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The Wench Is Dead
''The Wench Is Dead'' is a historical crime novel by Colin Dexter, the eighth novel in the Inspector Morse series. The novel received the Gold Dagger Award in 1989. Plot summary In 1859, the body of a young woman was found floating in the Oxford Canal; her death led to a sensational murder trial, and two men were eventually hanged for the murder. In 1989, Inspector Morse is recovering from a bleeding ulcer in Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Morse is given a book by the wife of a recently deceased patient at the hospital. The little book called ''Murder on the Oxford Canal'' tells the story of the murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat ''Barbara Bray''. Morse is soon convinced that the two men hanged for the crime were innocent and sets out to prove it from the confines of his bed. Explanation of the title The title of the novel comes from Christopher Marlowe's play ''The Jew of Malta''; the following quotation serves as the epigraph to the novel: :FRIAR BARNARDINE. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter (29 September 1930 – 21 March 2017) was an English crime writer known for his ''Inspector Morse'' series of novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as an ITV television series, ''Inspector Morse'', from 1987 to 2000. His characters have spawned a sequel series, ''Lewis'', and a prequel series, '' Endeavour''. Early life and career Dexter was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, to Alfred and Dorothy Dexter. He had an elder brother, John, a fellow classicist, who taught Classics at The King's School, Peterborough, and a sister, Avril. Alfred ran a small garage and taxi company from premises in Scotgate, Stamford. Dexter was educated at St. John's Infants School, Bluecoat Junior School, from which he gained a scholarship to Stamford School, a boys' public school, where one of his contemporaries was the England international cricket captain and England international rugby player M. J. K. Smith. After leaving school, Dexter completed his natio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |