Master’s Mates by Peter Corris

Publisher's Synopsis

When rich, attractive Lorraine Master hires Cliff Hardy to investigate the circumstances surrounding her husband's conviction for smuggling heroin from New Caledonia, Hardy welcomes the assignment. A week on generous expenses sniffing about under a tropical sky, escape from a cold, dry spell in Sydney - just the job. But Stewart Master's mates in Noumea prove to be a difficult and dangerous bunch.

The danger follows Hardy back to Sydney where he and his client become targets when an intricate conspiracy goes seriously wrong. Hardy deals with a tricky lawyer, a man on the run and Sydney's most corrupt ex-cop. He has allies as well, but in the end his survival will depend on his own guts, experience and savvy.

My Review of Master's Mates by Peter Corris

Stewart Master has always been a crook and a con-man, but right now he is serving 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. Lorraine Master is Stewart's wife and while she knows he's no saint, she is also convinced that her husband has been set up, probably by his mates.

She hires Cliff Hardy to find out exactly what went down. This means talking to Master, banged up in Avonlea Prison, and also to his mates who are still in New Caledonia, from where Master was supposedly bringing the drugs. With an expense account of 100 grand and a trip to New Caledonia thrown in, Hardy can't really see a down side to taking the job and is pretty soon packing his bag in preparation.

What he isn't prepared for are the warning messages and trip headfirst down a set of stairs with a message to keep his nose out of affairs that don't concern him. But like every other fictional private investigator worth his salt, the warning only results in Hardy becoming more determined to get to the bottom of his investigation.

Once in New Caledonia, Hardy begins to do the rounds of the friends of Stewart Master, but they seem to be either missing completely or hiding in fear for their lives and reluctant to talk about Master and the activities that saw him get arrested. The impression that becomes very clear is that Lorraine Master's suspicions are well founded, but the mystery runs much deeper than a simple frame-up.

The locales are exotic this time with the refreshing paradise surrounds of New Caledonia inviting a more relaxed atmosphere to proceeding compared to the inner city alleys of Sydney. But it never pays to let your guard down too long, particularly when drugs and money are involved.

This is a very typical hardboiled detective novel that fans of the genre will enjoy with a no-nonsense protagonist who forges ahead no matter what obstructions are placed before him. Hardy is forced to demonstrate the admirable terrier instincts that has become his trademark when he eventually uncovers a convoluted conspiracy that sets himself up as a prime target.

In what is predominantly a plot driven drama, and a fast moving one at that, the story inexplicably loses some of its momentum over the final 60 - 70 pages which is right when I would expect the pace to be at its most frantic. Instead of coming together smoothly there seemed to be a period of stasis that had me growing impatient rather than engendering a feeling of suspense. Fortunately, things managed to come together in a strong finish that once again puts Hardy's ethics to the mettle.

Master's Mates continues on a strong detective series. Although there is no in-depth exploration of any of the characters and what makes them tick, the plot is original and complex with plenty of unexpected little twists to send the focus into completely new directions. There is also a definite ominous tension lying over the entire investigation, put down largely to the overbearing (even from gaol) presence of Stewart Master, and to the unknown people who got him put away.

Peter Corris' Cliff Hardy series is 26 books old with this book for good reason. Fans of the detective genre will enjoy the way this one pans out and will particularly enjoy the way Hardy operates his investigation, complete with altercations, both given and received.