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Inspector Dover #15
Dover: The Collected Short Stories
Includes: Dover Pulls a Rabbit (1969), Dover Tangles with High Finance (1975), Dover and the Dark Lady (1972), Dover Does Some Spadework (1977), Dover Goes to School (1977), Dover Without Perks (1978), Dover and the Smallest Room (1979), Sweating It Out with Dover (1980), Dover Sees the Trees (1982). Dover Weighs the Evidence (APA: Dover As Nemesis) (1982), and A Souvenir for Dover (1985)
- GenresShort StoriesMystery
296 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1995
About the author
Joyce Porter
59 books15 followersJoyce Porter was born in Marple, Cheshire, and educated at King's College, London. In 1949 she joined the Women's Royal Air Force, and, on the strength of an intensive course in Russian, qualified for confidential work in intelligence. When she left the service in 1963 she had completed three detective novels.
Porter is best known for her series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Wilfred Dover. Dover One appeared in 1964, followed by nine more in a highly successful series. Porter also created the reluctant spy Eddie Brown, and the "Hon-Con", the aristocratic gentlewoman-detective Constance Ethel Morrison Burke.
Porter is best known for her series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Wilfred Dover. Dover One appeared in 1964, followed by nine more in a highly successful series. Porter also created the reluctant spy Eddie Brown, and the "Hon-Con", the aristocratic gentlewoman-detective Constance Ethel Morrison Burke.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 15, 2018
I picked this book off the for sale shelf of our local library, where I am now, in fact. The original location if this book, according to a stamp on the title page was the Morristown-Hamblen Library in Morristown, Tennessee. How it got up to Maine is anyone's guess. Read the first amusing tale last night. Inspector Dover is a memorable, though depressing creation. Many chuckles are on offer from the talented Ms. Porter.
Story #2 now read. Dover is a rude fat slob, but he DOES solve his cases pretty effortlessly.
Candidates for playing Dover(all dead of course): Oliver Hardy, Laird Cregar, John Candy, Chris Farley. Not sure that the latter two could handle the English accent, however.
Story # 3 = "Dover and the Dark Lady" ... I figured out the maguffin of this one pretty quickly, well before the coppers did.
#4 = "Dover Does Some Spadework" - No body for Wilf this time, but he has to contend with his wily wife. Reminiscent of Rumpole and "She who must be obeyed".
#5 = "Dover Goes to School" sees the guilty party fold up like a cheap tent and confess a la the killer in an episode of "Perry Mason."
#6 = "Dover without Perks" - Interesting how the author centers each story around a different segment of British society.
#7 = "Dover and the Smallest Room" - Dover gets murder-solving lucky in the bathroom. Don't ask ...
#8 = "Sweating It Out with Dover" - I figured this one before Dover, or at least at about the same time.
- I just finished "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"(Poirot #1). Dover is the anti-Poirot and undoubtedly meant to be so.
#9 - Dover Sees the Trees - Our chubby inspector manages to "solve" all the mysteries up until this one, the ending of which along with the title manage to suggest that the outcome is still in doubt when the last word is read. WE know who did it(as before, I figured it out early), but Dover seems to still be in the dark.
#10 and #11 - And done. The last story - "A Souvenir for Dover" is a bit discouraging for those who hope for integrity in law enforcement, and it's almost a dead repeat of an earlier story, but I pronounce myself satisfied and entertained. Don't know that I'll read any of the longer ones(novels) but #1 is supposed to be pretty good.
- 3.25* rounds down to 3*.
Story #2 now read. Dover is a rude fat slob, but he DOES solve his cases pretty effortlessly.
Candidates for playing Dover(all dead of course): Oliver Hardy, Laird Cregar, John Candy, Chris Farley. Not sure that the latter two could handle the English accent, however.
Story # 3 = "Dover and the Dark Lady" ... I figured out the maguffin of this one pretty quickly, well before the coppers did.
#4 = "Dover Does Some Spadework" - No body for Wilf this time, but he has to contend with his wily wife. Reminiscent of Rumpole and "She who must be obeyed".
#5 = "Dover Goes to School" sees the guilty party fold up like a cheap tent and confess a la the killer in an episode of "Perry Mason."
#6 = "Dover without Perks" - Interesting how the author centers each story around a different segment of British society.
#7 = "Dover and the Smallest Room" - Dover gets murder-solving lucky in the bathroom. Don't ask ...
#8 = "Sweating It Out with Dover" - I figured this one before Dover, or at least at about the same time.
- I just finished "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"(Poirot #1). Dover is the anti-Poirot and undoubtedly meant to be so.
