First of all: This book is pretty confusing. Even though I had already watched the TV-adaption and listened to the audiobook I had to consult the cast-list a couple of times to check who was who (not that it always helped considering that there was much uncertainty about the exact identity of three of the (larger number of) bodies in this book). However the whole mystery was brilliantly constructed and you were kept guessing till the last page.
For the plot to work in the first place you had to accept that chance brought together quite some people who all had small and not-so-small skelletons in the closet and that admittedly might not be that realistic but if you decided to believe that every piece fitted and no reaction seemed over-the-top or unlikely concerning all the circumstances.
So...this could actually have been my favourite Morse-novel so far.
Could have been.
I already talked about some 70s sexism, especially in the first two novels. I did clenched my teeth and tried to ignore it as far as possible. It helped that the worst things were usually said by side-characters that weren't meant to be the most likeable in the first place. However some of the things Morse himself says in this books, especially concerning homosexuality, are simply cringeworthy and bring the rating down.