Inspector Morse Reading Order: Books, TV, Lewis, and Endeavour

Few detective series have had the cultural afterlife of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse. The 13 novels spawned a television adaptation that ran for a decade, which spawned a sequel series (Lewis) following Morse’s sergeant, which spawned a prequel series (Endeavour) showing Morse as a young man. Three series, 60 years of British television, all rooted in 13 detective novels.

Here’s how to navigate all of it.

The Inspector Morse Novels

Colin Dexter published 13 Inspector Morse novels between 1975 and 1999. They follow Endeavour Morse, a crossword-obsessed, opera-loving, ale-drinking Oxford detective with a gift for lateral thinking and a profound weakness for attractive women.

Reading order:

1. Last Bus to Woodstock (1975)

2. Last Seen Wearing (1976)
3. The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (1977)
4. Service of All the Dead (1979)
5. The Dead of Jericho (1981)
6. The Riddle of the Third Mile (1983)
7. The Secret of Annexe 3 (1986)
8. The Wench is Dead (1989)
9. The Jewel That Was Ours (1991)
10. The Way Through the Woods (1992)
11. The Daughters of Cain (1994)
12. Death is Now My Neighbour (1996)
13. The Remorseful Day (1999)

The full Inspector Morse reading order is on the series page.

Can You Read Them Out of Order?

Mostly yes. Each novel is a self-contained mystery. However, Morse’s personal life — his failed relationships, his health, his deepening friendship with Sergeant Lewis — develops across the series. Death is Now My Neighbour and The Remorseful Day in particular contain significant character developments that you should arrive at in sequence.

The ITV Series (1987–2000)

The Inspector Morse TV series starring John Thaw is one of the finest detective adaptations ever made. It adapts most of the novels but also produces original episodes. Dexter himself appears as an extra in almost every episode.

Important note: the TV series significantly softened Morse’s more abrasive qualities and made Lewis (played by Kevin Whately) a warmer, more capable character than in the books. Both versions are valid — they’re different takes on the same material.

Lewis (2006–2015)

Lewis picks up years after Morse’s death, with Sergeant Lewis now an Inspector himself, paired with a new sergeant, Hathaway. It’s original television — no books. The show maintains the Oxford setting and atmosphere but stands entirely on its own.

Watch Lewis after finishing Inspector Morse (TV) and the Morse novels. The references to Morse throughout the series are more meaningful with the full context.

Endeavour (2012–2023)

Endeavour is a prequel showing Morse’s early years as a detective constable in Oxford in the 1960s and 70s. The casting of Shaun Evans as a young Morse is one of television’s great pieces of continuity: his Morse plausibly becomes John Thaw’s Morse.

Endeavour can be watched independently, but the emotional weight of its final season only fully lands if you’ve seen what Morse eventually becomes.

The Recommended Sequence

For readers who want the complete experience:

1. Read the Morse novels (in order)
2. Watch the ITV Inspector Morse series
3. Watch Lewis
4. Watch Endeavour (works as a prequel or epilogue depending on when you watch it)

Colin Dexter’s Legacy

Dexter died in 2018. The Morse franchise he created has now generated more original television than he wrote novels. That’s testament to how completely he invented a world — Oxford as a place of murderous beauty, where crosswords and classical music and real ale and death somehow always converge.