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Francis Pettigrew #1
Tragedy at Law
Tragedy at Law follows a rather self-important High Court judge, Mr Justice Barber, as he moves from town to town presiding over cases in the Southern England circuit. When an anonymous letter arrives for Barber, warning of imminent revenge, he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic. But then a second letter appears, followed by a poisoned box of the judge's favourite chocolates, and he begins to fear for his life. Enter barrister and amateur detective Francis Pettigrew, a man who was once in love with Barber's wife and has never quite succeeded in his profession - can he find out who is threatening Barber before it is too late?
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1942
102 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
About the author
Cyril Hare
73 books99 followersCyril Hare was the pseudonymn of Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark who was the third son of Henry Herbert Gordon Clark of Mickleham Hall, a merchant in the wine and spirit trade in the family firm of Matthew Clark & Sons.
Having spent most of his formative years in the country where he learned to hunt, shoot and fish, he was educated at St Aubyn's, Rottingdean and Rugby, where he won a prize for writing English verse, before reading history at New College, Oxford, where he gained a first class degree.
His family tradition indicated a legal career and he was duly called to the bar in 1924 and he joined the firm of famed lawyer Ronald Oliver and went on to practice in the civil and criminal courts in and around London.
He was 36 when he began his writing career and he picked his pseudonymn from Hare Court, where he worked, and Cyril Mansions, Battersea, where he lived after he had married Mary Barbara Lawrence in 1933. The couple had one son and two daughters.
His first literary endeavours were short, flippant sketches for Punch magazine and he had articles published in the Illustrated London News and The Law Journal. His first detective novel, 'Tenant for Death' was published in 1937 and it was called 'an engaging debut'.
During the early years of World War II he toured as a judge's marshall and he used his experiences as the basis for his fourth novel 'Tragedy at Law', which was published in 1942. In that same year he became a civil servant with the Director of Public Prosecutions and in the latter stages of the war he worked in the Ministry of Economic Warfare, where his experiences proved invaluable when writing 'With a Bare Bodkin' in 1946.
He was appointed county court judge for Surrey in 1950 and he spent his time between travelling the circuit trying civil cases and writing his detective fiction.
In addition to these two strings to his bow, he was a noted public speaker and was often in demand by a wide variety of societies. But his workload did curtail his literary output, which was also hampered by the fact that he did not use a typewriter, and his reputation, very good as it is in the field of detective fiction, stands on nine novels and a host of short stories. He also wrote a children's book, 'The Magic Bottle' in 1946 and a play, 'The House of Warbeck' in 1955.
He has left two enduting characters in Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard, who featured in three novels, and Francis Pettigrew, an amateur sleuth, who also featured in three novels. In addition the two appeared together in two other novels, 'Tragedy at Law' (1942) and 'He Should Have Died Hereafter' (1958).
Having suffered from tuberculosis for some time, he died at his home near Boxhill, Surrey on 25 August 1958, aged only 57. After his death Michael Gilbert introduced a fine collection of his short stories entitled 'The Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare', in which he paid due tribute to a fellow lawyer and mystery writer.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2011
Having spent most of his formative years in the country where he learned to hunt, shoot and fish, he was educated at St Aubyn's, Rottingdean and Rugby, where he won a prize for writing English verse, before reading history at New College, Oxford, where he gained a first class degree.
His family tradition indicated a legal career and he was duly called to the bar in 1924 and he joined the firm of famed lawyer Ronald Oliver and went on to practice in the civil and criminal courts in and around London.
He was 36 when he began his writing career and he picked his pseudonymn from Hare Court, where he worked, and Cyril Mansions, Battersea, where he lived after he had married Mary Barbara Lawrence in 1933. The couple had one son and two daughters.
His first literary endeavours were short, flippant sketches for Punch magazine and he had articles published in the Illustrated London News and The Law Journal. His first detective novel, 'Tenant for Death' was published in 1937 and it was called 'an engaging debut'.
During the early years of World War II he toured as a judge's marshall and he used his experiences as the basis for his fourth novel 'Tragedy at Law', which was published in 1942. In that same year he became a civil servant with the Director of Public Prosecutions and in the latter stages of the war he worked in the Ministry of Economic Warfare, where his experiences proved invaluable when writing 'With a Bare Bodkin' in 1946.
He was appointed county court judge for Surrey in 1950 and he spent his time between travelling the circuit trying civil cases and writing his detective fiction.
In addition to these two strings to his bow, he was a noted public speaker and was often in demand by a wide variety of societies. But his workload did curtail his literary output, which was also hampered by the fact that he did not use a typewriter, and his reputation, very good as it is in the field of detective fiction, stands on nine novels and a host of short stories. He also wrote a children's book, 'The Magic Bottle' in 1946 and a play, 'The House of Warbeck' in 1955.
He has left two enduting characters in Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard, who featured in three novels, and Francis Pettigrew, an amateur sleuth, who also featured in three novels. In addition the two appeared together in two other novels, 'Tragedy at Law' (1942) and 'He Should Have Died Hereafter' (1958).
Having suffered from tuberculosis for some time, he died at his home near Boxhill, Surrey on 25 August 1958, aged only 57. After his death Michael Gilbert introduced a fine collection of his short stories entitled 'The Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare', in which he paid due tribute to a fellow lawyer and mystery writer.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
March 11, 2022
I really enjoyed this slow paced mystery, which, although it is described as the first Francis Pettigrew mystery, does not feature Pettigrew really investigating events until near the end of the book and also features Inspector Mallett, a man of appetite who is obviously concerned about what effect the war will have on his ability to eat a good lunch.
It is 1939 and Britain is experiencing the phoney war - there are blackouts and inconvenience, but rationing has not yet hit, despite Mallett's concerns, and the blitz had not begun. Justice Barber, a High Court Judge, and his wife, Hilda, are travelling around the country for the azzizes - a court which sat in each country before, in 1972, civil jurisdiction was passed to the High Court and criminal jurisdiction to the Crown Court. Hare himself travelled in such a Court during the early days of the war, as a judge's marshall, the position he gives to a young man named Derek Marshal in the novel and he obviously has the detail correct, highlighting the pomposity and absurdity of the travelling Court, which makes this a historically socially interesting read.
While travelling on chilly trains to uncomfortable lodgings, it appears that all is not well. Barber receives threatening letters, which finally evolve into what appear to be threats on his life. The upset causes stress to Barber and he later has a car accident, during which a concert pianist is hit and his hand is injured. The threatened damages that could ensue from this accident worry both Barber and Hilda. Meanwhile, the threats against Barber continue and there are a number of possible suspects, including Pettigrew, a rather unsuccessful lawyer who had once hoped to marry Hilda, as well as a member of the azzizes who is sacked and others with grudges against him.
If you are looking for non-stop action, this is not the book for you. Personally, I found this a fascinating mystery, with excellent characters and a good setting. I found the gentle unravelling of events interesting and look forward to continuing the series. Apparently, this mystery has never been out of print and I can see why. A delight to read.
It is 1939 and Britain is experiencing the phoney war - there are blackouts and inconvenience, but rationing has not yet hit, despite Mallett's concerns, and the blitz had not begun. Justice Barber, a High Court Judge, and his wife, Hilda, are travelling around the country for the azzizes - a court which sat in each country before, in 1972, civil jurisdiction was passed to the High Court and criminal jurisdiction to the Crown Court. Hare himself travelled in such a Court during the early days of the war, as a judge's marshall, the position he gives to a young man named Derek Marshal in the novel and he obviously has the detail correct, highlighting the pomposity and absurdity of the travelling Court, which makes this a historically socially interesting read.
While travelling on chilly trains to uncomfortable lodgings, it appears that all is not well. Barber receives threatening letters, which finally evolve into what appear to be threats on his life. The upset causes stress to Barber and he later has a car accident, during which a concert pianist is hit and his hand is injured. The threatened damages that could ensue from this accident worry both Barber and Hilda. Meanwhile, the threats against Barber continue and there are a number of possible suspects, including Pettigrew, a rather unsuccessful lawyer who had once hoped to marry Hilda, as well as a member of the azzizes who is sacked and others with grudges against him.
