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Oxford in the 1960s :- Shabby but sharp young detective constable Morse comes to work with the experienced D.I. Thursday and is perplexed by the death of twenty-year old Margaret Bell from a supposed heart attack. Then Dr Cartwright,partner of her G.P. Bill Prentice,is shot dead. The widow,Helen,and her father Professor Sloan have another problem with her younger sister,the unstable epileptic Pamela,whose child they mind. Morse also finds a connection between Margaret's boyfriend and his tutor,Sloan,who has been receiving letters terming him a murderer. Furthermore the latest victim of a spate of Post Office robberies seems to have been involved with Cartwright in supplying illegal drugs to the likes of Margaret. Reactionary chief superintendent Bright disapproves of Morse's maverick sleuthing and wants him off the case but Morse uses his love of puzzles and former experience with code breaking at the Royal Signal Corps to draw all the threads together and solve the case. Written by
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Unfaithful housewife Evelyn Balfour and elderly botanist Grace Madison are both murdered in the style of operatic heroines with the words of the characters' final arias being left at the scenes of crime. Psychiatrist Daniel Cronyn is brought in and informs the police that they are dealing with a serial killer. He believes it might be Keith Miller,a former patient of his who was a musical prodigy. A third murder at the killer's apparent hide-out reveals a press cutting that suggests that Morse is one of several victims that have been lined up. Ultimately Morse and Thursday find themselves unwittingly re-enacting the last act of 'Tosca' on a roof-top as they bring the killer to justice. Written by
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On the day an Arab trade delegation visits the Broom family's arms factory owner Henry Broom announces a proposed French merger,which his abrasive,estranged wife Nora opposes. Soon afterwards the corpse of unpopular workman Percy Malleson is discovered,the suggestion being that the Brooms used him to spy on the work-force after the suspension of employee Lenny Frost. Then Morse learns that Percy was actually Eustace Kendrick and he was investigating the disappearance of his girl-friend Olive Rix,who had been romantically involved with Harry,the now deceased elder son of the Brooms. However,following a second murder another suspect and motive come to Morse's attention. Written by
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Professor Coke Norris is killed in a hit and run. At the same time Thursday is perturbed to learn that the new owner of the Moonlight Room night club is Vic Kasper,a London gangster with whom he has history. Morse finds proof that Coke Norris visited the club as well as discovering that he was opposed to the sale of college land to build a housing estate. The murder of a cigarette girl from the club used in a blackmail plot to expedite the sale leads Thursday to Kasper as Morse discovers the reason for his superior's hatred of the man and they combine to act when Thursday's daughter is endangered. Morse then works out the real reason for the professor's murder before sitting his sergeant's exams. Written by
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Four months after being shot Morse returns to work and witnesses a pageant, held to mark nine hundred years of history, disrupted by two events. The first is when feminist Kitty, daughter of prospective MP Barbara Batten, sprays beauty queen Diana Day with red paint, the second when an unknown man falls to his death from a roof. Initially deemed a suicide he has a host of fake identity cards and has scrawled a message in a motel notebook, D DAY FRIDAY 98018. When Bernard Yelland comes to Oxford in search of his runaway step-daughter Frida Morse believes that FRIDAY actually reads FRIDA Y whilst D DAY could also signify Diana Day though a diversion from these mysteries is provided by the burglary of the Wolvercote Trove from the local museum. The dead man is a London-based private detective, Pettifer, who is not above blackmailing his clients and is possibly involved in the burglary though this is later disproved. Morse meanwhile works out the significance of the figures and exposes ...
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Elderly genealogist Adrian Weiss is murdered with an Indian ceremonial dagger in an Oxford museum. Other visitors that day were a party of school-girls from Blythe Mount school, where Morse goes, to find two teachers and seven girls staying there for the summer vacation. After he has left he finds a note reading 'Save Me' stuffed into his pocket. He learns that exactly a century earlier the school, then a private house, was the scene of the unsolved murders of the Blaise-Hamilton family, former owners of the dagger. Soon afterwards sensitive pupil Bunty disappears after hearing ghostly music played in the night. Headmistress Miss Symes tells Morse that the spectre of Charlotte Blaise-Hamilton is said to haunt the school and both Morse and teacher Miss Danby believe they have seen her. Morse contacts Stephen Fitzowen, who wrote a book about the murders and who reports that Weiss was keen to see him before he died and Fitzowen and Morse mount a ghost watch, during which there is another...
