Heberden's Seat

 Heberden's Seat (1979) by Douglas Clark

This is the eleventh book in the Masters & Green mystery series by Clark--and one of the last two that I've been able to get hold of. I still need to find three more to have read all of them. In this outing, Detective Superintendent Masters, Detective Inspector Green, and Detective Sergeants Reed & Berger are heading back to London after sorting out a case of murder, theft, and thuggery in Middlesborough. They opt to take the scenic route rather than the motorway and wind up taking in much more of the scenery than planned when the car gives up the ghost right near a remote church with handy cemetery for burying the car if it is beyond help. While Reed and Berger head to the nearest village in search of assistance, Masters and Green take a tour of the redundant (no longer operational) church and make a nasty discovery: a dead body in a well.

Once the local force arrive, their DCI, Webb, asks the Scotland Yard team for assistance. It seems there has been both a rash of disappearances (of local men) and outbreaks of arson and Webb suspects a link though he has no real proof. And when the body is identified as one of the missing men, he's sure he needs help from Masters and company. Everything seems to revolve around the interest two of the missing men took in the church--a church that was being put up for sale. Is there something of value in or near the church that's worth killing for? Has someone been using the church as a meeting place--someone who doesn't want to see the property sold? And what do the five fires have to do with anything? And--as with most of Clark's mysteries--there is an unusual method of murder employed in two of the deaths and if Masters can't figure out how it was done, then the case will go unsolved.

This has been a pretty difficult 2-3 weeks. I've gotten a bit behind on writing up reviews and I'm not going to have a whole lot to say beyond giving the plots and a brief reaction for a while. 😞 What I can tell you is that Clark has once again delivered a nifty police procedural with a murder method that isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill poisoning. Yes--two of the men were poisoned, but how? And with what? The autopsies don't show anything. How can you prove poisoning if the analysis doesn't show it happened? Clark will tell us. I always enjoy his unusual murder methods, because I learn something new without info dumps. Masters explains everything, but in a way that is very interesting. Full marks for method...and for keeping me in the dark. I should have known who did it--but I missed it. ★★★★

Finished on 11/3/24

First line: "Even I know," said Detective Chief Inspector Green, "that you don't switch off the engine and freewill uphill.

Last line: They both sounded as though they contained hard, metallic objects.
*****************

Deaths = 3 (two poisoned; one hit on head)