Dexter (Death is Now My Neighbor, 1997, etc.) draws a brilliantly
realized series to a close by relying on the irascible Morses
extraordinary capacity of thinking laterally, vertically, and
diagonally. This time, though, Morse seems reluctant to get involved in
the unsolved year-old murder of 50-ish promiscuous nurse Yvonne
Hamilton. Is it because hes weary and ailing, or because he has a
secret vested interest in the naked, handcuffed, gagged victim? When
two anonymous phone calls come into the Thames Valley Police station,
corpulent Chief Superintendent Strange pulls Morse back from a
furlough, along with faithful Sergeant Lewis. Circuitous routes keep
Lewis one step behind the curmudgeonly, miserly, oddly vulnerable
Morse, but not far enough behind to prevent him from wondering why
Morse seems unwilling to take a more active involvement in the case. A
bountiful cast of prime suspects is joined by the usual cast of
colorful locals, all of them dancing with nervous energy, before guilt
brings its own moral retribution. Astute readers who think they have
outwitted Morse should wait till the last two pages before
congratulating themselves. Morse is laid to rest gracefully, though
many a reader will join Lewis in his tearful farewell to one of the
most original, endearing, and consistently rewarding detective series.