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When Vivienne Haldane is found murdered in her house she becomes the third victim of a serial killer who strangles married women with a silk stocking and removes their wedding rings after death - though the women are unknown to each other. Separated from her husband Mrs Haldane had a secret lover, referred to in her diary as 'X' and, like one of the other victims, she was seen getting into a green car. The stockings are a unique brand, Le Minou Noir, and have only one retail outlet in Oxford, Burridges department store. Here Thursday is shocked to find that widowed Italian saleslady Luisa Armstrong is a former partisan he met in the war but believed to be dead. Morse interviews the stockings' supplier, shifty Joey Lisk, who had tried to come on to Gloria Deeks, a prisoner's wife and assistant at the store, where she has many admirers. With the discovery of a fourth corpse evidence seems to point to Lisk but when simple store-man Norman, who worshipped Gloria, is also slain, it becomes...
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The body of ex-Fleet Street reporter Eric Patterson is found by a railway track. He was last seen arguing with Alderman Wintergreen over the Landesman construction company's plans to develop the site of former borstal Blenheim Vale. At the same time ten year old Tommy Cork runs away from his bullying father and George Aldridge, a former Blenheim Valley boy, absconds from jail and is later found dead, Morse believing that Tommy saw the killer and is now hiding. Then Wintergreen is also murdered. Eventually Morse learns that three of George's contemporaries at Blenheim Vale were trying to contact him. They tell Morse that there was sexual abuse of the boys when Wintergreen and Landesman were on its governing board but police declined to step in. At the same time ACC Deare confides in Thursday and Morse that he believes there is a cover up involving police corruption and asks them to investigate covertly. Aware that Tommy must have seen at least one of the murders Morse has to save both ...
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Morse is exonerated but still under suspension and goes to stay with his friend Tony Donn, meeting glamorous tennis player Elva Piper. Elva takes him to a party given by Joss Bixby, a reclusive millionaire who seems only too familiar with the wife of Bruce Belborough, another of Morse's friends. Meanwhile Thursday investigates the killing of bus conductress Jeannie Hearne, who vanished after a visit to a funfair and seeks Morse's help but in vain. However when Bixby is also murdered there appears to be a connexion with Jeannie and Thursday allows Morse to do a little sleuthing of his own. Together they discover a drug smuggling operation, a scenario redolent of 'The Great Gatsby', twins and a fairground magician, paving the way to solving the murders.
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Morse is joined by policewoman Shirley Trewlove when college drop-out and artist Simon Hallward dies in a house fire. Simon had previously been a member of Gideon Finn's hippie commune but left after six months. At the same time Leo Richardson's supermarket chain falls victim to anti-Apartheid protesters and food contamination as blackmail, the latter causing a customer's death and being linked to Hallward. Then the Richardsons' daughter Veronica is kidnapped for six figure ransom - Morse doing the drop and rescuing her though the kidnapper remains at large. Morse establishes a connexion between Richardson's promiscuous wife Annette and Hallward as well as discovering that Veronica is keeping secrets from her parents - which leads him to crack the case.
