Douglas Clark
Douglas Malcolm Jackson Clark was a British author and former military serviceman, born on December 1, 1919, in England. He studied geology at the University of London before enlisting in the British Army in 1939, where he served in the Royal Horse Artillery during World War II and later with the Amphibious Warfare Unit until 1956. After his military career, Clark transitioned to the corporate world, working in advertising for a pharmaceutical company and eventually reaching an executive position. He began his writing career in the late 1960s, publishing his first mystery novel, *Nobody's Perfect*, in 1969. This novel introduced his notable characters, Scotland Yard Inspector George Masters and Inspector Green, whose contrasting personalities created engaging dynamics in the narratives. Over the years, Clark authored a total of twenty-six novels in the Masters and Green series, as well as several standalone thrillers under various pseudonyms. His prolific writing continued until his death in 1993, leaving behind a legacy characterized by intricate crime plots and memorable character interactions.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Douglas Clark
Author
- Born: December 1, 1919
- Birthplace: Cleethorpes, Humberside, England
- Died: February 22, 1993
Biography
Douglas Malcolm Jackson Clark was born December 1, 1919, in England. He was educated at the University of London, earning a B.S. in geology. After graduation, he enlisted in the British Army in 1939, and served with the Royal Horse Artillery during World War II. Following the war, he remained in service with the Amphibious Warfare Unit until 1956. He married Dorothea in 1953 and she gave birth to two sons. After completing his military service, Douglas Clark worked writing advertising copy for a pharmaceutical company, where he eventually rose to an executive position.
Clark began writing fiction in the late 1960’s, and published the first of some thirty mystery/crime novels (some written under the pseudonyms James Ditton and Peter Hosier) in 1969, Nobody’s Perfect. The novel introduced Clark’s two long-running series characters, Scotland Yard Inspector (later Chief Inspector and Detective Superintendent) George Masters and Inspector Green, his subordinate. Masters is tall and athletic, a handsome, wealthy, pipe-smoking bachelor who dresses in expensive clothing, prefers fancy foods and high- priced drinks, and who has a keen eye for beautiful women who return the attraction. Inspector Green, though grudgingly admiring his superior’s skills in crime solving, detests Masters, and secretly envies his lifestyle. The contrasts in characteristics and the subtext of enmity between the two men only adds tension during the course of their pursuit of criminals.
In all, Clark penned twenty-six Masters and Green novels between 1969 and 1987; some of the best-known entries were Premeditated Murder (1975), Dread and Water (1976), The Monday Theory (1983), and Jeweled Eye (1985). In the mid-1970’s, Clark also wrote several standalone thrillers under the Ditton pseudonym: You’re Fairly Welcome (1973), The Bigger They Are (1973) and Escapemanship (1975), but soon returned to his popular series, adding one or two new entries each year throughout the remainder of his writing career. Douglas Clark died in 1993.