History Creator / ColinDexter

* ''The Riddle of the Third Mile'' (1983); adapted for TV as "The Last Enemy", with an unused plot element later resurfacing in the ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'' episode "Canticle"

* ''The Jewel That Was Ours'' (1991)
** Based on the TV episode "The Wolvercote Tongue".

* ''Service of All the Dead'' (1979)
** Won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger award.
* ''The Dead of Jericho'' (1981)
** Won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger award.
** The first Morse novel to be [[Series/InspectorMorse adapted for TV]].
* ''The Riddle of the Third Mile'' (1983)
** Adapted for TV as "The Last Enemy", with an unused plot element later resurfacing in the ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'' episode "Canticle".
* ''The Secret of Annexe 3'' (1986)
** Adapted – loosely – as "The Secret of Bay 5B".
* ''The Wench is Dead'' (1989)
** Won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award.

* ''The Way Through the Woods'' (1992)
** Won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award.
* ''Morse's Greatest Mystery'' (1993), also published under the title ''As Good as Gold''
** Short story collection. The amount of short stories in it varies as several different versions were published. Some of the stories don’t feature Morse although the use of minor characters from the books shows that they exist in the same universe. There’s also a non-Morse story, a pastiche of the Literature/SherlockHolmes adventure "A Case of Identity" in which [[spoiler: Watson solves the case after Holmes and his brother Mycroft both get it wrong]].
** Dexter also wrote several other short stories featuring Morse that appeared in crime anthologies, newspapers and magazines and were not published anywhere else. Some of these can be found on the Internet.
** A later factual work, ''Cracking Cryptic Crosswords'' (2010), includes a very short story (four pages) in which Morse and Lewis solve some crossword clues together.

* ''Death is Now My Neighbour'' (1996)
** The one in which Morse's first name is finally revealed, albeit in somewhat different circumstances to the TV adaptation.
* ''The Remorseful Day'' (1999)
** The one in which Morse dies.

A well-known RunningGag in the novels was Morse's hatred of his first name, which [[OnlyOneName was never mentioned]] ... until the end of the penultimate book, ''Death is Now My Neighbour'', in which it was finally revealed to be Endeavour. As a result of the publicity that surrounded this reveal, Morse's first name is now [[ItWasHisSled so widely known]] that it's no longer a mystery.

Norman Colin Dexter OBE (1930-2017) was a British crime writer best known as the author of the Inspector Morse novels which were adapted into the ITV series ''Series/{{Inspector Morse}}'' which ran from 1987 to 2000 and which was followed by the spin-off ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' and the prequel ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'' (collectively known as the 'Series/{{Morseverse}}').

Dexter wrote his first novel, ''Last Bus to Woodstock'', during a family holiday in 1972 (it was published in 1975). Many of Morse's character traits - a love of cryptic crosswords, English literature, classical music and real ale - were also those of his creator. Dexter was from Lincolnshire and had done his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals (details which Morse also 'inherited') although he had studied at Cambridge University before becoming a teacher. The Oxford connection came about when his deafness forced him to give up teaching, following which he worked for an Oxford University examinations board.

Several details from the novels were AdaptedOut for the TV series, notably Morse's smoking habit and appreciation of eroticism. Other changes for the TV series were so [[CreatorPreferredAdaptation favoured by Dexter]] that he incorporated them into later novels, notably Morse driving a Jaguar (originally, his car was a Lancia) and Sergeant Lewis being younger than Morse (originally, he was older).

Originally, Morse - a brilliant student who was obliged to drop out of Oxford University following a failed relationship - was portrayed as having attended the real-life St John's College. It was only when Dexter wanted to write a story about the goings-on within an Oxford college that he hit on the idea (not original to him) of creating a ''fictional'' college as it would give him licence for invention while also avoiding the prospect of depicting unsavoury events in a real-life institution (at the time, he was still employed by Oxford University). Thus, Lonsdale College was invented. It was later [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to be Morse's old college. Subsequent Series/{{Morseverse}} writers have ran with this idea, to the extent that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_Oxford_colleges there are now dozens of them]].

Dexter was very fond of using literary quotes as chapter headings; invariably, they had a bearing on the events that followed. When he couldn't find suitable quotes, he made them up and attributed them to non-existent sources. The best known of these was an historical author of Dexter's own devising, Diogenes Small, who was eventually credited with a lengthy bibliography including a dictionary that ran to 18 editions.

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger award.

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger award.

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award.

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award.

** The one in which Morse’s first name is finally revealed, albeit in somewhat different circumstances to the TV adaptation.

Norman Colin Dexter OBE (1930-2017) was a British crime writer best known as the author of the Inspector Morse novels which were adapted into the ITV series ''Series/{{Inspector Morse}}'' which ran from 1987 to 2000 and which was followed by the spin-off ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' and the prequel ''Series/{{Endeavour}}''.

** Short story collection. The amount of short stories in it varies as several versions were published. Some of them don’t feature Morse although the use of minor characters from the books shows that they exist in the same universe. There’s also a non-Morse story, a pastiche of the Literature/SherlockHolmes adventure "A Case of Identity" in which [[spoiler: Watson solves the case after Holmes and his brother Mycroft both get it wrong]].

Dexter was very fond of using literary quotes as chapter headings; invariably, they had a bearing on the events that followed. When he couldn't find a suitable quote, he made them up and attributed them to non-existent sources. The best known of these was an historical author of Dexter's own devising, Diogenes Small, who was eventually credited with a lengthy bibliography including a dictionary that ran to 18 editions.

