A review by bilboshadowslayer
Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Last Bus to Woodstock is the first book in the Inspector Morse series. I fell in love with the character through the television show, so I was ecstatic when I saw Kevin Whately (who plays Sergeant Lewis in the series) as the narrator for the audiobook.

Overall, this mystery isn't one of my favorites because I view it heavily through a 2021 lens and the way elements of the plot are written are problematic. For example, the mystery revolves around a young woman who is found assaulted and murdered; however, the way the book is written makes the sexual assault seems like it may not have been assault or the victim had a role to play in the assault because of what she was wearing, her past sexual experience, etc. Also, the reasoning behind the murder and who did it is just terrible.

This book is definitely a "first pancake" (meaning it's not the best or the prettiest but it's a start), and I do find Inspector Morse interesting enough to continue reading the series. I also want to see how his relationship with Sergent Lewis develops over time because they do have a good dynamic and think it will be interesting.
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