If you are looking for non-stop action, this is not the book for you. Personally, I found this a fascinating mystery, with excellent characters and a good setting. I found the gentle unravelling of events interesting and look forward to continuing the series. Apparently, this mystery has never been out of print and I can see why. A delight to read.
January 6, 2025
Tragedy at Law is one of the classics of golden age mystery stories, and has never been out of print ever since it was first published in 1942. Yet the author is not as widely known outside the genre as his peers, such as Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr or Dorothy L. Sayers. In fact general readers may not even have heard of the quirkily named Cyril Hare.
Are your lips twitching? I have to admit I suppressed a smile when I first learned the name of the author. But although it may conjure up a children’s character, the pseudonym was reached perfectly logically. It was a combination of “Hare” Court, where he had worked in the chambers of Roland Oliver, and “Cyril” Mansions, Battersea, where he had lived after his marriage. For - as analytical whodunnit aficionados may have astutely noticed with the mention of “chambers” - the author worked for a law firm. He was called to the bar in 1924 and practised in the civil and criminal courts in and around London. Then in 1950, he was appointed as a county court judge in Surrey. With this esteemed reputation, keeping his other life as a writer of mystery detective novels might have felt like a wise move.
Tragedy at Law is considered by many to be Cyril Hare’s best novel, and is certainly his best known. It features Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard who had appeared in three previous novels, in the character’s own series in the late 1930s. However Cyril Hare was starting a new series with his fourth novel, Tragedy at Law, about Francis Pettigrew, a disillusioned barrister who was not very successful. It was to be the first of five novels featuring the amateur detective Pettigrew, of which two would also again feature Inspector Mallett.
Francis Pettigrew is not centre stage in this one; in fact he seems to have a very minor role, but one which proves important to the denouement. Apparently this aspect of just happening to elucidate aspects of the crime was to become his defining feature in all five novels of the “Francis Pettigrew Series”. The story instead focuses on a rather pompous and self-important High Court judge, Mr. Justice Barber, as he moves from town to town presiding over cases in the Southern England circuit.
To clarify and put this in context, such assizes have not existed since the restructuring of the local courts structure in 1972, when “petty sessions” and “quarter sessions” courts were also abolished. What we now have in England is the Crown Court system. All criminal cases start in the Magistrates’ court, but more serious criminal matters are sent to the Crown Court. Appeals from the Crown Court go to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division and potentially the UK Supreme Court.
However Tragedy at Law begins in September 1939, right at the start of World War II. It is set before combat started in earnest, when Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, and continues through with a short break to 1940. Thus it is set during the “phoney war”, when, as the feeling of the novel shows, blackouts etc., are a minor inconvenience. There is no rationing yet, and the general public do not appear to feel emotionally involved.
We get to know all the officials; the clerk to the court, the judge's marshal, the various barristers and so on, and see that theirs is a very rigid system with rules and rituals firmly in place. Traditions and ceremonies notwithstanding, the judge and his entourage are far from happy. Nobody looks forward to the annual time on the circuit, staying at … if not exactly rat-infested accommodation, then decidedly seedy lodgings which are provided, unless they could afford to pay for an hotel privately.
All are male in this enclosed, rather claustrophobic world, except for judge Barber’s wife, Hilda. She is a shrewd, attractive woman who herself is legally trained, and reputed to have been better than her husband, However, in keeping with the era, she has not practised since her marriage. At this time females would routinely be expected to resign from work when they married. Period details such as this are very well observed, and fascinating to read. Ironically, this one was about to change, as the men were called up for war service, and women were then recruited to fill the workforce once more.
Oddly, the name Hilda reminded me of another strong-minded legal wife; one created decades later by another barrister-cum-writer John Mortimer. This time the fictional lawyer was a defence counsel called Horace Rumpole of the Old Bailey, who first appeared in print in 1978. Was Hilda Barber, wife of the “Old Shaver” (a nickname bestowed on him by his minions) possibly the inspiration for the later Hilda Rumpole, known as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”?
Since Hilda Barber retains a keen interest in law, she stoically puts up with the shabby digs, and everyone else glumly accepts that their own room this year will be a step down from last year’s as a consequence. Naturally the judge and his lady are entitled to the best room (i.e. one where the heater actually works, or where they will not bang their heads on the ceiling when they sit up in bed). Some towns are of course better than others, and some cases are slightly less boring to work on.
Reading about all this is anything but boring though. Cyril Hare writes wittily, with a lively style and vivid characterisation. Half way through the novel when no murder had happened, I was surprised to find myself still happily absorbed in the details of life on the circuit; the petty jealousies, resentments and growing tension. We do not hear much about the cases themselves, but have been aware from the start that this will be a mystery within a small community - and could even develop into a locked room murder.
At about a quarter of the way through we do become involved in a legal case, when Mr. Justice Barber the judge’s statement seems particularly ironic.
The consequences of this would be dire, although at this time there were no regulations as to whether a crime had been committed. Astonishingly, convictions were based on the police officer’s judgement, for instance seeing if the driver smelt of alcoholic drink, testing whether they could walk in a straight line, or could repeat a tongue-twister. These tests were clearly subjective and open to favouritism and prejudice. But in 1965 the alcohol limit was announced, and the words “driving under the influence of alcohol” were introduced to the regulations, to decide whether a driver had committed a criminal offence. In 1967 the breathalyser was introduced, as a way of testing a person’s blood alcohol concentration level at the roadside.
the legal juggling and wrangling for costs proceeds through the entire novel.
An anonymous letter arrives addressed to Justice Barber, warning him of imminent revenge for some unspecified reason, but he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic. But when a second letter appears, we begin in our minds to connect it with recent events, which have been suppressed. Then the judge receives a
His wife Hilda, who has been deliberately economising in the expectation of reduced circumstances, confesses to his young assistant that she is taking the threats seriously. She recruits Derek Marshall (who is, by an amusing coincidence, in fact the marshal of the courts) to help her protect him. Cyril Hare himself had toured as a judge’s marshal during the early years of World War II, and he used these experiences as the basis for Tragedy at Law. Clearly he knew Derek Marshall’s duties very well indeed, as they were also his own.
Derek, flattered by the attentions of an older woman in the absence of his fiancée, and enjoying the intrigue of being sworn to secrecy is happy to oblige. More unpleasant or baffling events occur.
What we are not sure of is whether these are accidents, practical jokes, a mixture of the two, or since they seem to be increasingly nasty, something more sinister. And is there one person involved or more?
There follows a nicely complicated plot, with an ingenious solution. For instance we know there must be some back story with the road accident, and surmise several scenarios, but what transpires is devious but neat and clever, and very much rooted in the law. We anticipate a murder, because of the title, but it is much later on than in any other murder mystery that I have read - on page
Yet the tension is upheld masterfully, and the story never drags. There is at least one attempted suicide, plus another body which is . Various of the characters know others from many years earlier, and almost from the start, we suspect one clearly telegraphed jobsworth . He is a nasty piece of work, who may be indulging in blackmail or worse … but nothing is quite that simple. Interestingly, the barrister and amateur detective Francis Pettigrew . Disappointment in love perhaps explains his disillusionment, and the fact that he has never quite succeeded in his profession. It could also explain his remote feeling from the action. For the connecting sleuth in the series, he almost seems to be watching from the sidelines, although it is Pettigrew who will almost inadvertently reveal the obscure legal point which explains the mystery.
Writing novels set in an area of life of which the author has specialist knowledge, adds authenticity, and as long as they can write well, makes for an absorbing read. In 1942, the “Times Literary Supplement” said:
“Most people may know something about the antagonisms between Bench and Bar, the customs to be observed on circuit, the calm insistence that life is a game of chess (only more so), and the peculiar humour this view engenders … Law is … the breath of life to all persons concerned, and their sole attitude to everything that happens, including death. In consequence, the mystery has this peculiar flavour—dry as Temple dust and yet somehow unctuous. There is urbanity even in its suspense.”
P.D. James, the crime writer who had herself worked in the criminal section of the Home Office, and sat in the House of Lords, said that Tragedy at Law “is generally acknowledged to be the best detective story set in that fascinating world” and the Crime Writers Association puts it at no. 85 in “The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time”.
