 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Colin Dexter |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Martin White |
| Language | English |
| Series | Inspector Morse series, #7 |
| Genre | crime novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | October 1986 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 0-333-43139-1 |
| OCLC | 59097956 |
| Preceded by | The Riddle of the Third Mile |
| Followed by | The Wench Is Dead |
The Secret of Annexe 3 is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the seventh novel in Inspector Morse series.
As the novel begins, Margaret Bowman of Charlbury Drive Chipping Norton is off to a funeral. Her husband, left alone, finds an angry letter, apparently from a lover, in his wife's handbag.
The guests of Haworth Hotel rise late on New Year's Day, with one exception, the guest in Annexe 3 who missed New Year's Day completely. He lies dead in his room on the blood-soaked bed.
After the murder, Inspector Morse, with the help of the receptionist Miss Sarah Jonstone, examines the letters and phone messages booking the various rooms at the hotel. Discovering the non-existent address, he deduces that a postman must be involved.
Thomas Bowman, the postman, turns out to be the corpse, and his wife and her lover are the instigators of the murder. Winston Grant, a black musician, was hired to provide the alibi.
Although the narratives differ, this novel provided the inspiration for the Inspector Morse television episode The Secret of Bay 5B, the last episode of series 3, aired in 1989. It guest stars Mel Martin as Rosemary Henderson (the rough equivalent of Margaret Bowman), Philip McGough as Brian Pierce (the rough equivalent of Winston Grant) and George Irving as George Henderson (the rough equivalent of Thomas Bowman). The corpse is found in a car in a multi storey rather than in a hotel annexe, and a number of complications are added to the plot, with Rosemary having two lovers, one of whom kills the other and her husband, and a subplot of Pierce being involved in art fraud. Whereas the book has Margaret escaping justice, Rosemary is arrested with her accomplice at the end.
Norman Colin Dexter was an English crime writer known for his Inspector Morse series of novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as an ITV television series, Inspector Morse, from 1987 to 2000. His characters have spawned a sequel series, Lewis, from 2006 to 2015, and a prequel series, Endeavour, from 2012 to 2023.
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series Inspector Morse (1987–2000), in which John Thaw played the character, as well as the (2012–2023) prequel series Endeavour, portrayed by Shaun Evans. The older Morse is a senior Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer with the Thames Valley Police in Oxford in England and, in the prequel, Morse is a young detective constable rising through the ranks with the Oxford City Police and, in later series, the Thames Valley Police.
The Eagle and Child, nicknamed "the Bird and Baby", is a pub in St Giles', Oxford, England, owned by the Ellison Institute of Technology and previously operated by Mitchells & Butlers as a Nicholson's pub. The pub had been part of an endowment belonging to University College since the 17th century. It has associations with the Inklings writers' group which included J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. In 2005, 25 other pubs in the United Kingdom had the same name.
Diogenes Small (1797–1812) is a fictional character created by the English crime writer Colin Dexter in his Inspector Morse series of novels. The character, the supposed author of numerous historical and other works, does not appear in the novels although Dexter has used his quotations.
Detective Sergeant/Detective Inspector Robert "Robbie" Lewis is a fictional character in the Inspector Morse crime novels by Colin Dexter. The "sidekick" to Morse, Lewis is a detective sergeant in the Thames Valley Police, and appears in all 13 Morse novels. In the television adaptation, Inspector Morse, he is played by Kevin Whately. Following the conclusion of the series, Whately reprised the role as the lead character in Lewis, in which the character has been promoted to the rank of inspector.
Beatrice Edney is an English television actress.
Inspector Morse is a British detective drama television series based on a series of novels by Colin Dexter. It starred John Thaw as Detective Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. The series comprises 33 two-hour episodes produced between 6 January 1987 and 15 November 2000. Dexter made uncredited cameo appearances in all but three of the episodes.
On The Move is a British television series made by the BBC and first broadcast in 1975 and 1976, on Sunday teatimes, in 50 ten-minute episodes. On the surface a lightweight soap opera, it was in fact an educational programme aimed at adults with literacy problems, and linked to a national campaign at the time. Up to 17 million people watched the series, and it was credited with removing some of the stigma attached to illiteracy. It was produced by David Hargreaves and directed by Barbara Derkow.
The Dead of Jericho, published in 1981, is a work of English detective fiction by Colin Dexter. It is the fifth novel in the Inspector Morse series. In 1987 it was adapted as the first episode of the highly successful television series inspired by the novels, also called Inspector Morse.
Last Bus to Woodstock is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the first of 13 novels in his Inspector Morse series.
The Remorseful Day is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the last novel in the Inspector Morse series. The novel was adapted as the final episode in the Inspector Morse television series.
The Wench Is Dead is a historical crime novel by Colin Dexter, the eighth novel in the Inspector Morse series. The novel received the Gold Dagger Award in 1989.
The Riddle of the Third Mile is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the sixth novel in Inspector Morse series.
The Jewel That Was Ours is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the ninth novel in Inspector Morse series. This novel was written by Dexter after he wrote a screenplay for an episode titled The Wolvercote Tongue in series 2 of the television programme Inspector Morse.
Last Seen Wearing is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the second novel in the Inspector Morse series.
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the third novel in Inspector Morse series.
Service of All the Dead is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the fourth novel in his Inspector Morse series.
Death Is Now My Neighbour is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the 12th novel in the Inspector Morse series.
The Daughters of Cain is a crime novel by Colin Dexter. It is the eleventh novel in the Inspector Morse series.
The Way Through the Woods is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the tenth novel in the Inspector Morse series. It received the Gold Dagger Award in 1992.
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