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When Danish Ingrid Hjort, au pair to Dr Hector Lorenz, goes missing after her evening class Thursday suspects a link with an earlier case in the same vicinity which left a girl in a coma. Ingrid's sometime boyfriend Philip Hathaway worked as groundsman for the wealthy Mortmaigne family but has an alibi and then young Ricky Parker is found dead with his hand severed. There is evidence that a big cat is on the loose, particularly after two grisly deaths on the Mortmaigne estate and the news that a family member hoped to open a safari park in the grounds and Morse and his colleagues must prevent further fatalities as they face danger in a maze
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As Morse sits his sergeant's exam garment factory owner Cedric Clissold is shot dead during a wage snatch and Thursday questions the gangster fraternity, leading to the Matthews brothers, likely heirs to the late crime boss Harry Rose. At the same time Morse's former tutor Felix Lorimer asks him to investigate Lothario bingo caller Paul Marlock, known to consort with the Matthews brothers, who is seeing Felix's estranged wife Nina - and, as Morse discovers, Thursday's daughter Joan. Nina tells Morse she believes that Felix killed Cedric and indeed Morse finds evidence to link the lecturer to the Oxford underworld. Whilst Thursday receives distressing news regarding his health Morse and Joan are amongst the hostages when the Matthews gang raid the bank where Joan works - during which time, aided by a coded notebook, Morse works out just who killed Cedric Clissold.
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Whilst Professor Amory unveils his chess-playing computer Jason and crime novelist Kent Finn signs copies of his latest book the body of Dr Nielsen, a member of the computer team, is dragged from the river and some time later a series of drownings are discovered at the local baths. The pattern of the murders suggests a serial killer with a knowledge of chess moves and Morse finds a link between one of the victims and another member of Amory's team with a further possible connection to Finn. However he deduces with some help from Jason that the culprit is not a random killer but one seeking vengeance on those he believed wronged him in the past. At the same time he feels unable to comfort Thursday and his wife after their daughter Joan mysteriously left them.
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When moral crusader Joy Pettybon arrives in Oxford she receives a death threat and Morse is assigned to protect her, as well as investigating the death of young brick-layer Brian Finch, who had been working at a mansion rented by argumentative pop group the Wildwood. Morse is present when Joy and troubled lead singer Nick Wilding go head to head on a live chat show, after which gay magazine editor Dudley Jessop, an opponent of Pettybon, is badly beaten by her supporters and her repressed daughter Bettina admits to Morse her love for him and hatred of her mother. Then a vicar, Mrs Pettybon's co-activist, is poisoned with chocolates seemingly intended for her. A shameful secret from the Pettybons' past, triggering Joy's crusade, is unearthed, as is a more recent one regarding Nick's sexuality. This proves instrumental in cracking the case, despite the killer's attempts to sabotage Morse with a cocktail of hallucinogenic drugs.
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Police informant Terence Bakewell dies in the Fosdick ward of the Cowley general hospital under Morse's guard, in the same bed where three patients have died over the past five weeks, one of whose wife was in dispute with the hospital and is also found dead. All had been operated on by ageing surgeon Sir Merlyn Chubb and a view on the ward is that his ineptitude is responsible but Morse is puzzled to learn that in each case white lilies had been placed beside the deceased and then pathologist Max discovers puncture wounds in the bodies. A charismatic doctor falls under suspicion until Morse uncovers an incident in his past and a bereaved relative out for revenge. He also locates the missing Joan Thursday who wants her whereabouts kept from her parents.
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The discovery of a body on an archaeological dig sends Morse to the village of Brampton, where botanist Matthew Laxman disappeared five years earlier and where pagan customs are upheld for the forthcoming Autumn equinox. All the locals, including reclusive clairvoyant Dowsable Chattox, deny seeing Laxton until Selina Berger, whose brother works at the near-by power station, recalls seeing the missing man's car near the establishment . Whilst its director Elliot Blake assures Morse that it poses no danger it is not a welcome presence in the village, the proposed site of a new reservoir. Morse believes the locals are lying when Laxman's jacket is found on a scarecrow and Dowsable and others admit that he came to Brampton and to the power station. As the celebrations begin Morse and Thursday rush to the station to prevent an aggrieved avenger destroying the whole area before unmasking Laxman's killer. Thursday's bravery is rewarded though he is less than happy with Morse when he finally ...
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Ex-boxer Joey Sikes is killed on the night of a failed theft of a Faberge egg from the Oxford college where it is to be auctioned. Next day lecturer Robin Grey is also murdered and the link is prostitute and artists' model Eve Thorne, who was seen with both men. When the egg is stolen suspicion falls on another of Eve's clients, latest victim Simon Lake and Morse discovers that Lake and Grey belonged to an elite club, involved in a scam regarding the egg. In establishing whether the murders were linked to the club or the egg Morse, now a detective sergeant, must cope with a lazy new constable and the reappearance of Joan Thursday.