Did I guess “whodunnnit”? In fact yes, very early on, which made the other person listening to it with me think I was barmy. Admittedly it was more of a gut feeling, and I could not see a motive, but nothing in the novel completely disproved my hunch. The audio RNIB disc we listened to was read with great skill and near-perfect intonation of voices by Steve Hodson, over 10 hours 48 minutes. For a slow, carefully paced novel it is to both the author and narrator’s credit that it was so entertaining and full of suspense. (I do not tell “whodunnit” or why under my spoiler tags, by the way.)
Sadly Cyril Hare was not to produce a great opus of works, although he did write quite a lot of short stories for “Punch” and the “Illustrated London News”. But he was just a month shy of 58 years old when he died of tuberculosis. I certainly hope to read more of his titles, and if you like the sort of mystery which is like a crossword puzzle, and told with a wry charm, this author may be for you too.
Inspector Mallett summed it up for me, when he observed:
“There seems to have been a lot of unregulated quixotry about this case.”
Are your lips twitching? I have to admit I suppressed a smile when I first learned the name of the author. But although it may conjure up a children’s character, the pseudonym was reached perfectly logically. It was a combination of “Hare” Court, where he had worked in the chambers of Roland Oliver, and “Cyril” Mansions, Battersea, where he had lived after his marriage. For - as analytical whodunnit aficionados may have astutely noticed with the mention of “chambers” - the author worked for a law firm. He was called to the bar in 1924 and practised in the civil and criminal courts in and around London. Then in 1950, he was appointed as a county court judge in Surrey. With this esteemed reputation, keeping his other life as a writer of mystery detective novels might have felt like a wise move.
Tragedy at Law is considered by many to be Cyril Hare’s best novel, and is certainly his best known. It features Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard who had appeared in three previous novels, in the character’s own series in the late 1930s. However Cyril Hare was starting a new series with his fourth novel, Tragedy at Law, about Francis Pettigrew, a disillusioned barrister who was not very successful. It was to be the first of five novels featuring the amateur detective Pettigrew, of which two would also again feature Inspector Mallett.
Francis Pettigrew is not centre stage in this one; in fact he seems to have a very minor role, but one which proves important to the denouement. Apparently this aspect of just happening to elucidate aspects of the crime was to become his defining feature in all five novels of the “Francis Pettigrew Series”. The story instead focuses on a rather pompous and self-important High Court judge, Mr. Justice Barber, as he moves from town to town presiding over cases in the Southern England circuit.
To clarify and put this in context, such assizes have not existed since the restructuring of the local courts structure in 1972, when “petty sessions” and “quarter sessions” courts were also abolished. What we now have in England is the Crown Court system. All criminal cases start in the Magistrates’ court, but more serious criminal matters are sent to the Crown Court. Appeals from the Crown Court go to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division and potentially the UK Supreme Court.
However Tragedy at Law begins in September 1939, right at the start of World War II. It is set before combat started in earnest, when Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, and continues through with a short break to 1940. Thus it is set during the “phoney war”, when, as the feeling of the novel shows, blackouts etc., are a minor inconvenience. There is no rationing yet, and the general public do not appear to feel emotionally involved.
We get to know all the officials; the clerk to the court, the judge's marshal, the various barristers and so on, and see that theirs is a very rigid system with rules and rituals firmly in place. Traditions and ceremonies notwithstanding, the judge and his entourage are far from happy. Nobody looks forward to the annual time on the circuit, staying at … if not exactly rat-infested accommodation, then decidedly seedy lodgings which are provided, unless they could afford to pay for an hotel privately.
All are male in this enclosed, rather claustrophobic world, except for judge Barber’s wife, Hilda. She is a shrewd, attractive woman who herself is legally trained, and reputed to have been better than her husband, However, in keeping with the era, she has not practised since her marriage. At this time females would routinely be expected to resign from work when they married. Period details such as this are very well observed, and fascinating to read. Ironically, this one was about to change, as the men were called up for war service, and women were then recruited to fill the workforce once more.
Oddly, the name Hilda reminded me of another strong-minded legal wife; one created decades later by another barrister-cum-writer John Mortimer. This time the fictional lawyer was a defence counsel called Horace Rumpole of the Old Bailey, who first appeared in print in 1978. Was Hilda Barber, wife of the “Old Shaver” (a nickname bestowed on him by his minions) possibly the inspiration for the later Hilda Rumpole, known as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”?
Since Hilda Barber retains a keen interest in law, she stoically puts up with the shabby digs, and everyone else glumly accepts that their own room this year will be a step down from last year’s as a consequence. Naturally the judge and his lady are entitled to the best room (i.e. one where the heater actually works, or where they will not bang their heads on the ceiling when they sit up in bed). Some towns are of course better than others, and some cases are slightly less boring to work on.
Reading about all this is anything but boring though. Cyril Hare writes wittily, with a lively style and vivid characterisation. Half way through the novel when no murder had happened, I was surprised to find myself still happily absorbed in the details of life on the circuit; the petty jealousies, resentments and growing tension. We do not hear much about the cases themselves, but have been aware from the start that this will be a mystery within a small community - and could even develop into a locked room murder.
At about a quarter of the way through we do become involved in a legal case, when Mr. Justice Barber the judge’s statement seems particularly ironic.
The consequences of this would be dire, although at this time there were no regulations as to whether a crime had been committed. Astonishingly, convictions were based on the police officer’s judgement, for instance seeing if the driver smelt of alcoholic drink, testing whether they could walk in a straight line, or could repeat a tongue-twister. These tests were clearly subjective and open to favouritism and prejudice. But in 1965 the alcohol limit was announced, and the words “driving under the influence of alcohol” were introduced to the regulations, to decide whether a driver had committed a criminal offence. In 1967 the breathalyser was introduced, as a way of testing a person’s blood alcohol concentration level at the roadside.
the legal juggling and wrangling for costs proceeds through the entire novel.
An anonymous letter arrives addressed to Justice Barber, warning him of imminent revenge for some unspecified reason, but he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic. But when a second letter appears, we begin in our minds to connect it with recent events, which have been suppressed. Then the judge receives a
His wife Hilda, who has been deliberately economising in the expectation of reduced circumstances, confesses to his young assistant that she is taking the threats seriously. She recruits Derek Marshall (who is, by an amusing coincidence, in fact the marshal of the courts) to help her protect him. Cyril Hare himself had toured as a judge’s marshal during the early years of World War II, and he used these experiences as the basis for Tragedy at Law. Clearly he knew Derek Marshall’s duties very well indeed, as they were also his own.
Derek, flattered by the attentions of an older woman in the absence of his fiancée, and enjoying the intrigue of being sworn to secrecy is happy to oblige. More unpleasant or baffling events occur.
What we are not sure of is whether these are accidents, practical jokes, a mixture of the two, or since they seem to be increasingly nasty, something more sinister. And is there one person involved or more?
There follows a nicely complicated plot, with an ingenious solution. For instance we know there must be some back story with the road accident, and surmise several scenarios, but what transpires is devious but neat and clever, and very much rooted in the law. We anticipate a murder, because of the title, but it is much later on than in any other murder mystery that I have read - on page
Yet the tension is upheld masterfully, and the story never drags. There is at least one attempted suicide, plus another body which is . Various of the characters know others from many years earlier, and almost from the start, we suspect one clearly telegraphed jobsworth . He is a nasty piece of work, who may be indulging in blackmail or worse … but nothing is quite that simple. Interestingly, the barrister and amateur detective Francis Pettigrew . Disappointment in love perhaps explains his disillusionment, and the fact that he has never quite succeeded in his profession. It could also explain his remote feeling from the action. For the connecting sleuth in the series, he almost seems to be watching from the sidelines, although it is Pettigrew who will almost inadvertently reveal the obscure legal point which explains the mystery.
Writing novels set in an area of life of which the author has specialist knowledge, adds authenticity, and as long as they can write well, makes for an absorbing read. In 1942, the “Times Literary Supplement” said:
“Most people may know something about the antagonisms between Bench and Bar, the customs to be observed on circuit, the calm insistence that life is a game of chess (only more so), and the peculiar humour this view engenders … Law is … the breath of life to all persons concerned, and their sole attitude to everything that happens, including death. In consequence, the mystery has this peculiar flavour—dry as Temple dust and yet somehow unctuous. There is urbanity even in its suspense.”
