Title: The Riddle of the Third Mile

Author: Colin Dexter

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 278

Rating: 7/10

Colin Dexter – The Riddle of the Third Mile

Okay, let’s lay down some truth on this one. I read over half of this book, the second half, whilst getting the train home on Christmas Eve. Beer was involved. I don’t really remember the final fifty pages.

Still, it was alright – it was eminently readable, although maybe not as addictive as some of the other Morse novels that I read. In fact, I’d potentially re-read this again in the future, so that I could pick up on some of the subtle nuances that passed me by this time round.

Loosely speaking, the story line follows Morse’s investigation when a body is discovered which is missing its head, its arms and its legs. This makes identification difficult, if not in possible, and we’re forced to ask ourselves, as the reader, why somebody would go to that much effort. Are they trying to hide the identity of the victim? Perhaps.

Colin Dexter

There was a big twist at the end of the book which added an additional element to the story line, but I struggled to follow the train of thought that led to the conclusion. In some ways, this spoiled the book for me – it felt like I’d spent ages reading up on the history of the case, and then the denouement at the end was whizzed over. But again, that could be the beer.

So overall, I’d say that this book was okay, but there are better Colin Dexter books on the market. Read this only if you’ve worked through the others.

Colin Dexter Quote

Click here to buy The Riddle of the Third Man.