An attractive collector's copy of one of the most significant novels in the Inspector Morse series. Condition: Book: Near Fine; in the publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine. The pages are clean and bright, the binding firm, and the book presents exceptionally well. Dust Jacket: Near Fine; original, unclipped dust jacket, showing only the lightest signs of handling. Summary:

The Daughters of Cain is the eleventh Inspector Morse novel and opens with the murder of Dr Felix McClure, an Oxford academic found stabbed to death in his flat. With no obvious motive and a growing list of suspects, Morse and Lewis are drawn into a labyrinthine investigation involving academic scandal, concealed relationships, family secrets and a second murder. Set against Dexter's richly realised Oxford backdrop, the novel exemplifies the intricate plotting, intellectual rigour and psychological depth that established the Inspector Morse books among the finest achievements in modern British crime fiction.

The novel occupies a particularly important place in the Morse canon. Most notably, it contains one of the series' most celebrated revelations: Inspector Morse's long-concealed first name, Endeavour, is disclosed for the first time, a moment that became a landmark in the development of the character and later inspired the title of the successful television prequel Endeavour. The book therefore represents a key turning point in the mythology of one of crime fiction's most enduring detectives.

Colin Dexter, winner of multiple Crime Writers' Association awards and recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, created a series that transformed the British detective novel through its combination of classical mystery, literary sophistication and memorable characterisation. Signed first editions of the major Inspector Morse titles remain highly sought after by collectors of modern first editions and crime fiction.