P.D. James, the crime writer who had herself worked in the criminal section of the Home Office, and sat in the House of Lords, said that Tragedy at Law “is generally acknowledged to be the best detective story set in that fascinating world” and the Crime Writers Association puts it at no. 85 in “The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time”.
Did I guess “whodunnnit”? In fact yes, very early on, which made the other person listening to it with me think I was barmy. Admittedly it was more of a gut feeling, and I could not see a motive, but nothing in the novel completely disproved my hunch. The audio RNIB disc we listened to was read with great skill and near-perfect intonation of voices by Steve Hodson, over 10 hours 48 minutes. For a slow, carefully paced novel it is to both the author and narrator’s credit that it was so entertaining and full of suspense. (I do not tell “whodunnit” or why under my spoiler tags, by the way.)
Sadly Cyril Hare was not to produce a great opus of works, although he did write quite a lot of short stories for “Punch” and the “Illustrated London News”. But he was just a month shy of 58 years old when he died of tuberculosis. I certainly hope to read more of his titles, and if you like the sort of mystery which is like a crossword puzzle, and told with a wry charm, this author may be for you too.
Inspector Mallett summed it up for me, when he observed:
“There seems to have been a lot of unregulated quixotry about this case.”
September 25, 2024
What is Going On?
I could only understand the periphery of this book. And I read the whole thing, but I still don’t know who did the murder. What is going on?
Pettigrew, Steve Marshall, William Barber, Hilda Barber and others are all the major characters in this book.
Lots of boredom throughout the story. Regardless of what is happening, the writer told us in the most dullest manner that he could.
Lots of legal talk which is unanimous with the indifference that I could feel. The fact that the monotony of this book is going on in a series of books like this one, by this author, makes my stomach churn.
The tediousness of this book is so awful that I fell asleep often. Even though I wasn’t sleepy.
I would feel lethargic whenever I would work on my review. I just couldn’t finish it. The dullness of the book is so strong that I can’t really feel anything, but apathy. I’ve tried many times to complete this review.
Looks like I’m gonna have to end this. Good night.
Three stars. ✨✨✨
I could only understand the periphery of this book. And I read the whole thing, but I still don’t know who did the murder. What is going on?
Pettigrew, Steve Marshall, William Barber, Hilda Barber and others are all the major characters in this book.
Lots of boredom throughout the story. Regardless of what is happening, the writer told us in the most dullest manner that he could.
Lots of legal talk which is unanimous with the indifference that I could feel. The fact that the monotony of this book is going on in a series of books like this one, by this author, makes my stomach churn.
The tediousness of this book is so awful that I fell asleep often. Even though I wasn’t sleepy.
I would feel lethargic whenever I would work on my review. I just couldn’t finish it. The dullness of the book is so strong that I can’t really feel anything, but apathy. I’ve tried many times to complete this review.
Looks like I’m gonna have to end this. Good night.
Three stars. ✨✨✨
November 9, 2021
Dispensing justice…
Mr Justice Barber is a High Court judge, currently acting as His Majesty’s Judge of Assize in the Southern Circuit of England. He is rather a pompous man, full of pride in his own lofty position, and though he is a good judge on the whole he can be rather harsh on occasions, both in his sentencing and towards the various barristers who appear before him in defence of their clients. So when he receives a threatening anonymous letter he doesn’t think much of it, since threats tend to come with the position and as the King’s representative he is surrounded by police and officials to protect his dignity and, if necessary, his life. However, when he then receives a box of chocolates which turn out to have been poisoned, he begins to take the matter more seriously, as does his wife, Hilda, who sets out to ensure his safety, roping in young Derek Marshall, the coincidentally named Judge’s Marshal who accompanies the Judge on his travels.
This one has rather an odd structure in that it’s mostly about a crime that hasn’t yet been committed, and there’s no certainty that it will be, or that it’s even being seriously contemplated. The various threats against the Judge gradually escalate into odd happenings that may be accidental or may be deliberate, and this creates an air of suspicion and growing tension as the Judge and his entourage move from town to town dispensing justice. Although it’s written in the third person, we see it for the most part from Derek Marshall’s perspective. He’s a young man who has been turned down for service in the army on health grounds, and feels as if he ought to be doing something more useful to help the ongoing war effort. He’s new to the Assizes, and so is the perfect vehicle for Hare to use to describe this rather archaic (and now defunct) system of travelling justice. In his The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, Martin Edwards informs us that Cyril Hare was drawing on his personal experience – “Fifteen years spent practising at the Bar, and a spell as a judge’s marshal, meant that he was ideally suited to describing life on a judicial circuit.”
Despite the mass of detail about the pomp and ceremony surrounding the Assizes and some detours into points of law, this never gives the feeling of a dry information dump. Hare makes the Judge’s life and position a central part of the plot, so that all the detail feels necessary, never redundant. The plot develops quite slowly, but it never feels draggy because the writing and characterisation are so well done, and there’s some gentle humour which stops it from becoming too dark. Hare shows us how justice is not blind – that it tends to come down harder on “the common man” than on those in high social positions, as we see when the Judge himself crosses the criminal line by accident and everyone immediately conspires to hush the matter up, if possible. It may not be possible, though, and this forms a secondary strand, especially when events begin to suggest that the two matters – the threats and the Judge’s misdemeanour – might somehow be connected.
The book is billed as the first “Francis Pettigrew” mystery. Pettigrew is a barrister whose practice takes him round the courts of the Southern Circuit, so that he often finds himself appearing before Judge Barber. But although he does play a significant role in this one and is a very enjoyable character, he doesn’t feel like the main one – maybe Hare developed him as a central character and amateur detective more fully in later books. In this one, it’s young Derek and the Judge’s wife, Hilda, who are most prominent, and the Judge himself, of course. Hilda is a wonderful character, who reminded me not a little of a less caricatured version of that other famous, later, legal Hilda – She Who Must Be Obeyed, from the Rumpole books. This Hilda also bullies and cajoles her husband and is more ambitious for his success than he is himself. However, she’s an intriguing characterisation – a brilliant, qualified lawyer in her own right who, because of her sex, wasn’t taken seriously either by the men in her profession or by clients who wanted to be defended by a ‘real’ lawyer – i.e., a man. Now she acts as a kind of power behind the throne, often arguing points of law with the Judge, and it’s rumoured that his judgements often have more to do with her opinion than his. Hare shows a good deal of sympathy towards women’s exclusion from full participation in the legal profession in this era.
I’ve tried to say very little about the plot because it develops slowly and not knowing what will happen makes it more enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and looking back at the end I could see that Hare had fairly sprinkled all the information needed for the reader to work it out. Needless to say I didn’t! Yet another vintage mystery writer that I will be adding to my growing “must read more” list! Highly recommended.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Mr Justice Barber is a High Court judge, currently acting as His Majesty’s Judge of Assize in the Southern Circuit of England. He is rather a pompous man, full of pride in his own lofty position, and though he is a good judge on the whole he can be rather harsh on occasions, both in his sentencing and towards the various barristers who appear before him in defence of their clients. So when he receives a threatening anonymous letter he doesn’t think much of it, since threats tend to come with the position and as the King’s representative he is surrounded by police and officials to protect his dignity and, if necessary, his life. However, when he then receives a box of chocolates which turn out to have been poisoned, he begins to take the matter more seriously, as does his wife, Hilda, who sets out to ensure his safety, roping in young Derek Marshall, the coincidentally named Judge’s Marshal who accompanies the Judge on his travels.
This one has rather an odd structure in that it’s mostly about a crime that hasn’t yet been committed, and there’s no certainty that it will be, or that it’s even being seriously contemplated. The various threats against the Judge gradually escalate into odd happenings that may be accidental or may be deliberate, and this creates an air of suspicion and growing tension as the Judge and his entourage move from town to town dispensing justice. Although it’s written in the third person, we see it for the most part from Derek Marshall’s perspective. He’s a young man who has been turned down for service in the army on health grounds, and feels as if he ought to be doing something more useful to help the ongoing war effort. He’s new to the Assizes, and so is the perfect vehicle for Hare to use to describe this rather archaic (and now defunct) system of travelling justice. In his The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, Martin Edwards informs us that Cyril Hare was drawing on his personal experience – “Fifteen years spent practising at the Bar, and a spell as a judge’s marshal, meant that he was ideally suited to describing life on a judicial circuit.”
