Deadly Pattern

Masters and Green #3

by Douglas Clark

The bodies were buried in the sand dunes of the little Lincolnshire resort of Finstoft. Four respectable, middle-class married women, all of an age. Another one was missing but her body had not been found when Detective Chief Inspector George Masters and his team were switched by Scotland Yard from the Rooksby case to that desolate East Coast holiday town. Masters arrived in the midst of a north-east gale and set up shop in the only decent hotel open in February, the Estuary. With the laconic Detective Inspector Green and two sergeants to help him, he set to work to uncover the perpetrator of a series of murders by strangulation that had baffled the local police. Faced with five murders, all obviously committed by the same hand, Masters started looking for a pattern, and a pattern he found—which led pretty quickly to the uncovering of the fifth body. But that was only the beginning. Nevertheless, it was the pattern of symbolism that finally brought Masters to the solution. This is the third case of Detective Chief Inspector Masters—the first was Nobody’s Perfect, which brought acclamation from the critics for a brilliant new writer in the classic detective story tradition. This one will certainly add to his growing reputation. Deadly Pattern is book 3 in the Masters and Green Mystery series. Praise for Douglas “With perfect moments of dry wit, this is a classic whodunit” – Matt Lynn “The many who miss the properly clued inductive detective story will fall on this one with relief” - Times Literary Supplement “A good, satisfying, competent whodunit, intelligently thought out and believable without unnecessary fireworks of sex or violence. And the answer, when it comes, is much more convincing than the majority of those in thriller dénouements” - Anthony Price, Oxford Mail Douglas Clark was born in Lincolnshire, 1919. He wrote over 20 crime novels and under other names, including James Ditton and Peter Hosier.

Genres: Mystery

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Douglas Malcolm Jackson Clark was a British author.

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

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Chief Inspector George Masters and his team are winding up the case of the murdered vicar in Rooksby and looking forward to a little time at home when the Yard informs them that they've got another case to handle. Five middle-aged, middle class married women have gone missing from two neighboring towns on the northeast coast. Four of their bodies have been found buried in the sand dunes of Finstoft, but the last one to disappear is still missing. Neither of the towns' detective forces have much experience in murder and they'll be glad of help from those who do.

Masters, Green, and company go back over the ground already covered by the locals--re-interviewing family members and asking many questions that no else thought to ask. It soon becomes apparent that they are dealing with a neurotic serial killer who must have been familiar with the area. Recent (in 1970) information on these types of disorders indicate that these killers work to a pattern--perhaps a pattern that makes sense only to them, but a pattern nonetheless. Masters makes it his job to figure out the pattern...if he can do so, he's sure he'll be able to find the last missing woman. He realizes that there must be some common point of contact between these five women--something must connect them beyond their age and social standing. Also on his team's plate is discovering how someone could strangle five women without any of them leaving the standard traces of having fought back. Because no one is going just placidly stand there while someone tries to kill them.

I enjoyed this entry in the series more than the first two. The antagonism between Masters and Green is still an underlying theme, but Clark handles it better here. It doesn't seem to be quite as dominant as in the previous two novels. It was interesting to follow the team as they deal with their first (in recorded stories) serial killer. And--if I recall correctly--it's the only one they come up against in the series novels I've read. Masters' investigation is thorough and, for the most part, logical. He does hold a few cards close to his chest and if I hadn't already spotted the killer through other means, I might cry "foul" at his hoarding clues.

That is one flaw in this particular plot--Clark didn't seem to be trying all that hard to hide the culprit. Recently, I read an online piece talking about Christie and her timeless appeal. Several things were mentioned as contributing to that appeal--readability and her way with misdirection being two of them. For me, Clark follows in Christie's footsteps for readability. Once I read my first Masters and Green novel, I was hooked and set out on a quest to find and read them all. They are quick, interesting stories that I just plain enjoy reading (whether I quibble with his handling of personalities or not). Sometimes he does just as well with misdirection, fooling me completely. But not here. It seemed to me that once our culprit walked on stage s/he was lit up in a spotlight and there didn't seem to be much of an effort to focus attention on any suspects at all. This didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book (though I did wonder why the identity seemed to be such a mystery to our intrepid police force). I think perhaps that Clark was fascinated with the idea of the serial killer and the practices of such murderers and wanted to focus more on the details of the pattern than worry about disguising the culprit. And that was okay with me since these novels are police procedural in nature. Overall, a very good entry in the series. ★★★ and 1/2

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 because it is a good story.
My reservations deal with the interactions between people. I remember well 1970 and this doesn't quite gel; in fact at times this threw up memories of the much-loved Gideon of the Yard books of the 1950s and early 60s.

The Masters/Green dynamic never works well for me until we get to Table d'Hote (book 8 of the series). The characterisation of Masters in this book is quite different from that in later books, both physically and in terms of personality. Although adding to the sense of place (and time) I found some of the colloquialisms clunky and even inappropriate.
Definitely not the best of this series but this is still a worthwhile read.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the slow intro, and the bickering between Masters and Green [they don't even do it verbally - just think mean thoughts. British] and the absolutely incredible amount of alcohol consumed per character, yet, despite all this, it turns into a decent read, especially if you like the crime solving to be front and center.

[Michele M Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with Masters

This is my third Douglas Clark book and I simply Love them all!! I certainly hope to find more from this author!!!

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Deadly Pattern' starts with the team clearing up the case from 'Death After Evensong', when they are sent straight out on another case, on the North-East coast. Five unremarkable, middle-aged wives have gone missing and the bodies of 4 have been found. The local police have not had a murder case for 20 years so call in Scotland Yard, specifically Masters.

I am not sure about Douglas Clark's book; on the one hand, they are excellent police procedurals, with the interesting quirk that Masters and Green do not get on that well with each other. Having the sidekick portrayed as an unpleasant character but not totally unsympathetically makes this an unusual series.

The main problem is that the books are very much of their time and the casual sexism and homophobia displayed tends to stick in my craw. Masters is clearly meant to be a good guy, up-to-date with current thinking, but he also seems to be obsessed with women's legs. I recall reading women's comments on the chauvinism they had to put with in the workplace in the 60s & 70s - and Clark suggests they were not exaggerating! I know it is interesting from a social history point of view but it distracts me in books I read for entertainment. I also cannot help but wonder if this is why the books are not being republished in order.

In a similar vein, I assume the psychological explanation at the end of 'Deadly Pattern', which now reads like massive oversimplification and generalisation, accurately reflects the medical thinking of the time.

However, despite my reservations, these are very well-written books and I come down in favour of continuing to read them rather than judging them by standards that would have been incomprehensible at the time they were written. After all, it is encouraging to realise how far we have come in a relatively short time.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this police procedural from 1970, DCI George Masters and his team from Scotland Yard are brought in on a case involving the murders of five forty-year-old, relatively well-to-do women. The murders look like the work of a serial killer, with the bodies buried in similar shallow graves in an area of sand dunes. As usual, the team wraps up the case with impressive efficiency. The personal friction between Masters and DI Bill Green is evident, but the two are professionals who work together well.

[Charlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard clues

Great storyteller. There are a lot of characters and that usually turns me off, but these characters are so well written that they are not lost in the development of the clues.

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as the detectives Masters and Green discover the reason and the murderer of five women. I also enjoyed that Masters and Green do not get along, their prickliness is subtle, but there. I look forward to reading more about them in the next in series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1970 Finstoft, Lincolnshire. Five woman have gone missing with four of the bodies found. The Scotland Yard is called in. Detectives Masters and Green and their team investigate.
An enjoyable modern mystery.

[Walter William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best of the first three books I have read, hopefully they will get better as I read the series.