Bitter Water

Masters and Green #27

by Douglas Clark

Hugh Carlyle is a wealthy patron of the arts. He and his wife, Margot, are close personal friends of George and Wanda Masters, to whom they give tickets to the opening-night performance of a new farce called Round the Barley in which Carlyle has invested. Immediately after the show, the young leading actress Carla Saunders falls and injures her leg and is replaced by an understudy. The success of the play as a whole is not marred by her accident, and a few days later the wheelchair-bound industrialist hosts a poolside party to celebrate. Carlyle's guests include members of the cast and crew as well as his neighbors and co-workers. Sometime during the evening Carla Sanders is pushed into the water. Within hours she comes down with a rare disease that leaves her dead. It soon becomes clear that her death is no accident. Now George Masters must put aside his personal feelings while he and Bill Green investigate the insidious murder with the support of their well-trained team of investigators.

Genres: Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

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]

When actress Carla Sanders suddenly dies of a rare condition, Weil's disease, George Masters and his Scotland Yard team are called in to investigate. Was Sanders the victim of a malicious murderer? Would there be a widespread outbreak of the disease?

This 1990 mystery is the final book in this fine series. The series ends with the main characters looking ahead to further adventures. George and Wanda Masters are expecting their second child and are moving to a bigger house, while Bill and Doris Green will be moving to the little house vacated by George and Wanda. Detective Sergeants Berger and Tippen are spending lots of time together, both on and off the job. I'll miss the continuing story of these characters.

[Cynthia Grove]

A friend of mine doesn't like lengthy descriptions; this book certainly isn't for her. Parts of the story are tedious and character outranks plot in this mystery. An ingenious method of murder and three or maybe four potential suspects are offered. Not all are discussed by the police but a couple of people had me wondering
Are the story's characters credible? Almost but enjoyable nonetheless.
The story comes towards the end of the Masters and Green series and both gains and suffers from this depending how many of the others one has read.
A good workmanlike murder story but look for the characters rather than mystery or action.

[veronica schmitt]

Love the entire series

I am sorry to finish the Masters and Green series. I read quite a lot but started at book 1 and read the series all the way through. Masters is a contemporary Sherlock, processing bits and pieces of information with Green as his Watson providing particulars that allow them as a team to find the murderer and his method.

[John Sargent]

Clark has ended his writing career om an up note. Well done with good plot

[Susan]

Carla Sanders, actress,is hurt while going down some backstage theatre stairs. Then at a party she falls into a swimming pool. The next day she is dead. Masters and his team investigate where she could have caught Weil's disease.
An enjoyable modern mytsery to finish off the series. Though there have been better mysteries in the series.

[Barry Scott]

Excellent

Another difficult case for Detective Superintendent George Masters and his team, a fit young actress accidentally falls into a swimming pool at a party and a few days later dies of Weil's disease. The team are tasked with finding the how and the who.