Reviews for Leave it to the hangman

The average rating for Leave it to the hangman based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-11-07 00:00:00 Blayne Haubrich Suffering from Morse deprivation on the TV I decided to reread all Colin Dexter's novels, in order this time. This first one, Last Bus To Woodstock I found a little disappointing. It is very much of its time as regards prevailing attitudes to women, and Colin Dexter's masculinity is rather too present. In fact it feels rather oldfashioned even for 1975 - more like the late 60's. It would be interesting to see if this series is still around in another couple of decades' time. Having said that, it is a fiendishly good plot and I doubt very much whether I would have remembered the perpetrator of the crime had I not vaguely remembered the TV dramatisation. It is impossible to read these novels now without visualising the TV characters, even though we learn very early on that Morse is younger than Lewis and is "lightly built and dark haired." (Otherwise though Morse's maverick grouchiness which is clearly indicated right at the start of this series of novels is spot on.) Also welcome in the book is the sense of place the author depicts. It is amusing to watch the TV episodes where Morse and Lewis seem to spend an inordinate amount of time wandering around the Radcliffe Camera - why? The Oxford Police station is nowhere near this (I used to live nearby), the crimes take place all over the place and even the Colleges are spread around a fair bit. Made with an eye to the US market perhaps? But the book itself was far more accurate; perhaps Dexter should have challenged the producers of the programmes. Back to the book, and all in all I find myself looking forward to the next one, and suspecting that this series will grow in stature as it progresses.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-08-16 00:00:00 Charles Mccormack The first book in the series that brought us the great television series starring John Thaw as the irascible yet brilliant Inspector Morse, a spin-off with Inspector Lewis and a prequel series, Endeavour, leaves me, well, underwhelmed. As a police procedural it is okay but not something that will remain long in my memory. To its credit, the plot was sufficiently complex to keep me guessing, incorrectly, until the very end. I expected Morse to be quirky yet brilliant. I guess he was that but there were times when I was tempted to replace the word quirky with something more along the lines of unhinged. What struck me, and other readers that I talked to, most about the book is that Dexter's treatment of gender issues is far from enlightened. Granted, it was written in the 1970s but I came of age back then and I don't remember the people I encountered being quite so -neanderthal - as the characters in this book are. Their thoughts about rape are frightening and the old idea that women who act or dress in a certain manner deserve what they get is, if not said outright, at least inferred more than once. One can make certain allowances for when a book was written but there are limits. And if all that isn't enough, Morse doesn't even drive his signature burgundy Jaguar! He drives a beat-up old Lancia, whatever the heck that is. I'm not sure at this point if I will read more Morse books. If I do, I will probably skip forward to a point where Collins writing, and Morse's character, are better developed. My thanks to M.L. and the The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group at for creating the opportunity to read and discuss this book with other Goodreads members.