The Jewel That Was Ours by Colin Dexter

 

A tour group from America has come to Oxford.  There's nothing unusual about that but this group is distinctive.  One lady has come to Oxford to bring a treasure to the Ashmolean Museum, the Wolvercote Tongue, that her late husband had acquired and bequeathed to the museum in his will.  But minutes after the group arrives at the hotel, the jewel is stolen and the women is found dead in her room.

The case is given to Inspector Morse and his long-suffering sergeant, Inspector Lewis.  There is plenty to investigate.  There are suspicious Oxford dons, mysterious tour members and various Oxford criminals.  Soon more bodies start to pile up and Oxford is starting to look like a murder capital.  Can Morse solve the case?

Most readers know Inspector Morse from the television series.  This Morse is a bit rougher around the edges and not above getting drunk on duty or sleeping with an inviting suspect.  But the mystery is intact and the twists and turns are all in place.  The final solution will surprise all.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.