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Ex-policeman and museum attendant Ronald Beavis is murdered after watching a re-run of 'The Pharaoh's Curse' at the Roxy cinema. Of its staff only organist Leslie Garnier can recall him, having a secret conversation. Morse takes Carol, daughter of Fred Thursday's flash brother Charlie, to a glossy remake of the film, witnessing museum curator, Egyptian Dr Shoutry, protest that it cheapens his culture and carries a curse. Shortly afterwards Leslie is poisoned and the film's star, Emil Valdemar, given a sinister token, stolen from the museum. Morse believes Valdemar to have been the intended victim and rushes to save him in a cinema now in flames to prevent its sale. At the same time racist attacks on properties owned by a local racketeer would appear to have links with the Roxy and its employees.
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Whilst Thursday investigates a lorry hi-jack and the death of its driver Morse tries to solve the disappearance of married shop worker Frances Porter, discovering that he had just met with her lover Don Mercer. After her body is found at a disused railway halt there is a suggestion that her murder could be linked to an earlier, unsolved crime executed in the same way. When Frances's co-worker Anoushka is killed their employer Marty Bedlo comes under suspicion though Morse believes the killer may be somebody closer to home.
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After a fashion shoot at an army base where Thursday's son Sam is stationed model Jean Ward is murdered, clutching a cap badge, apparently belonging to Private Oswald, who, as a black man, was Jean's type, according to her estranged stepmother, Lady Bayswater, a former Nazi sympathizer. Jean had flirted with Oswald and Sam and was once engaged to visiting military historian Rex Laidlaw. Believing Oswald was framed Morse does some private sleuthing and gets attacked by Colonel McDuff, a former war hero, now an unpredictable drunk. Following a second murder Morse suspects that one of the officers had a link to Jean's past but discovers that 'the army looks after its own' before cracking the case.
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Karl Fucher is shot dead during a televised games tournament and Max believes he is an East and not West German. Special Branch relieve the local police, removing the body, before two mysterious men approach Morse and point him towards perfumier Sebastian Fenix, who employed the dead man as a translator. Despite warnings Morse investigates alone, discovering a safe spy house in Oxford and a link between Fenix and the sale of secrets to the Russians, also involving a respected academic. Thursday meanwhile deals with a turf war and a domestic abuse case which ties in with Morse's sleuthing.
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After learning that the police station is to close Morse goes undercover as a teacher at Coldwater school, with WPC Trewlove posing as his wife after the disappearance of schoolmaster John Ivory. He is intrigued to find gangster Eddie Nero's son is one of the pupils before discovering the body of Rowntree, a boy who was expelled for hitting Ivory. Ivory was not popular with other staff members but the matron tells Morse that he was very protective of Stanlow, a pupil bullied as a weakling. In fact Stanlow proves to be the key to solving the case. Meanwhile Thursday's retirement plans are dashed thanks to his reckless brother and there is further cause for grief at the station.
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The death of a schoolgirl brings Endeavour back to Oxford. When he refuses to accept that the main suspect is guilty, Endeavour has to uncover the truth and rescue a victim before it is too late.
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As the highly-anticipated moon landings of Apollo 11 draw near, Endeavour finds himself investigating the death of a promising young astrophysicist and his girlfriend.
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The murder of an Oxford librarian and a local tragedy test Endeavour and the team to their limits, as they uncover the truth behind the crime that has haunted them all.
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It's 1970, and the new year and a new decade arrives with a murder on an Oxford towpath and a visit to Venice.
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As campaigning for the 1970 general election gets underway in Oxford, racial tensions escalate in the city and a clash between two young rival gangs results in tragedy.
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When Endeavour is called to investigate what at first appears to be a freak accident at Lady Matilda's College, he uncovers a potential link between a series of peculiar incidents across Oxford.
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