#9 - Dover Sees the Trees - Our chubby inspector manages to "solve" all the mysteries up until this one, the ending of which along with the title manage to suggest that the outcome is still in doubt when the last word is read. WE know who did it(as before, I figured it out early), but Dover seems to still be in the dark.
#10 and #11 - And done. The last story - "A Souvenir for Dover" is a bit discouraging for those who hope for integrity in law enforcement, and it's almost a dead repeat of an earlier story, but I pronounce myself satisfied and entertained. Don't know that I'll read any of the longer ones(novels) but #1 is supposed to be pretty good.
- 3.25* rounds down to 3*.
September 19, 2024
Porter wrote ten novels featuring Chief Inspector Dover of Scotland Yard. He is an antihero. He is a fat slob. He is crude and lazy. He is dishonest and he is a bully. Detective Sargeant MacGregor is an excellent policeman who has the unenviable job of assisting Detective Dover. Porter mines the comic possibilities of the outrageousness of Dover's approach and the pain it causes MacGregor.
This is a collection of 11 Dover short stories which were initially published in the "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine" between 1968 and 1985. They are solid mystery stories. Dover and MacGregor show up at a dead body. Dover finds a comfortable chair. He alienates the local police. He mistreats the witnesses. He manages to get tea, food and alcohol served to him and he solves the murder almost by accident.
MacGregor is a wonderful sidekick because he loathes Dover, but his sense of duty and appropriateness requires him to treat Dover as his superior officer. The stories are filled with interesting types who annoy Dover. Dover's solutions are clever in a haphazard kind of way.
Two of the stories, "Dover Sees the Trees" (1981) and " A Souvenir for Dover" (1985), have the exact same plot. Both feature an elderly successful businessperson surrounded by greedy relatives who would like to inherit the business. The tycoon doesn't think any of them could run the business. The business owner writes a will leaving the business to a young grandson who they have never meet. The grandson shows up at the family mansion. He is murdered by being stabbed in the chest by a German bayonet. All of the relatives are suspects. The murderer is in the same role in each story and the stories end the same.
This is surprising because the plot is kind of silly. Why would someone who doesn't trust any of his heirs think that the heir he never met, would be a better choice? It is also surprising that the magazine would publish the same plot by the same author only four years apart.
This is a collection of 11 Dover short stories which were initially published in the "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine" between 1968 and 1985. They are solid mystery stories. Dover and MacGregor show up at a dead body. Dover finds a comfortable chair. He alienates the local police. He mistreats the witnesses. He manages to get tea, food and alcohol served to him and he solves the murder almost by accident.
MacGregor is a wonderful sidekick because he loathes Dover, but his sense of duty and appropriateness requires him to treat Dover as his superior officer. The stories are filled with interesting types who annoy Dover. Dover's solutions are clever in a haphazard kind of way.
Two of the stories, "Dover Sees the Trees" (1981) and " A Souvenir for Dover" (1985), have the exact same plot. Both feature an elderly successful businessperson surrounded by greedy relatives who would like to inherit the business. The tycoon doesn't think any of them could run the business. The business owner writes a will leaving the business to a young grandson who they have never meet. The grandson shows up at the family mansion. He is murdered by being stabbed in the chest by a German bayonet. All of the relatives are suspects. The murderer is in the same role in each story and the stories end the same.
This is surprising because the plot is kind of silly. Why would someone who doesn't trust any of his heirs think that the heir he never met, would be a better choice? It is also surprising that the magazine would publish the same plot by the same author only four years apart.
September 14, 2016
Dover pulling rabbits out of his disgusting bowler.
I mourn the demise of the mystery short story and I'm a great fan of Porter's fat, lazy, foul-tempered Inspector Wilf Dover. Dover is the kind of character you can laugh at and feel superior to while being terribly grateful you don't have to work with him. If Shakespeare's Falstaff was in a permanently bad mood, he would be Inspector Dover.
Most of these stories are good. Many feature murders solved by using clues gleaned in the bathroom, where Dover (for reasons best left unsaid) spends an inordinate amount of time. There is Dover's conviction (frequently correct) that husbands murder wives and vice versa. There is his wistful hope that some one will reward his brilliance with a cushy, well-paid position in a successful corporation. How long a successful corporation would continue to BE successful with Dover on the staff is another question.
Two stories have the same plot, a problem in posthumously-published story collections. They all appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine over a period of years and it's unlikely that readers would have notice the similarities. Most show Mrs. Dover in her accustomed state - a timid woman bowed down by years of subservience to a demanding, ungrateful husband. But "Dover Does Some Spadework" presents her as a determined domestic despot who has Old Wilf exactly where she wants him. Furthermore, it's one of my favorites.
