Colin Dexter

They called her the Swedish Maiden - the tourist who disappeared on a hot summer's day somewhere in North Oxford. 12 months later the case remained unsolved - pending further developments. On holiday in Lyme Regis, Chief Inspector Morse is startled to read a tantalizing article in

Little progress had been made since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The victim had been killed by a single stab wound to the stomach. Yet the police had clues. Within days of taking over the case Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of Dr Felix McClure.

For Oxford, the arrival of 27 American tourists is nothing out of the ordinary, until one of their number is found dead. Only Chief Inspector Morse appears not to overlook the simultaneous theft of a jewel-encrusted antique from the victim's handbag. Then, 2 days later, a naked and battered corpse is dragged from the River Cherwell. A coincidence?