Despite the mass of detail about the pomp and ceremony surrounding the Assizes and some detours into points of law, this never gives the feeling of a dry information dump. Hare makes the Judge’s life and position a central part of the plot, so that all the detail feels necessary, never redundant. The plot develops quite slowly, but it never feels draggy because the writing and characterisation are so well done, and there’s some gentle humour which stops it from becoming too dark. Hare shows us how justice is not blind – that it tends to come down harder on “the common man” than on those in high social positions, as we see when the Judge himself crosses the criminal line by accident and everyone immediately conspires to hush the matter up, if possible. It may not be possible, though, and this forms a secondary strand, especially when events begin to suggest that the two matters – the threats and the Judge’s misdemeanour – might somehow be connected.
The book is billed as the first “Francis Pettigrew” mystery. Pettigrew is a barrister whose practice takes him round the courts of the Southern Circuit, so that he often finds himself appearing before Judge Barber. But although he does play a significant role in this one and is a very enjoyable character, he doesn’t feel like the main one – maybe Hare developed him as a central character and amateur detective more fully in later books. In this one, it’s young Derek and the Judge’s wife, Hilda, who are most prominent, and the Judge himself, of course. Hilda is a wonderful character, who reminded me not a little of a less caricatured version of that other famous, later, legal Hilda – She Who Must Be Obeyed, from the Rumpole books. This Hilda also bullies and cajoles her husband and is more ambitious for his success than he is himself. However, she’s an intriguing characterisation – a brilliant, qualified lawyer in her own right who, because of her sex, wasn’t taken seriously either by the men in her profession or by clients who wanted to be defended by a ‘real’ lawyer – i.e., a man. Now she acts as a kind of power behind the throne, often arguing points of law with the Judge, and it’s rumoured that his judgements often have more to do with her opinion than his. Hare shows a good deal of sympathy towards women’s exclusion from full participation in the legal profession in this era.
I’ve tried to say very little about the plot because it develops slowly and not knowing what will happen makes it more enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and looking back at the end I could see that Hare had fairly sprinkled all the information needed for the reader to work it out. Needless to say I didn’t! Yet another vintage mystery writer that I will be adding to my growing “must read more” list! Highly recommended.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
June 3, 2018
A judge commits a crime of negligence after receiving a death threat...a crime that might completely derail his career, if the person writing the death threats doesn't get him first!
I liked this but called it pretty early, then spent the rest of the book paranoid that my solution was a red herring. It's a nice twisty legal mystery written by someone in the law profession. My only gripes are a) a bit slow, even for me, in places, and b) the POVs were arranged such that I didn't know who the main character was until the end of the book, which was more unsettling than I would have thought--not as bad as having a POV character die and the book passed on to someone else, but similarly WHAAA??? But, given the plot, it was probably the right way to do it. One of those compromises that you just end up having to make. Anyway, a solid read if not magnificent.
I liked this but called it pretty early, then spent the rest of the book paranoid that my solution was a red herring. It's a nice twisty legal mystery written by someone in the law profession. My only gripes are a) a bit slow, even for me, in places, and b) the POVs were arranged such that I didn't know who the main character was until the end of the book, which was more unsettling than I would have thought--not as bad as having a POV character die and the book passed on to someone else, but similarly WHAAA??? But, given the plot, it was probably the right way to do it. One of those compromises that you just end up having to make. Anyway, a solid read if not magnificent.
December 31, 2022
Review of this excellent book to follow.
March 8, 2022
This is my third book by this author, and I want to read more. I enjoy his writing style and the way he draws his characters.
No spoilers, but there were a couple of very interesting characters that I found intriguing and appealing; one turned out to be the killer! The blurb is wrong, Francis Pettigrew is in this mystery, but he doesn’t do any investigating. Hare apparently wrote mysteries with Pettigrew, a fairly unsuccessful barrister and amateur investigator, and Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard. This one had both characters, but we aren’t really privy to Mallett’s investigation, until the summing up in the last chapter.
Another member of the Reading the Detectives group said this book worked more as a profile of life inside the British traveling circuit court system (for the judges, lawyers and officials, not the plaintiffs and defendants), and I’d agree that is fair. As Hare was a barrister by training, it makes sense, and the motive for the eventual murder, although it doesn’t occur until almost the end of the book, turns on an obscure point of law.
The book starts with Judge Barber (I’m American, forgive me for using the American terms I’m familiar with) starting on the autumn term of the Court of Assizes; it’s 1939, the war is just starting, but it’s before the London Blitz. Hare does a good job of setting time and place, referring to blackout conditions, mentioning entertaining guests in the judge’s household, and foreshadows both the rationing and bombing to come.
There are some threatening letters to the judge, a box of poisoned candies delivered - the judge dismisses these as vicious practical jokes, his younger (smarter, more driven and ambitious) wife thinks his life is in danger. Then driving home from dinner in the blackout, the judge knocks down and injures a man who just happens to be a concert pianist. The man’s hand is badly damaged, and the ongoing effort by the wife to shield her husband from scandal and the destruction of his career on the bench becomes a driver of the story.
Throughout these concurrent plot lines, the life of the traveling circuit continues from town to town, through good, bad, and awful lodgings, cases come and go, conflicts among the judge’s household and courtroom arise.
I found it all very interesting, and enjoyed Hare’s dry humor and beautiful writing. I listened to the audiobook mostly, narrated delightfully by Chris MacDonnell. I wasn’t exactly sure who the killer was, but suspected - I just wasn’t sure of the motive, but assumed it had something to do with money. I like Inspector Mallett, but don’t think Hare really “played fair” with the reader; when Mallett discussed the case with his superior, and admits he has a theory but can’t make sense of it, the AC asks what it is, Hare just writes “Mallett told him.” And the AC tells him it makes no sense - but the reader isn’t told, and can’t judge! I also liked Pettigrew, and would like to read more of him, also.
No spoilers, but there were a couple of very interesting characters that I found intriguing and appealing; one turned out to be the killer! The blurb is wrong, Francis Pettigrew is in this mystery, but he doesn’t do any investigating. Hare apparently wrote mysteries with Pettigrew, a fairly unsuccessful barrister and amateur investigator, and Inspector Mallett of Scotland Yard. This one had both characters, but we aren’t really privy to Mallett’s investigation, until the summing up in the last chapter.
Another member of the Reading the Detectives group said this book worked more as a profile of life inside the British traveling circuit court system (for the judges, lawyers and officials, not the plaintiffs and defendants), and I’d agree that is fair. As Hare was a barrister by training, it makes sense, and the motive for the eventual murder, although it doesn’t occur until almost the end of the book, turns on an obscure point of law.
The book starts with Judge Barber (I’m American, forgive me for using the American terms I’m familiar with) starting on the autumn term of the Court of Assizes; it’s 1939, the war is just starting, but it’s before the London Blitz. Hare does a good job of setting time and place, referring to blackout conditions, mentioning entertaining guests in the judge’s household, and foreshadows both the rationing and bombing to come.
There are some threatening letters to the judge, a box of poisoned candies delivered - the judge dismisses these as vicious practical jokes, his younger (smarter, more driven and ambitious) wife thinks his life is in danger. Then driving home from dinner in the blackout, the judge knocks down and injures a man who just happens to be a concert pianist. The man’s hand is badly damaged, and the ongoing effort by the wife to shield her husband from scandal and the destruction of his career on the bench becomes a driver of the story.
Throughout these concurrent plot lines, the life of the traveling circuit continues from town to town, through good, bad, and awful lodgings, cases come and go, conflicts among the judge’s household and courtroom arise.
I found it all very interesting, and enjoyed Hare’s dry humor and beautiful writing. I listened to the audiobook mostly, narrated delightfully by Chris MacDonnell. I wasn’t exactly sure who the killer was, but suspected - I just wasn’t sure of the motive, but assumed it had something to do with money. I like Inspector Mallett, but don’t think Hare really “played fair” with the reader; when Mallett discussed the case with his superior, and admits he has a theory but can’t make sense of it, the AC asks what it is, Hare just writes “Mallett told him.” And the AC tells him it makes no sense - but the reader isn’t told, and can’t judge! I also liked Pettigrew, and would like to read more of him, also.
