Mystery author Colin Dexter died Tuesday morning at his home in Oxford, England, according to a report by Pan Macmillan, his publisher. He was 86.
Dexter was most well known for writing the Inspector Morse novels, the first of which was published in 1975. Before then, he worked as a teacher in Leicester, according to a report by the New York Times’ William Grimes.
His Inspector Morse series lasted for 13 novels and was turned into a TV show in the ‘80s. The inspector himself was one of the most famous literary detectives of all time, in leagues with Sherlock Holmes. Dexter was honored for his work in crime literature in 1997 when he received the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. His last Inspector Morse novel was published in 1999.
“Colin was an author who inspired all those who worked with him,” said Maria Rejt, his most recent editor at Macmillan. “His was the sharpest mind and the biggest heart, and his wonderful novels and stories will remain a testament to both.”
