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  • The Way Through the Woods

  • Inspector Morse Mysteries, Book 10
  • By: Colin Dexter
  • Narrated by: Samuel West
  • Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (133 ratings)
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The Way Through the Woods

By: Colin Dexter
Narrated by: Samuel West
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Summary

The Way Through the Woods is the tenth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series.

Quietly, rather movingly, Strange was making his plea: 'Christ knows why, Lewis, but Morse will always put himself out for you.' As he put the phone down, Lewis knew that Strange had been right...in the case of the Swedish Maiden, the pair of them were in business again....

They called her the Swedish Maiden - the beautiful young tourist who disappeared on a hot summer's day somewhere in North Oxford. Twelve months later the case remained unsolved - pending further developments.

On holiday in Lyme Regis, Chief Inspector Morse is startled to read a tantalising article in The Times about the missing woman. An article which lures him back to Wytham Woods near Oxford...and straight into the most extraordinary murder investigation of his career.

The Way Through the Woods is followed by the eleventh Inspector Morse book, The Daughters of Cain.

©2017 Colin Dexter (P)2017 Macmillan Digital Audio

What listeners say about The Way Through the Woods

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excellent

as always with the Morse books, great story, well structured and convincing characters. The narration was excellent and fully captured the characters' individual traits

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Morse is irresistible to all females again

I do enjoy Sam West’s reading of these books. Lots of different voices and I especially like the Welsh Lewis. The plot is convoluted though and ruined, for me, by the impressive number of women who cannot stop thinking about Morse.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Started well and lost me as it progressed

I usually like Colin Dexter as a writer but the story felt muddled and I lost interest. So much so that I didn’t really hear the last chapter properly yet couldn’t be bothered to go back and listen again. Glad to finish and get on to a new book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A masterpiece of course ….

What more do you want? Dexter is in a league of his own. This, like many of the Morse books, is a triumph of creative ingenuity. Who can listen and not long to be Morse. Best of all, not a criminal psychopath in sight. If only there were more like Dexter, more like Morse.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Magnificent who dun it with plenty to keep you lis

Yet another great narration by Samuel West. No vocal gimmicks but easily handles accents and changes of tone with dexterity. if only more narrators were as accomplished. Story had plenty of twists to keep you on your toes. I love the fact that Morse has more luck with the ladies in the books than on screen. Highly recommended except for the occasional unnecessary very bad swearing - quite jarring when not expected or required.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Filth and foul language

This series gets more pornographic as it goes on and the foul language has increased by leaps and bounds until now it has reached the inclusion of some of the foulest ever .

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb

Superb writing, great plot, well read. I read all the novels back when they were published, but it’s lovely to revisit them in Audible format. What a beautiful writer Colin Dexter was, completely enthralling. If anyone can recommend similar style and/or content I’d be very happy to discover some different authors, as I am running out of inspiration.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful writing, beautiful narration

Colin Dexter's writing style is impeccable. Some might call him pedantic - but so is Morse! I found it particularly interesting to compare the plot with the TV adaptation (also brilliant), which I have seen several times. The epigraphs at the beginning of each of the (many) chapters are an enrichment which of course can only appear in the book.

And Samuel West's narration is beyond brilliant. I proved to myself the truth of the old cliché to the effect that a good actor can make the telephone directory interesting, when I kept on listening to the very end, including the copyright details. West tells the story rather than acting it (no loud histrionics, no overdone accents), to my mind the mark of every good narrator. One tiny reservation is that I thought from West's accent for him that Lewis must be Welsh in the book, until it emerged from various exchanges that he is in fact a Geordie (just like Kevin Whateley!).

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Way Through the Woods

Written by Colin Dexter read by the talented Samuel West . Absolutely brilliant . An intricate pattern weaved by Morse’s clever mind . Read brilliantly bringing life to each character. I think Samuel West is becoming one of my favourite audible narrators . You have to listen carefully to each chapter as the story reels you in to the end

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Can't see the woods for the trees, more like.

No way could this have happened. The characteristics of the victim are extraordinary. As per other books this story is populated by people who do the most unlikely implausible things. Too full of misdirection and yet somehow the truth seems like the least convincing solution. I am surprised to learn that this book won 'Dagger' awards.

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