June 21, 2013
Judge William Hereward Barber's tour of England's Southern Circuit begins as normally as possible in wartime--true there are no trumpets (as Judge Barber mentions many times), but there is still plenty of pop and circumstance and the scarlet and wig to wear. The court calendar is full of the usual cases ranging from civil complaints to criminal charges. It looks to be a normal run--and a normal run-in with his long-time rival Francis Pettigrew. Pettigrew and Barber were once rivals in love--with Barber winning the hand of the lovely Hilda--and now Barber loves to use his position on the bench to put Pettigrew in his place as often as possible. And he settles in to enjoy another round.
But then the odd things start happening. Anonymous letters and poisoned chocolates. Midnight attacks on Barber's wife and a loose stair railing. An attempt to do the judge in with gas. A man that Barber sentenced rather severely in the past has recently been let out of prison and the Barbers wonder if perhaps Heppenstall is behind the ominous notes and life-threatening attempts. Added to the mix, the judge unadvisedly drives home one evening after consuming a bit too much brandy and manages to run down a famous pianist--who isn't shy about threatening to take the judge to court over the matter. Things begin to look rather bleak for the judge and his lady--at the very least financial ruin in a settlement and quite possibly the loss of his position on the bench if the case can't be settled out of court. Through all of the attacks and a final suicide attempt by the judge (who doesn't want to face public ruin), his wife Hilda manages to save him from the unknown assailant and himself. Until the judge's last court appearance when he is murdered on the court steps under the watchful eyes of his wife and the City Police. Inspector Mallett is presented with several suspects....including Pettigrew himself. But Pettigrew produces an obscure point of law that will direct the way to the solution.
Cyril Hare was the pseudonym for Alfred Gordon Clark, an English judge, who used his legal experiences to good effect in his crime fiction. When he was a young man, he served as a judge's marshall--an experience that gives breath and life to his descriptions of such a young man, Derek Marshall, who serves as marshall to Judge Barber. Tragedy at Law gives us a very detailed look at the legal life in Britain during World War II and manages to do so without boring the reader with the details. Hare's characters are interesting and fleshed out--with flaws and all--and Judge Barber soon becomes a man we love to hate--and yet we're still sorry when he's killed. There are plenty of subplots and red herrings in the path to keep the reader guessing. And even though this was a reread, I still wasn't sure of myself on who did it. Excellent reread--four stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
But then the odd things start happening. Anonymous letters and poisoned chocolates. Midnight attacks on Barber's wife and a loose stair railing. An attempt to do the judge in with gas. A man that Barber sentenced rather severely in the past has recently been let out of prison and the Barbers wonder if perhaps Heppenstall is behind the ominous notes and life-threatening attempts. Added to the mix, the judge unadvisedly drives home one evening after consuming a bit too much brandy and manages to run down a famous pianist--who isn't shy about threatening to take the judge to court over the matter. Things begin to look rather bleak for the judge and his lady--at the very least financial ruin in a settlement and quite possibly the loss of his position on the bench if the case can't be settled out of court. Through all of the attacks and a final suicide attempt by the judge (who doesn't want to face public ruin), his wife Hilda manages to save him from the unknown assailant and himself. Until the judge's last court appearance when he is murdered on the court steps under the watchful eyes of his wife and the City Police. Inspector Mallett is presented with several suspects....including Pettigrew himself. But Pettigrew produces an obscure point of law that will direct the way to the solution.
Cyril Hare was the pseudonym for Alfred Gordon Clark, an English judge, who used his legal experiences to good effect in his crime fiction. When he was a young man, he served as a judge's marshall--an experience that gives breath and life to his descriptions of such a young man, Derek Marshall, who serves as marshall to Judge Barber. Tragedy at Law gives us a very detailed look at the legal life in Britain during World War II and manages to do so without boring the reader with the details. Hare's characters are interesting and fleshed out--with flaws and all--and Judge Barber soon becomes a man we love to hate--and yet we're still sorry when he's killed. There are plenty of subplots and red herrings in the path to keep the reader guessing. And even though this was a reread, I still wasn't sure of myself on who did it. Excellent reread--four stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
June 22, 2018
Published in 1942 and set in the early months of the Second World War, this unusual mystery is probably Cyril Hare's best known book. Hare (the pseudonym for real-life judge Gordon Clark) wrote legal thrillers before they were a genre; this one illuminates the peculiar English institution of the Assizes, the ancient system whereby touring judges traveled a regular circuit from town to town, presiding over whatever cases had been referred for trial. The book introduces a not very successful lawyer named Francis Pettigrew who went on to appear in several succeeding novels. In this one, the itinerant judge at the center of the story is plagued by a series of mishaps and mysterious threatening letters as he and his staff travel the circuit. The judge's much younger wife, a competent lawyer in her own right who "had never succeeded in acquiring a practice," comes along to watch over her husband while feuding with his retinue. The wife is an interesting touch; Hare was perhaps ahead of his time in noting "the prejudice which has kept the Bar an essentially masculine profession." The wife has history with Pettigrew. There is intrigue and minor skulduggery, but no murder occurs until late in the book. The solution to the mystery, as in most of Hare's books, hinges on a point of law.
All quite fascinating if you have an interest in the peculiarities of the English legal system; not a pulse-pounder, but elegantly written and justly regarded as a minor classic.
All quite fascinating if you have an interest in the peculiarities of the English legal system; not a pulse-pounder, but elegantly written and justly regarded as a minor classic.
December 2, 2022
This is a story about circuitry. It’s about the world of the circuit court, which may be seen as a closed circuit. The characters circulate among themselves; at least some of them, come full circle, yet others are short circuited.
In the airless atmosphere of the South Coast English circuit court at the start of World War Two, judges, solicitors, barristers and their assorted staff travel en masse, then come together in appointed rooms they know only too well, to decide the fate of ne’er do wells.
The travelling is desultory, the accommodation often leaving much to be desired and Mr Justice Barber starts receiving anonymous notes and a box of poisoned chocolates. Mr Justice Barber becomes increasingly alarmed and we meet a range of possible suspects who might mean him ill. Then…
A beautifully written fable, a joy to read, of just desserts meted out to the deserving recipient.
*I am fated in life to have spent far too much time with lawyers. I am married to a lawyer, although she was not one when we met. Some years into our marriage she mused, ‘Should I get a driver’s license or a law degree?’ With wisdom accumulated over the years I replied: ‘Whichever is easiest!’ She still does not have a driver’s licence but is now a family lawyer.
In the airless atmosphere of the South Coast English circuit court at the start of World War Two, judges, solicitors, barristers and their assorted staff travel en masse, then come together in appointed rooms they know only too well, to decide the fate of ne’er do wells.
The travelling is desultory, the accommodation often leaving much to be desired and Mr Justice Barber starts receiving anonymous notes and a box of poisoned chocolates. Mr Justice Barber becomes increasingly alarmed and we meet a range of possible suspects who might mean him ill. Then…
A beautifully written fable, a joy to read, of just desserts meted out to the deserving recipient.
*I am fated in life to have spent far too much time with lawyers. I am married to a lawyer, although she was not one when we met. Some years into our marriage she mused, ‘Should I get a driver’s license or a law degree?’ With wisdom accumulated over the years I replied: ‘Whichever is easiest!’ She still does not have a driver’s licence but is now a family lawyer.
September 17, 2011
Cyril Hare drew on his own legal experience (he ended up as a county court judge) for his delightful 1942 crime novel Tragedy at Law. It’s both a crime story and a very amusing satirical look at the legal profession. It follows the progress of a circuit judge, Mr Justice Barber, through the various towns on the Southern Circuit during the early war years, dispensing justice whilst contriving to get himself into an extraordinarily embarrassing position for a judge.
It has the rather contrived and unlikely, but extremely clever, plot you expect in a golden age English mystery. And in a nice touch the solution to the mystery hinges on a rather obscure point of law. But Tragedy at Law has a great deal more going for it as well. It has a cast of eccentric and colourful characters, all of them flawed but flawed in interesting and entertaining ways. It has an unusual structure, but I can’t say any more about that without risking spoilers. And it offers a fascinating and witty insight into the strange travelling world of the circuit court.
