The Gimmel Flask

Masters and Green #9

by Douglas Clark

The senior partner of an esteemed English auction house was dead -- done in by a poisonous potion served in a rare old flask. Had he been dispatched by a dissatisfied client? A rival firm? A greedy collector? Or someone closer to home?

Masters and Green appraised the situation and discovered a widespread ring of vice and corruption. They armed themselves for the final auction, where the stakes were great, the prize was grand, and death was the highest bidder.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Procedural

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

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]

When the senior partner of Hardy, Williams and Lamont--auctioneers and estate agents in a small Anglian town, is poisoned with a rare, virtually unobtainable poison that goes by the name of croton oil, the local police have quite a mystery on their hands. Somebody who knew Fred Hardy's habit of mixing his own oil and vinegar salad dressing at table substituted the oily poison for harmless kitchen oil. And then made a second trip to his house to retrieve the suspect container...and old-fashioned, two-necked bottle called a gimmel flask.

Superintendent Masters and Inspector Green are sent by the Yard to help out the local police force who have hunted high and low, but found no source for the poison and have about the same success coming up with motives for the auctioneer's murder. At one time in the 19th Century, the oil was used in diluted form as a purge for humans and animals, but it has long since been removed from pharmacies as too dangerous even when diluted. It's up to the team from the Yard to not only discover who wanted Hardy dead, but also the source of such a hard-to-get means of dispatch.

This is the ninth entry in the Masters and Green series and it is, I believe, the very first one I ever read (long before blogging). The men have finally reached the point where they can work together without getting on one another's nerves (well...mostly). They've begun to realize that their differences are part of what makes their team so successful. It also seems that their initial antagonism served to spur each of them to try and outdo the other--in a way that was productive for the team's detective work. Masters has even deliberately requested Green stay on and recommended him for an upgrade in rank.


The interesting murder method and the way the team works together is what hooked me on this series initially and I find myself enjoying it even more in this reread--especially after seeing the incredible antagonism between Masters and Green in the early installments. We learn quite a bit about the ins and outs of the auction room and how regular bidders operate. There is an added complication of an auction "ring"--a group of professionals (antique dealers and the like) who manage a system that allows them to buy cheap and edge out competition, The team from the Yard must determine whether the sharp dealings of the ring had anything to do with Hardy's murder. It all makes for an intricate investigation and, of course, Masters and company navigate the complexities to arrive at the solution in record time. ★★★★ and 1/2, rounded up here.

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

[Chris Wackett]

What a joy to read a good old fashioned murder mystery !!! Written in 1977 when policemen still went to the pub , smoked and there were no mobile phones , internet or sadistic serial killers !!
So nice to have an interesting read where the cast were more philosophers than investigators .
Odd too that I don't recall this author when in those days I devoured crime fiction like this .
And a whole back catalogue to dip into whenever !!! Nice 😁

[Kim]

This book was near the top of my stack of books and I thought it would be a quick read. I finished it only to find out who did it. Sometimes I did not like the main police characters - they easily got short tempered when people asked a simple question. I did a lot of skimming to get through it.

[Charles Fraser]

The soap opera aspect of this series continues, and in the early pages of this installment we learn that Green has been promoted to Chief Inspector, thanks to Masters' recommendation, and that he and his old enemy and boss Masters now have a happier relationship to the extent that Wanda, who is now engaged to Masters, has invited Green and his wife to dinner with her and Masters.

Sergeant Reed & Constable Berger are the new boys. Berger, in what must be a first for the Masters & Green series, is a non-smoking character. This is the 1970s, when it was still entirely credible for a police superintendent, Masters, to be a pipe smoker. The book's action takes place in the East Anglian town of (would you believe the name) Limpid, where the team uncovers financial corruption in addition to unmasking a murderer! It's a testament to the recent transformation for the better in Green's behaviour that he pours balm on an argument between Masters and a local chief superintendent. This is in contrast to a couple of books earlier when, in a heated argument, he offered to fight a local detective.

Masters delights in showing off his methods, in the style of Holmes, to local detectives, although in doing so he feels he is cramping his all-important intuition.

The method of murder, as in many of the books in this series, is an unusual one. The identity of the murderer disappointed me because it is a character we never met during the investigation.

[Doug Ward]

The senior partner in a firm of auctioneers and real estate agents is killed with croton oil, a poison widely used as a purgative in the nineteenth century but now unheard of and rarely found. The poison was delivered in an unusual vessel, the gimmel flask of the title. The case seems well suited to the talents of the Scotland Yard team of Superintendent George Masters and (newly promoted) DCI Bill Green.

Masters and Green quickly learn that the auctioneers have been guilty of some shady dealing, an indication that multiple people may have had a motive for the murder. But who had the means and opportunity? This mystery includes lots of fascinating details about medicines of long ago and the antique business.

[Susan]

Limpid. Hardy, a partner in the local auctioneers and a town councillor is murdered. Poisoned by croton oil via his use of a gimmel flask. Superintendent Masters and his team are sent to investigate and also happen to uncover cases of corruption.
An entertaining mystery
Originally published in 1977

[Michele M Barron]

Fine British Village Intrigue

I am charmed by Mr Clark's style of writing. It's the best in my opinion. Sublime, witty and while descriptive not verbose. George Masters is the "ideal" thinking detective , quite a bit like Sherlock. Love, love, love these books!!!!

[P.]

The bad tempered and less that clever DI Green, now dubbed Greeny for rehabilitation purposes, is still part of the crew, managing to be less obnoxious, even if his clever comments are often beside the point. Best offer = a good enough read.

[Richard Thomas]

Nice low key murder

It’s a very enjoyable and interesting book. There’s a good deal about the wicked ways of antique dealers, estate agents and auctioneers. The police are intelligent and witty. The murdered man got what he deserved as did his murderer. The setting is in the east of England and it’s well described
.

[Mrs. A.A. Williams]

Antiques, Murder and Fraud

An interesting. Detective story with details about antiques and auction procedures. A murder occurs and fraudulent activities discovered. Written with knowledge, detail and wit. An enjoyable read.

[John Sargent]

Interesting plot

[Karen]

Thoroughly enjoyable 'cosy' crime novel - no blood and gore, which makes a pleasant change. The novel was written in the 1970s, when such visceral police procedurals were less common.

[Barry Scott]

Excellent

Another difficult case for Detective Chief Superintendent Masters and his team of Chief Inspector Green, Detective Sergeant Reed and Detective Constable Berger. This time they have to investigate the suspicious death of a Solicitor. The local police suspect poison as the flask that he mixes salad oil and vinegar has gone missing, this is confirmed by the Pathologist. Masters and his team have a lot of work to do to unmask the killer.

[Cynthia Grove]

Adequate, a bit disappointing; this is not one of the better books about Masters and Green. The first few chapters I found hard to cope with re writing style. As the Yard team entered the story it did improve but lacked the cohesiveness and succinctness of others in the series. It was enjoyable to see the entrance of Berger to the team.
The information about antiques was interesting and I enjoyed the character of Benson.

[Dale]

I love these Masters and Green police procedurals. Clever and not sentimental, but good solid teamwork that develops (over the series of books) between not only two decent English policemen but their wives and families. Unfortunately, out of print. If you see one in a used-book store, pick it up and give it a try.

[Cindy]

I did not enjoy the characters and the plot just seemed to wane until it was boring.

[Nancy]

A leisurely paced police procedural. The murder and investigation take place over just a few days but nothing about it feels rushed.