Premedicated murder

Masters and Green #6

by Douglas Clark

Book by Clark, Douglas

Genres: Mystery

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Douglas Malcolm Jackson Clark was a British author.

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

Reviews

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this police procedural from 1975, Scotland Yard's George Masters, with his team of DI Bill Green and sergeants Hill and Brant, is sent to Lowther Close, an affluent middle-class neighborhood, to investigate a murder by an unusual method---ricin poisoning. Roger Harte, the victim, was beloved by the entire community, and he died at the home of his neighbor Milton Rencory, a boorish and much-despised newcomer to Lowther Close.

Masters and his colleagues systematically interview the people in the neighborhood. Several interesting facts emerge, which Masters puts together to solve the case within two days. Green is his usual obnoxious self but still contributes to the team effort.

[Charlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

It's getting harder with each book to say something new. Interesting characters and crazy neighbors always make for a good story throw in a little murder and you have a best seller.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery!

This book had a good plot and interesting characters. It also had a surprise ending as well as an unlikely killer. I highly recommend this book to other police procedural readers.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disabled war hero Roger Harte has been poisoned. The main suspect is disliked neighbour Milton Rencory. Detecive Superintendent Masters and his team investigate
An enjoyable mystery
Originally published in 1975

[Linda Woodley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was interesting I didn't like greens attitude and wanted him to be spoken to by Masters

[John Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

short but worth it. Well told. Good plot

[Lila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cardboard characters, stilted language, but still an informed and early use of ricin as a poison.

[Charles Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 6th Masters & Green detective novella, Masters is still rubbing Warlock Flake for his pipe, and Green is still smoking Kensitas cigarettes; but with the possibility of a cold coming on, he's also taken to sucking Fisherman's Friends. Both detectives are still drinking Worthington's beer. The chip on Green's shoulder and his level of disagreeableness are higher in this one than its predecesor, to the extent that he's ready to come to blows with a local detective.

Masters, who was a chief inspector in the 5th book, is now a superintendent.

The story and its characters were enjoyable and I didn't anticipate the solution to the crime.

[Margaret Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I disliked the overly broad stereotyping of almost every character on the basis of their social and economic background and although I found the misogynistic gender presumptions/generalizations difficult to bear the plot itself unwound with smoothness and precision. The author did a good job of steering the ever difficult course between making things so obvious that the reader feels insulted and making things so obscure that no reader, however vigilant, could work things out.

[Barry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Another impossible case for Masters and his team to investigate, a wealthy wartime invalid has been poisoned with Ricin. The local police, Detective Inspector Dick Woodside is too close to the locals to investigate so he calls in Scotland Yard. Enter Detective Superintendent Masters and his team of Detective Inspector Green and Sergeants Hill and Brant who must try and discover who the culprit is before they strike again.