics, and what it’s like to transform a series of novels into a television series.

Praise for the Inspector Morse Novels

“[Morse is] the most prickly, conceited, and genuinely brilliant detective since Hercule Poirot.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A masterful crime writer whom few others match.” —Publishers Weekly

“Let those who lament the decline of the English detective story reach for Colin Dexter.” —The Guardian

“It is a delight to watch this brilliant, quirky man [Morse] deduce.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune