Service of All the Dead is the fourth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series.
The sweet countenance of Reason greeted Morse serenely when he woke, and told him that it would be no bad idea to have a quiet look at the problem itself before galloping off to a solution.
Chief Inspector Morse was alone among the congregation in suspecting continued unrest in the quiet parish of St Frideswide's.
Most people

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DI Robert Lewis comes out of retirement to assist newly promoted DI James Hathaway investigate a series of crimes in and around Oxford.

1971 has barely just begun and CID is still reeling from the events of the past year. Any hope of remaining on light duties has vanished and the team find themselves right back in the thick of it.

As 1968 dawns, a year of change promises to disrupt the private and professional lives of Endeavour Morse and his colleagues. Endeavour's recent promotion leads him to reluctantly mentor new recruit Fancy, while Thursday is beginning to think about life after the police. But in Oxford, crime never sleeps, and the team continues to be challenged by mysterious and intriguing cases of murder, greed, and deception. Meanwhile, the rise of organized crime...

Endeavour and his colleagues are entering a new decade and era of change. Opening on New Year's Eve 1969, normal order has been resumed and the team reunited at Castle Gate CID, with Chief Superintendent Bright back in charge. However, the events of the past year have left their mark. Old friendships will be challenged, and new relationships will blossom.