It's worth your time. You get the essence of Dover (a sublimely incompetent copper who somehow manages to solve murders) in short form. If you're a Dover fan, pick up a copy.
I mourn the demise of the mystery short story and I'm a great fan of Porter's fat, lazy, foul-tempered Inspector Wilf Dover. Dover is the kind of character you can laugh at and feel superior to while being terribly grateful you don't have to work with him. If Shakespeare's Falstaff was in a permanently bad mood, he would be Inspector Dover.
Most of these stories are good. Many feature murders solved by using clues gleaned in the bathroom, where Dover (for reasons best left unsaid) spends an inordinate amount of time. There is Dover's conviction (frequently correct) that husbands murder wives and vice versa. There is his wistful hope that some one will reward his brilliance with a cushy, well-paid position in a successful corporation. How long a successful corporation would continue to BE successful with Dover on the staff is another question.
Two stories have the same plot, a problem in posthumously-published story collections. They all appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine over a period of years and it's unlikely that readers would have notice the similarities. Most show Mrs. Dover in her accustomed state - a timid woman bowed down by years of subservience to a demanding, ungrateful husband. But "Dover Does Some Spadework" presents her as a determined domestic despot who has Old Wilf exactly where she wants him. Furthermore, it's one of my favorites.
It's worth your time. You get the essence of Dover (a sublimely incompetent copper who somehow manages to solve murders) in short form. If you're a Dover fan, pick up a copy.
October 14, 2026
‘Dover: The Collected Short Stories’ by Joyce Porter, published posthumously in 1995, is an anthology of cases investigated (?) and solved to the entire satisfaction of Wilfred Dover, Scotland Yard’s fattest, laziest, greediest and rudest Inspector, with the lowest IQ and the most turbulent stomach in the history of policing. Unconsciously, he provides material for some of the most farcical of cop stories.
There are eleven stories in the book, as well as an introduction by Robert Barnard, along with a brief and moving afternote by the author's brother, the Rev. Canon J.R. Porter. The stories include:
1. Dover Pulls a Rabbit (1969)
2. Dover Tangles with High Finance (1975)
3. Dover and the Dark Lady (1972)
4. Dover Does Some Spadework (1977)
5. Dover Goes to School (1977)
6. Dover Without Perks (1978)
7. Dover and the Smallest Room (1979)
8. Sweating It Out with Dover (1980)
9. Dover Sees the Trees (1982)
10. Dover Weighs the Evidence (1982) aka “Dover as Nemesis”
11. A Souvenir for Dover (1985)
Dover steps on bodies, demands fires be lit, and ignores complicated theories, witness accounts, and physical evidence. Instead, he focuses on simple material comfort, unmasking the true culprit purely because he is desperate to find a bathroom.
Accompanied by his long-suffering assistant, Sergeant MacGregor, Dover allows his appetites, greed, and anytime naps to take priority over clues. Yet, he somehow stumbles into solving crimes through ineptitude, bullying, or the urgent calls of the flesh; never by logic or dedication to his work.
Wilfred Dover is, in a way, the spiritual precursor to Andy Dalziel, Reginald Hill’s brilliant brainchild. Both defy the conventional mold of the dull senior cop paired with a brilliant sidekick. However, there is a difference: underneath the burping, scratching, and politically incorrect insults, Dalziel is a deeply sharp, fiercely intelligent, and emotionally complex detective who is usually ten steps ahead of everyone else, including his university-educated partner, Peter Pascoe. In Dalziel, Hill essentially took Dover's gross, oversized physical presence and filled it with a brilliant, calculating brain.
There are eleven stories in the book, as well as an introduction by Robert Barnard, along with a brief and moving afternote by the author's brother, the Rev. Canon J.R. Porter. The stories include:
1. Dover Pulls a Rabbit (1969)
2. Dover Tangles with High Finance (1975)
3. Dover and the Dark Lady (1972)
4. Dover Does Some Spadework (1977)
5. Dover Goes to School (1977)
6. Dover Without Perks (1978)
7. Dover and the Smallest Room (1979)
8. Sweating It Out with Dover (1980)
9. Dover Sees the Trees (1982)
10. Dover Weighs the Evidence (1982) aka “Dover as Nemesis”
11. A Souvenir for Dover (1985)
Dover steps on bodies, demands fires be lit, and ignores complicated theories, witness accounts, and physical evidence. Instead, he focuses on simple material comfort, unmasking the true culprit purely because he is desperate to find a bathroom.