Originally, Morse - a brilliant student who was obliged to drop out of Oxford University following a failed relationship - was portrayed as having attended the real-life St John's College. It was only when Dexter wanted to write a story about the goings-on within an Oxford college that he hit on the idea (not original to him) of creating a ''fictional'' college as it would give him licence for invention while also avoiding the prospect of depicting unsavoury events in a real-life institution (at the time, he was still employed by Oxford University). Thus, Lonsdale College was invented. It was later [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to have been the institution that Morse attended. Subsequent Series/{{Morseverse}} writers have ran with this idea, to the extent that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_Oxford_colleges there are now dozens of them]].

Originally, Morse - a brilliant student who was obliged to drop out of Oxford University following a failed relationship - was portrayed as having attended the real-life St John's College. It was only when Dexter wanted to write a story about the goings-on within an Oxford college that he hit on the idea (not original to him) of creating a ''fictional'' college as it would both give him licence for invention while also avoiding the prospect of depicting unsavoury events in a real-life institution. Thus, Lonsdale College was invented. It was later [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to have been the institution that Morse attended. Subsequent Series/{{Morseverse}} writers have ran with this idea, to the extent that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_Oxford_colleges there are now dozens of them]].

Originally, Morse - a brilliant student who was obliged to drop out of Oxford University following a failed relationship - was portrayed as having attended the real-life St John's College. It was only when Dexter wanted to write a story about the goings-on within an Oxford college that he hit on the idea (not original to him) of creating a ''fictional'' college as it would both give him licence for invention while also avoiding the prospect of depicting unsavoury events in a real-life institution. Thus, Lonsdale College was invented. It was later [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to have been the institution that Morse attended. Subsequent Series/{{Morseverse}} writers have ran with this idea, to the extent that there [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_Oxford_colleges are now dozens of them]].

* ''Service of All the Dead' (1979)

Originally, Morse - a brilliant student who was obliged to drop out of Oxford University following a failed relationship - was portrayed as having attended the real-life St John's College. It was only when Dexter wanted to write a story about the goings-on within an Oxford college that he hit on the idea (not original to him) of creating a ''fictional'' college as it would both give him licence for invention while also avoiding the prospect of depicting unsavoury events in a real-life institution. Thus, Lonsdale College was invented. It was later [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to have been the institution that Morse attended. Subsequent Series{{Morseverse}} writers have ran with this idea, to the extent that there [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_Oxford_colleges are now dozens of them]].

** A later factual work, ''Cracking Cryptic Crosswords: A Guide to Solving Cryptic Crosswords'' (2010), includes a very short story (four pages) in which Morse and Lewis solve some crossword clues together.

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger award

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger award
** The first novel to be adapted for TV.

** Adapted for TV as "The Last Enemy", with an unused plot element later resurfacing in the Endeavour episode "Canticle".

** Adapted – loosely – as The Secret of Bay 5B

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award

** Won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award

** Short story collection. The amount of short stories in it varies as several versions were published. Some of them don’t feature Morse although the use of minor characters from the books shows that they exist in the same universe. There’s also a non-Morse story, a pastiche of the Literature/SherlockHolmes adventure "A Case of Identity" in which [[spolier: Watson solves the case after Holmes and his brother Mycroft both get it wrong]].

From the first episode of ''Inspector Morse'', Dexter became well-known for his CreatorCameo appearances, usually in the background of a pub scene, a concert scene or sitting on a bench as the main characters walk through a park. This continued into ''Lewis'' and ''Endeavour'' until ill heath prevented it, although in the latter this tradition was continued through the use of photographs and mocked-up portraits.

From the first episode of ''Inspector Morse'', Dexter became well-known for his CreatorCameo appearances, usually in the background of a pub scene or sitting on a bench as the main characters walk through a park. This continued into ''Lewis'' and ''Endeavour'' until ill heath prevented it, although in the latter this tradition was continued through the use of photographs and mocked-up portraits.

Norman Colin Dexter OBE (1930-2017) was a British crime writer best known as the author of the Inspector Morse novels which were adapted into the ITV series ''Series/{{Inspector Morse}}'' which ran from 1987 to 2000 and which was followed by the spin-off ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' and the prequel ''Series/{{Endeavour}}''. Thus, he is the creator of the Series/Morseverse.

Dexter worked as a teacher before writing his first novel, ''Last Bus to Woodstock'', during a family holiday in 1972 (it was published in 1975). Many of Morse's character traits - a love of cryptic crosswords, English literature, classical music and real ale - were also those of his creator. Dexter was from Lincolnshire and had done his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals (details which Morse also 'inherited') although he had studied at Cambridge University. The Oxford connection came about when his deafness forced him to give up teaching, following which he worked for an Oxford University examinations board.

Norman Colin Dexter OBE (1930-2017) was a British crime writer best known as the author of the Inspector Morse novels which were adapted into the ITV series ''Series/{{Inspector Morse}}'' which ran from 1987 to 2000 and which was followed by the spin-off ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' and the prequel ''Series/{{Endeavour}}''.

From the first episode of ''Inspector Morse'', Colin became well-known for his CreatorCameo appearances, usually in the background of a pub scene or sitting on a bench as the main characters walk through a park. This continued into ''Lewis'' and ''Endeavour'' until ill heath prevented it, although in the latter this tradition was continued through the use of photographs and mocked-up portraits.

From the first episode of ''Inspector Morse'', Colin became well-known for his CreatorCameo appearances, usually in the background of a pub scene or sitting on a bench as the main character walk through a park. This continued into ''Lewis'' and ''Endeavour'' until ill heath prevented it, although in the latter this tradition was continued through the use of photographs and mocked-up portraits.