It’s an enormous amount of fun, and I can’t recommend it too highly.
It has the rather contrived and unlikely, but extremely clever, plot you expect in a golden age English mystery. And in a nice touch the solution to the mystery hinges on a rather obscure point of law. But Tragedy at Law has a great deal more going for it as well. It has a cast of eccentric and colourful characters, all of them flawed but flawed in interesting and entertaining ways. It has an unusual structure, but I can’t say any more about that without risking spoilers. And it offers a fascinating and witty insight into the strange travelling world of the circuit court.
It’s an enormous amount of fun, and I can’t recommend it too highly.
December 1, 2014
In late 1939, just weeks after WWII has begun, Mr. Justice Barber and his entourage set out for the courts of the Southern Circuit. The judge is a man a bit beyond middle years, somewhat objectionable, but a good lawyer. But one evening, after receiving a threatening letter, he drinks too much an knocks a man down with his car. It seems quite likely that he'll be on the wrong end of the majesty of the law, leading to professional disgrace and financial ruin. His brilliant and ambitious wife Hilda will do whatever is necessary to prevent that.
A series of curious events indicate that someone may have a more permanent fate in mind for the judge.
This is an absolutely hilarious book, all the more remarkable because the author never stoops to anything so crude as a joke. It's essentially a comedy of manners as it follows the rather pompous judge, his somewhat crude clerk, the young marshal, and the rest from town to fictional town throughout the south of England. The mystery mostly lurks in the background, only coming to the fore in the last few pages, and the solution is very well done indeed.
A series of curious events indicate that someone may have a more permanent fate in mind for the judge.
This is an absolutely hilarious book, all the more remarkable because the author never stoops to anything so crude as a joke. It's essentially a comedy of manners as it follows the rather pompous judge, his somewhat crude clerk, the young marshal, and the rest from town to fictional town throughout the south of England. The mystery mostly lurks in the background, only coming to the fore in the last few pages, and the solution is very well done indeed.
March 12, 2022
This is such a fun read! Admittedly, the murder doesn't happen till about 85% into the book but the story is so lively and with such great characters that I didn't mind a bit. Anyone interested in social and even legal history will likely enjoy this as it documents meticulously what happens on an assize circuit in the early stages of WW2: blackouts are in place but no rationing yet.
Hare was himself a lawyer and that knowledge is lightly woven into the story without those dreaded info dumps that can sometimes condemn experts-turned-novelists. I'd have to say that I'd guessed the culprit pretty early on but had no idea of the motive. But this is so much more than just a race to the finish - and two striking instances of historicity are the way a brilliant woman with an excellent legal brain can be trained up then shut out from the profession; and how keen everyone is to excuse instances of drunk driving!
Hare was himself a lawyer and that knowledge is lightly woven into the story without those dreaded info dumps that can sometimes condemn experts-turned-novelists. I'd have to say that I'd guessed the culprit pretty early on but had no idea of the motive. But this is so much more than just a race to the finish - and two striking instances of historicity are the way a brilliant woman with an excellent legal brain can be trained up then shut out from the profession; and how keen everyone is to excuse instances of drunk driving!
February 19, 2018
I enjoyed An English Murder so much that I borrowed another one of Cyril Hare’s mysteries! A Tragedy at Law is supposed to be his most famous work so I was really excited to begin it.
Drawing on his legal experience (or so I’m assuming), A Tragedy at Law is a mystery that deals with the finer points of the law. Mr Justice Barber is a self-important judge who’s making his rounds on the ‘circuit’, which basically means he’s moving from town to town judging cases. It should be uneventful, but then he gets a threatening letter. That shouldn’t be a cause of worry, but a box of poisoned chocolates comes. And the threats just keep escalating from there.
Thrown into this mix are Derek Marshall, the Marshal, and Francis Pettigrew, a lawyer who is unsuccessful in profession and love (the love of his life having married Justice Barber). Can they find out what is happening?
The book uses a variety of POVs, but the dominant one is Derek. I suppose that as the ‘newbie’, he’s in a good position to wonder at (and try to understand) what’s going on, plus he’s easily convinced to help by Hilda, Justice Barber’s incredibly smart and charming wife.
Hilda, by the way, is an amazing person. You don’t normally see such strong personalities in fiction. Here’s a woman who was called to the bar and is clearly more intelligent and charming than her husband. She’s also got some fears of her own which she’s hiding and deserves all the page time she has (I would love to read about her earlier years). Sheila, the woman Derek falls in love with and the only other woman with a significant amount of attention devoted to her, seems almost dull in comparison. She seems to be more plot device than character.
That said, there is one other female character with a pretty strong presence, but she never directly appears or speaks. She’s very closely tied to Hilda, so I didn’t consider her a primary/lead character.
What I really liked about this book was its tone. There’s a wry humour that’s present throughout the book, and I enjoyed it very much. Clearly, Cyril Hare isn’t above poking fun at the pompousness his profession is sometimes filled with. The humour also fits in with the cynicism of Pettigrew, which works because Pettigrew’s the ‘detective’ of the novel.
That said, the ending of the book was a little hard to understand. There isn’t a grand denouncement like in the Christie novels, but instead, there’s a not-really-clear explanation by Pettigrew towards the end. I had to read that last chapter a couple of times before I understood it.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, although I personally prefer An English Murder. I liked the humour present in the book and the use of Derek as the main POV character, although the ending does detract from the story a little.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
Drawing on his legal experience (or so I’m assuming), A Tragedy at Law is a mystery that deals with the finer points of the law. Mr Justice Barber is a self-important judge who’s making his rounds on the ‘circuit’, which basically means he’s moving from town to town judging cases. It should be uneventful, but then he gets a threatening letter. That shouldn’t be a cause of worry, but a box of poisoned chocolates comes. And the threats just keep escalating from there.
Thrown into this mix are Derek Marshall, the Marshal, and Francis Pettigrew, a lawyer who is unsuccessful in profession and love (the love of his life having married Justice Barber). Can they find out what is happening?
The book uses a variety of POVs, but the dominant one is Derek. I suppose that as the ‘newbie’, he’s in a good position to wonder at (and try to understand) what’s going on, plus he’s easily convinced to help by Hilda, Justice Barber’s incredibly smart and charming wife.
Hilda, by the way, is an amazing person. You don’t normally see such strong personalities in fiction. Here’s a woman who was called to the bar and is clearly more intelligent and charming than her husband. She’s also got some fears of her own which she’s hiding and deserves all the page time she has (I would love to read about her earlier years). Sheila, the woman Derek falls in love with and the only other woman with a significant amount of attention devoted to her, seems almost dull in comparison. She seems to be more plot device than character.
That said, there is one other female character with a pretty strong presence, but she never directly appears or speaks. She’s very closely tied to Hilda, so I didn’t consider her a primary/lead character.
What I really liked about this book was its tone. There’s a wry humour that’s present throughout the book, and I enjoyed it very much. Clearly, Cyril Hare isn’t above poking fun at the pompousness his profession is sometimes filled with. The humour also fits in with the cynicism of Pettigrew, which works because Pettigrew’s the ‘detective’ of the novel.
That said, the ending of the book was a little hard to understand. There isn’t a grand denouncement like in the Christie novels, but instead, there’s a not-really-clear explanation by Pettigrew towards the end. I had to read that last chapter a couple of times before I understood it.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, although I personally prefer An English Murder. I liked the humour present in the book and the use of Derek as the main POV character, although the ending does detract from the story a little.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
September 24, 2024
I enjoyed this but didn't figure out the ending. Some things that I liked in the book was how Cyril Hare developed the character of Hilda. A woman who was intelligent, educated as a lawyer, and had a fine legal mind; yet she didn't practice law (except seemingly as a hobby). I also liked Derek Marshall and his moral view of the law. But he was ridiculed for thinking justice would be applied equally.
Not much has changed.
Not much has changed.
July 27, 2015
On the back cover of this book, P. D. James remarks that ‘Tragedy at Law is regarded by many lawyers as the best English detective story set in the legal world’. A pretty narrow genre I would have thought but there we are.
