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The Daughters of Cain Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,215 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Little progress had been made by the Thames Valley Police since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The police had no weapon, no suspect, and no motive.
But within days of taking over the investigation, Chief Inspector Morse and Detective Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of the victim, Dr. Felix McClure, late of Wolsey College, Oxford.
The trail leads to a staircase in Wolsey College and a former "scout" there, one Edward Brooks, who disappears following the theft of a knife from the Pitt Rivers Museum. When another body is discovered, Morse suddenly finds himself with too many suspects, including Brooks' wife, a prostitute, and an enigmatic schoolmistress. Attracted to one of the possible killers, the chief inspector may be too involved for success.
It will take much thought, many pints, and not a little anguish before Morse sees the connection between McClure's death and the daughters of Cain.
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"I went straight into this after finishing The Way Through The Woods and it took my a little while to get into this one. But by the end I found it an immensely satisfying mystery. Once again the characterisations were top notch and I found the writing of a high standard. The only detracting thing for me is that yet more women fall at Morse's feet. It's a fun male fantasy but, for me, it is unbelievable."
— Sean (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Frederick Davidson captures perfectly the inspector’s soul, as well as delivering excellent portrayals of the jaunty Sergeant Lewis, the vicious Ted Brooks and a host of suspects…Of Dexter’s contemplative detective stories, this one is excellent and is ideal on audio…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Audacious and amusing…May be the best book yet in this deservedly celebrated series.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Very cleverly constructed…Dexter writes with an urbanity and range of reference that is all his own.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Chief Inspector Morse…[is] the foremost exponent of the old-fashioned (but new-minted) British detective story.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Morse is an intriguingly complex character, a mixture of gruffness, sentimentality, and intuitive brilliance, while his gentle, steadfast companion, Lewis, is a perfect foil for Morse’s prickliness.”
— Booklist -
“Davidson captures Morse’s personality and hoarse voice perfectly. He reads Dexter’s sarcastic, witty prose with just the right sneering tone…I had already read this and found listening much more entertaining; I was amazed at how much I’d missed in reading.”
— Kliatt
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
The Daughters of Cain Listener Reviews
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" I liked the interactions between Lewis and Morse in this one. I'm sad that there are only two more books left in this series. "
— Liz, 2/19/2014 -
" Morse and Lewis again. I should really check the timeline of the Morse books, given that he ages over the years and that Dexter seems to be giving him more of a past as he approaches the end of his life (notably, this book explains a reference that seemed of great import in Death is Now My Neighbor). But. Smaller than usual proliferation of bodies for an Inspector Morse book, as much or more of the wanton woman line. Certain details were somewhat obscure and convoluted, and a few of the hypotheses seemed to just hang in the air despite no corroborating evidence. Perhaps it's good that Morse doesn't quite figure things out as he approaches his pension, but it was a bit frustrating for the reader. And, again with the narrator talking about himself. Stay in the third person, omniscient narrator! "
— Nathan, 2/15/2014 -
" This the next to beswt in the series following The Remorseful Day. The humor is wonderful and he has the perfect quotation for each chapter. "
— Bonnie, 2/14/2014 -
" clever, as usual. Guy's a little spooky. "
— Nancy, 2/9/2014 -
" Inspector Morse and crimes of the heart; again, I found him more annoying than otherwise. "
— Nikki, 1/24/2014 -
" This is not the type of book you read to figure out "whodunnit" - that is no real surprise; rather you keep reading to figure out why, how, and whether or not they get away with it. This is also one where you are rooting for the killer to get away with it, because the victim is that much of a monster. "
— Melissa, 1/18/2014 -
" Inspector Morse and Lewis. 3 women aid in getting rid of an abusive husband. "