Accompanied by his long-suffering assistant, Sergeant MacGregor, Dover allows his appetites, greed, and anytime naps to take priority over clues. Yet, he somehow stumbles into solving crimes through ineptitude, bullying, or the urgent calls of the flesh; never by logic or dedication to his work.
Wilfred Dover is, in a way, the spiritual precursor to Andy Dalziel, Reginald Hill’s brilliant brainchild. Both defy the conventional mold of the dull senior cop paired with a brilliant sidekick. However, there is a difference: underneath the burping, scratching, and politically incorrect insults, Dalziel is a deeply sharp, fiercely intelligent, and emotionally complex detective who is usually ten steps ahead of everyone else, including his university-educated partner, Peter Pascoe. In Dalziel, Hill essentially took Dover's gross, oversized physical presence and filled it with a brilliant, calculating brain.
September 13, 2022
I love Joyce Porter's Dover novels! This book of her Chief Inspector Dover short stories also had a wonderful introduction by Robert Barnard, and an afterword by her brother. Both gave me a new appreciation for her writing. The short stories are just what her fans would expect. They are witty, with creative mystery plots, and so much fun. Wilf Dover is the detective you'll love to laugh at, shake your head over, and marvel at when he actually solves a crime. Highly recommend you seek these out!
May 3, 2025
easy reading.
Humorous, clever I enjoyed these. Certainly not a Dorothy sayers or Paul Doherty or…many other good mystery writers. But if you’re looking for light, silly reading. These will do. They cheer me up and the short story format makes them perfect for a short cheerful read before bed.
Humorous, clever I enjoyed these. Certainly not a Dorothy sayers or Paul Doherty or…many other good mystery writers. But if you’re looking for light, silly reading. These will do. They cheer me up and the short story format makes them perfect for a short cheerful read before bed.
October 25, 2022
Hit and miss, two stories were very similar - same murder weapon, setting, Australian relation no-one had ever seen.
December 29, 2008
Scotland Yard detective Wilf Dover is not your usual hero. He distinctly resembles a sloth and is despised by the rest of the department. He is gross, flatulent, lazy, dishonest, sexist, racist, pinches other people's ideas and property, and spends most of his time in bed crouched over a beer he has not bought himself. He doesn't believe in thinking, the traditional tool of the ratio centric detective, considering it to be too much work. His creator, Joyce Porter, while writing in a comic vein, takes the stuffing out of the ever-righteous hero-image detective. While reading one of her novels, it's doubtful if, upon hearing weird noises downstairs at night, one would ever call 911.
Arriving on the scene of the murder in "Dover Pulls a Rabbit" the first thing Dover does is to step on the corpse in his haste to reach the bathroom. Then he insists on having the fireplace lit, and the fingerprint powder wiped off the table near his chair because-it makes the tabletop look dirty. He proceeds to browbeat witnesses and harass the poor local inspector and humiliate his own sergeant. Amazingly, to everyone's consternation, he almost instantly solves the crime, and all because he had to go to the lavatory.
Arriving on the scene of the murder in "Dover Pulls a Rabbit" the first thing Dover does is to step on the corpse in his haste to reach the bathroom. Then he insists on having the fireplace lit, and the fingerprint powder wiped off the table near his chair because-it makes the tabletop look dirty. He proceeds to browbeat witnesses and harass the poor local inspector and humiliate his own sergeant. Amazingly, to everyone's consternation, he almost instantly solves the crime, and all because he had to go to the lavatory.
November 30, 2022
Read so far:
Dover pulls a rabbit --3
Dover tangles with high finance --2
Dover and the dark lady --2
Dover does some spadework --2
Dover goes to school --3
Dover without perks --2
Dover and the smallest room
Sweating it out with Dover --2
Dover sees the trees --1
Dover weighs the evidence (aka Dover as Nemesis) --3
A souvenir for Dover --3
Dover pulls a rabbit --3
Dover tangles with high finance --2
Dover and the dark lady --2
Dover does some spadework --2
Dover goes to school --3
Dover without perks --2
Dover and the smallest room
Sweating it out with Dover --2
Dover sees the trees --1
Dover weighs the evidence (aka Dover as Nemesis) --3
A souvenir for Dover --3
March 14, 2011
entertaining and great for bedtime reading because
of the short story format, but I think I still enjoy the more in depth and complex agatha christie books.
of the short story format, but I think I still enjoy the more in depth and complex agatha christie books.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews