Performance

Masters and Green #23

by Douglas Clark

Detective Chief Superintendent George Masters of Scotland Yard and his assistant, Bill Green, have traveled north to consult in the investigation of a series of eleven murders -- one a month for the past year. Their preliminary research has yielded a remarkable, though unconventional, theory to link the victims of these unsolved crimes, but the Northern Counties police are reluctant to accept it. On the night the twelfth murder falls due, Masters and his team of detectives are attending a local performance of Handel's Messiah when the alto soloist falls dead on the stage. Taking this as their cue, they go into action. Operating in the face of numerous difficulties, including petty police rivalry, Masters and Green manage to piece together an ingenious solution to this baffling puzzle.

Genres: Mystery

333 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1985

About the author

Douglas Malcolm Jackson Clark was a British author.

He was also known by the pseudonyms James Ditton and Peter Hosier.

Reviews

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The slender plot at the core of Performance is fine but meager. There is plenty of filler to make up for this paucity of plot, so if you're a [huge] fan of Handel's Messiah, like to hear Green talk about food and/or eat, or listen in as Masters is lionized by all and sundry, you might not mind all the blab.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this 1985 police procedural, Scotland Yard receives a request for help from the Northern Counties. A serial killer apparently has been operating there for the past 11 months, killing one woman a month. The murders are spread over a wide area, and the victims do not seem to have anything in common.

Scotland Yard is sent the files for the eleven murders, and George Masters and his team spend a week examining them. They find two patterns in the data: The victims are all murdered right after a significant achievement, and all the killings are timed within a couple of days after a full moon.

The Northern Counties police initially are not sure how these patterns might aid in their investigation, and they ask that Masters and his team make a visit. The team arrives on December 1, two days before the next scheduled full moon. The local police are good hosts, scheduling for entertainment for the visitors, including a performance of Handel's Messiah on December 3. Masters has an uneasy feeling about how things will go that night.

This is one of my favorites from the series. with a fascinating case and an interesting cast of characters. I can see why it was nominated for a CWA award.

[John Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throw your disbelief away when Master and team are on site for the crime. Otherwise, a fine job.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masters and his team have been asked to review eleven murders. One each month. But the local force have been unable to find a connection if there is one. Masters has a theory and the team travel to investigate.
An entertaining mystery

[Barry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

The Northern Counties Police Force have had eleven murders over eleven months, although they have been well investigated they have made no arrests. As a last resort they send the files to Scotland Yard for them to look over the documents, the task is given to DCS Masters and his team of DCI Green and Sergeants Reed & Berger. After sitting at looking over the documentation for a week they have some conclusions, they think the murders were all committed by one man or woman, they have all been carried out around the time of the full moon and all appear to be associated with success of some kind. They have also suggested a date for the next murder to take place. The conclusions are sent to the Northern Counties Chief Constable who thinks they are a pile of codswallop and requests DCS Masters and his team to appear just before the intended date so that they are left with egg on their face. Excellent read from start to finish.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas Clark provides his usual expert plotting and cardboard dialogue. The former makes up for the latter, especially regarding a murder that takes place in a recital before several hundred onlookers.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

22/12/20 Worth a re-read even such a short time after I first read it. In fact I think I enjoyed it more on the second read and that is one of the attributes of a good book.