— Gwen, 1/12/2014 -
" Sorry. Lorena Bobbitt is not a folk hero to some of us. "
— Robert, 12/25/2013 -
" There were interesting twists in the plot of this murder mystery set in Oxford and thereabouts. An English major could better appreciate the occasional scholarly references. Apparently there are more "Inspector Morse mysteries..." "
— M, 12/13/2013 -
" I think the Morse novels have improved as the series goes along. Morse is not as obnoxious as he was originally. "
— David, 11/4/2013 -
" The one with the three women the abusive man and the schoolboy who'll do anything for a legover... featuring another appearance from the destructive young Jason "
— Rachel, 9/16/2013 -
" listened to this. Good plot, well narrated. "
— Joanne, 8/13/2013 -
" Good. Slow. Dexter's Morse is interesting to read. "
— Al, 4/30/2013 -
" An Inspector Morse book. Characters are interestingly drawn, including the rather tactless yet erudite and insightful Morse. Determination of the who-dunnit is too dependent on sudden insights by Morse for my taste, but characters will probably lead me to read another of these at some point. "
— E, 4/17/2013 -
" Colin Dexter has a way with words, and the cleverness in his writing outpaced my expectations. This is the first Morse novel I've read and I expect I'll be picking up the rest in short order. I wouldn't bother if the writing were not a cut above the typical mystery fare. "
— Kim, 12/19/2012 -
" I liked the PBS series Morse, but the books are so much more intriguing and complicated. Fun to have the faces to put to the characters. The drinking and cigarettes drove me crazy. "
— Jane, 10/23/2012 -
" I read it some years ago. I love the Inspector Morse mysteries "
— Feodora, 6/26/2012 -
" What a pleasure to read! The story in itself was not a big, complicated one, but it was written so well. I'd read this before but still this was a great read. "
— Tiina, 2/3/2012 -
" I did't finish the book, because it was so boring. "
— Georg, 11/19/2011 -
" Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis do it again--twice! Two more solved murders under their belts. Each Inspector Morse novel provides a further glimpse into the minds (and souls) of these brilliant sleuths, and The Daughters of Cain is no exception. "
— Cindy, 9/20/2011 -
" I really wanted to love Colin Dexter. Instead I found I got about as much satisfaction out of the book as the PBS TV show "Inspector Lewis". It just took a lot longer. Perhaps murder mystery just isn't my genre. "
— Darren, 7/19/2011 -
" Good. Slow. Dexter's Morse is interesting to read. "
— Al, 6/29/2011 -
" Inspector Morse mystery.<br/>Adding to the pleasure of the mystery, each chapter begins with a quotation from a wide range of sources (many classical and even Latin) -- each quotation suits the contents of the chapter and sometimes plays a role in the chapter. "
— Jim, 6/4/2011 -
" Erudite, entertaining, interesting. What more need be said? "
— J.R., 3/12/2011 -
" A really grim story involving three unfortunate women and two murders; one whom really deserved being murdered. Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis take over a murder case from another chief inspector in Oxford and slowly unravel what happened. There's an interesting case of character. "
— George, 7/20/2010 -
" I really wanted to love Colin Dexter. Instead I found I got about as much satisfaction out of the book as the PBS TV show "Inspector Lewis". It just took a lot longer. Perhaps murder mystery just isn't my genre. "
— Darren, 11/8/2009 -
" Liked the book more as I read more. Helps when you know the characters. "
— Michael, 9/10/2009 -
" Inspector Morse and crimes of the heart; again, I found him more annoying than otherwise. "
— Nikki, 2/12/2009 -
" Sorry. Lorena Bobbitt is not a folk hero to some of us. "
— Robert, 5/14/2008 -
" An Inspector Morse book. Characters are interestingly drawn, including the rather tactless yet erudite and insightful Morse. Determination of the who-dunnit is too dependent on sudden insights by Morse for my taste, but characters will probably lead me to read another of these at some point. "
— E, 5/8/2008 -
" The one with the three women the abusive man and the schoolboy who'll do anything for a legover... featuring another appearance from the destructive young Jason "
— Rachel, 10/31/2007
About Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter lives in Oxford. He has won many Crime Writers’ Association awards for his novels and in 1997 was presented with the Cartier Diamond Dagger for outstanding services to crime literature. His story “Evans Tries an O-Level” won the 1996 Macavity Award for Best Short Story.
About Frederick Davidson
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.