Order of Book Series
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Inspector Morse Books in Order

Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter contains 14 books, published between 1975 and 1999. The first book is Last Bus to Woodstock (1975) and the newest is The Remorseful Day (1999). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1975–1999
Confirmed
14 of 14 titles
Pages on record
3,972 in 13 of 14 books
Reading time
66–99 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,972 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 13 of 14 titles with a page count on record.

See all 14 books in order Printable Inspector Morse checklist

Inspector Morse is the detective of Colin Dexter's crime series, set in England, with Sergeant Lewis among the recurring figures. Last Bus to Woodstock (1975) opens 14 catalogued titles that end with The Remorseful Day in 1999, taking in The Dead of Jericho (1981) and The Wench Is Dead (1989). Murder investigation and police procedure are the constants, and no new Inspector Morse title has appeared since 1999.

How many Inspector Morse books are there?

Inspector Morse has 14 books, released between 1975 and 1999.

Inspector Morse Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Inspector Morse books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter, book 1 of the Inspector Morse series (1975)
  2. Cover of Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories by Colin Dexter, book 1 of the Inspector Morse series (1993)
  3. Cover of Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter, book 2 of the Inspector Morse series (1976)
  4. Cover of The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter, book 3 of the Inspector Morse series (1977)
  5. Cover of Service of All the Dead by Colin Dexter, book 4 of the Inspector Morse series (1979)
  6. Cover of The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter, book 5 of the Inspector Morse series (1981)
  7. Cover of The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter, book 6 of the Inspector Morse series (1983)
  8. Cover of The Secret of Annexe 3 by Colin Dexter, book 7 of the Inspector Morse series (1986)
  9. Cover of The Wench Is Dead by Colin Dexter, book 8 of the Inspector Morse series (1989)
  10. Cover of The Jewel That Was Ours by Colin Dexter, book 9 of the Inspector Morse series (1989)
  11. Cover of The Way Through The Woods by Colin Dexter, book 10 of the Inspector Morse series (1992)
  12. Cover of The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter, book 11 of the Inspector Morse series (1994)
  13. Cover of Death Is Now My Neighbor by Colin Dexter, book 12 of the Inspector Morse series (1996)
  14. Cover of The Remorseful Day by Colin Dexter, book 13 of the Inspector Morse series (1999)
  1. 1
    Last Bus to Woodstock1975 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1975288
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  2. 2
    Last Seen Wearing1976 · 336 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1976336
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  3. 3
    The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn1977 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1977288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Service of All the Dead1979 · 304 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1979304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Dead of Jericho1981 · 304 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1981304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Riddle of the Third Mile1983 · 265 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1983265
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Secret of Annexe 31986 · 304 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1986304
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  8. 8
    The Wench Is Dead1989 · confirmed 3/4
    1989–
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  9. 9
    The Jewel That Was Ours1989 · 241 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1989241
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  10. 10
    The Way Through The Woods1992 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Daughters of Cain1994 · 301 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994301
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Death Is Now My Neighbor1996 · 347 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1996347
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Remorseful Day1999 · 384 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1999384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Inspector Morse Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Inspector Morse books run from Last Bus to Woodstock (1975) to The Remorseful Day (1999), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Inspector Morse in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Inspector Morse books in order?

You should read the Inspector Morse books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Inspector Morse book also stands alone.

What order should you read Inspector Morse books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with Last Bus to Woodstock (1975), the earliest published title. After it come Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories (1993), Last Seen Wearing (1976), The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (1977) and Service of All the Dead (1979); the numbered table above continues from there.

What is the newest Inspector Morse book?

The Remorseful Day (1999) is the newest Inspector Morse book released so far.

Is there a new Inspector Morse book coming?

No next Inspector Morse book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Inspector Morse has won

Wikidata records 2 awards for Inspector Morse. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

Printable Inspector Morse Books in Order Checklist

A printable checklist of all 14 books in publication order is on the Inspector Morse reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.

Inspector Morse at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Inspector Morse title on record dates from 1999, 27 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Inspector Morse books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
3,972 pages across the 13 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 304 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Inspector Morse books, 5 of 14, were published in the 1990s.

What the Inspector Morse books are about

All 14 Inspector Morse books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 14 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Colin Dexter

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.