Jewelled Eye: A Masters and Green Mystery

Masters and Green #22

by Douglas Clark

George Masters and Bill Green are working on a top-secret case in a small community located on the Bristol Channel. As the head of a new crime-busting network established to cope with criminals operating across local boundaries, Masters has been given carte blanche to assemble a special unit with members who comlement his usual team: a doctor of forensic medicine, an ex-convict army major, and a Detective Chief Superintendent of police like himself.

Masters and his team are on the trail of a missing man, a man who possesses a piece of biotechnical information of significance to all humanity. And it is likely tha the has been either kidnapped or murdered by an international ring of industrial spies and terrorists. Masters and Green must find the man and, if he is still alive, protect his knowlege from these deadly enemies.

Genres: Mystery

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 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

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jewelled Eye is the 22nd entry in Douglas Clark's series starring (now) Detective Chief Superintendent George Masters and his team of crack investigative officers. This time Masters has been given a highly sensitive, top-secret mission--to track down a biochemist who has disappeared with the knowledge of a scientific breakthrough that can mean so much to humanity and big bucks to anyone who can bring that knowledge to fruition. Masters has been given even more extensive powers to call upon anyone and everyone who might help bring this mission to a successful end. Joining Masters and his usual crew--Detective Chief Inspector Green and Sergeants Reed and Berger--are another Detective Chief Superintendent, a forensic medical specialist, and an ex-con army major. Masters will rely on everyone's special skills to help him discover where the missing scientist is, whether he's still alive, and how best to rescue him from an international ring of industrial spies.

One of Douglas Clark's strengths is his characters. The team that Masters gathers work well together and have quite distinct personalities that contribute to the efforts. I always enjoy watching them in action. He is also rather good at describing the setting and the situations that Masters and company find themselves in. The major drawback to this outing is the amount of time spent talking. There have always been moments in each entry to the series where the team gathers and discusses--whether they need to hash out information that is new to them or just to have a brainstorming session when they don't seem to be making much progress. But this time--fully three-quarters of the book is spent in talking with Masters filling in each and every team member on each and every detail. Then we bring in an expert to talk about the chemical side of the industrial espionage business and he goes into detail. And then, after a bit of running around looking for clues, we all sit down and go over every single detail all over again. It really was a bit much and the lack of action keeps this from being Clark's best.

This is a departure from the usual Masters and Green fare. There are no real clues to follow up and there isn't much of a chance for the reader to reach the solution before the grand finale. It is interesting to see the relationship develop between Masters and Gudgeon (the ex-con who Masters indirectly sent to prison) and Clark's way with characters and the final scenes keeps this from being a very dull book. Just barely ★★★

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

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this 1985 thriller, a leading cancer researcher with a British pharmaceutical firm disappears. Evidence points to a kidnapping by Libyan nationals.

George Masters of Scotland Yard is charged with assembling a team to find a recover the scientist without triggering an international incident. Along with the three colleagues on his usual team, he brings in three other men---DCS Fred Pollock of Truro, with whom they had worked on another kidnapping case (see Doone Walk); Dr. Harry Moller, with whom they had worked during a botulism outbreak (see The Longest Pleasure); and Major C.R. Gudgeon, a retired military officer whom Masters had once arrested. This team works together to carry out the operation with impressive alacrity.

[Terry Halligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this Masters and Green Book No 22 which was the first that I've read by Douglas Clark. It was rather strange reading about all the discussions that took place between the protagonists before the decision to take action occurred. It all turned out alright in the end. I recommend it strongly.

[John Sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a mystery but a good thriller

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Arthur Hopcraft, cancer specialist, went missing last year, fears that his research will be obtained and taken abroad means that Superintendent Masters becomes involved under the heading of Operation Hosepipe. Several months later he recruits his team to help.
More a thriller than a mystery

[Barry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Another seemingly impossible case for the team. Detective Superintendent Masters has been working alone for a time trying to gather information into the disappearance of a distinguished micro biologist who has gone missing. He believes he now has enough information to carry on the investigation with his team and with assistance from DCI Pollock with whom the team have previously worked with. The team arrive at a small seaside town in Cornwall which is where they think the micro biologist first disappeared to gather more information.