Tragedy at Law describes what happens when a High Court judge, Mr Justice Barber, embarks upon a tour of duty on the ‘Southern Circuit’ during the early days of World War Two. As someone almost totally ignorant of the old Assizes procedure, I found the nuts and bolts of this facet of the legal profession very interesting, although a little more detail wouldn’t have gone amiss.
The book starts slowly (there is a long, scene-setting opening chapter wherein we are introduced to most of the principal players in the story) but picks up pace when Barber receives firstly an anonymous threatening letter and then a box of his favourite chocolates that have been unconventionally ‘spiked’. At this point the book changes tack from a ‘court procedural’ to an old-fashioned murder mystery and that’s all to the good in my opinion. The judge also has the misfortune to run over a famous concert pianist, whose hand is badly damaged as a result, and the prospect of career-threatening legal action hangs over the rest of the book.
Much of the action in Tragedy at Law is seen through the eyes of Derek Marshall, a young man unfit for war service who is therefore acting as the judge’s right-hand man or Marshal (‘Marshall by name and Marshal by occupation!’—a little too much is made of this rather feeble jest). But in the later chapters the perspective shifts as we see events unfold instead from the point of view of the police officers investigating an attempt on Barber’s life. (I found this sudden lurch a bit disorientating.) Marshall is a relatively anodyne central character but the self-important Barber, his overbearing wife Hilda and the laconic barrister Francis Pettigrew provide adequate compensation.
Given that this novel was written in 1942 and set during the Second World War, I was disappointed by the lack of period detail (blackout curtains are mentioned a few times but the war never impinges on the narrative in any meaningful way). From this standpoint, I kept comparing the book negatively with Nigel Balchin’s Darkness Falls from the Air, written in the same year as Tragedy at Law. Also, Hare’s somewhat arch and twitty dialogue cannot stand comparison with the terse, sardonic prose of Balchin’s Blitz-era masterpiece.
In summary, this is a striking and absorbing novel that reads like a cross between Agatha Christie and one of Henry Cecil’s legal novels (Friends at Court for example). There are several plot twists towards the end that I didn’t see coming, and the book has an ingenious conclusion. I will probably have to read it again sometime to see exactly how the crime was enacted and then solved. Cyril Hare is an interesting discovery and I can see myself reading another of his stories before too much longer.
Tragedy at Law describes what happens when a High Court judge, Mr Justice Barber, embarks upon a tour of duty on the ‘Southern Circuit’ during the early days of World War Two. As someone almost totally ignorant of the old Assizes procedure, I found the nuts and bolts of this facet of the legal profession very interesting, although a little more detail wouldn’t have gone amiss.
The book starts slowly (there is a long, scene-setting opening chapter wherein we are introduced to most of the principal players in the story) but picks up pace when Barber receives firstly an anonymous threatening letter and then a box of his favourite chocolates that have been unconventionally ‘spiked’. At this point the book changes tack from a ‘court procedural’ to an old-fashioned murder mystery and that’s all to the good in my opinion. The judge also has the misfortune to run over a famous concert pianist, whose hand is badly damaged as a result, and the prospect of career-threatening legal action hangs over the rest of the book.
Much of the action in Tragedy at Law is seen through the eyes of Derek Marshall, a young man unfit for war service who is therefore acting as the judge’s right-hand man or Marshal (‘Marshall by name and Marshal by occupation!’—a little too much is made of this rather feeble jest). But in the later chapters the perspective shifts as we see events unfold instead from the point of view of the police officers investigating an attempt on Barber’s life. (I found this sudden lurch a bit disorientating.) Marshall is a relatively anodyne central character but the self-important Barber, his overbearing wife Hilda and the laconic barrister Francis Pettigrew provide adequate compensation.
Given that this novel was written in 1942 and set during the Second World War, I was disappointed by the lack of period detail (blackout curtains are mentioned a few times but the war never impinges on the narrative in any meaningful way). From this standpoint, I kept comparing the book negatively with Nigel Balchin’s Darkness Falls from the Air, written in the same year as Tragedy at Law. Also, Hare’s somewhat arch and twitty dialogue cannot stand comparison with the terse, sardonic prose of Balchin’s Blitz-era masterpiece.
In summary, this is a striking and absorbing novel that reads like a cross between Agatha Christie and one of Henry Cecil’s legal novels (Friends at Court for example). There are several plot twists towards the end that I didn’t see coming, and the book has an ingenious conclusion. I will probably have to read it again sometime to see exactly how the crime was enacted and then solved. Cyril Hare is an interesting discovery and I can see myself reading another of his stories before too much longer.
April 2, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed Tragedy At Law. It’s a leisurely paced mystery, but the real pleasure is in the wit of the writing and the excellent portraits of both Hare’s characters and of the legal system of 1939, after the start of World War II but before rationing and serious attacks on Britain.
The plot...well, it’s slow and revolves around a judge on an Assize circuit who receives threats and then becomes involved in a serious legal matter of his own. Oddly, no murder happens until almost the end of the book, but for me the plot was almost a side-issue. Hare writes with such hugely enjoyable wit and humour, plus a deep knowledge of the law combined with a healthy scepticism about some of its more arcane ceremonial aspects, that this, along with some highly engaging and well drawn characters kept me fully engaged.
This is a very enjoyable read and I’ll be trying more Cyril Hare before long. Warmly recommended.
The plot...well, it’s slow and revolves around a judge on an Assize circuit who receives threats and then becomes involved in a serious legal matter of his own. Oddly, no murder happens until almost the end of the book, but for me the plot was almost a side-issue. Hare writes with such hugely enjoyable wit and humour, plus a deep knowledge of the law combined with a healthy scepticism about some of its more arcane ceremonial aspects, that this, along with some highly engaging and well drawn characters kept me fully engaged.
This is a very enjoyable read and I’ll be trying more Cyril Hare before long. Warmly recommended.
July 15, 2015
I ran across this mystery in a pile of Alistair MacLean books, oddly enough. I vaguely remembered the name Cyril Hare, so I thought I would try it out. I'm glad I did.
William Barber (alias "The Shaver" and "Father William") is a circuit judge handling the Southern Circuit for the first time. He travels from town to town judging a large variety of court cases, both civil and criminal. All does not go smoothly - Barber gets threatening letters, someone sends him poisoned chocolates, he almost dies when the gas is left on in his room, and his wife is attacked. Lady Barber insists that all of these events are connected and that someone is trying to kill her husband. To make matters worse, Barber gets a little tipsy and runs over a pedestrian, who happens to be a famous pianist. The pianist hires a lawyer and threatens to sue. Barber and his wife face financial ruin if the problem cannot be solved.
Cyril Hare is the pen name of Alfred Gordon Clark, a real-life English judge. He does an excellent job of portraying the early World War II era of the English circuit court system. There is a great deal of humor, which rings true to life:
"Barber's habit of concealing things from his wife was as instinctive as that of the dog who hides bones under a sofa cushion, and about as effective."
Hare has a light touch and the humor is never overdone. The legal theme is handled well, too, and does not get boring or feel like a lecture. The characters are well drawn and interesting. I even felt sorry for Barber, who is not really a likable character. My personal favorites were Derek Marshall, Lady Barber, and Francis Pettigrew, a lawyer who solves the case.
This is not a fast-moving murder mystery. Like someone else said, the murder (at least in this paperback) doesn't even happen until over 200 pages in. The end is abrupt. You get the feeling that Hare thought he was going on too long and so drew everything to a quick conclusion. However, this is a mystery worth reading, especially if you like Golden Age mysteries.
William Barber (alias "The Shaver" and "Father William") is a circuit judge handling the Southern Circuit for the first time. He travels from town to town judging a large variety of court cases, both civil and criminal. All does not go smoothly - Barber gets threatening letters, someone sends him poisoned chocolates, he almost dies when the gas is left on in his room, and his wife is attacked. Lady Barber insists that all of these events are connected and that someone is trying to kill her husband. To make matters worse, Barber gets a little tipsy and runs over a pedestrian, who happens to be a famous pianist. The pianist hires a lawyer and threatens to sue. Barber and his wife face financial ruin if the problem cannot be solved.
Cyril Hare is the pen name of Alfred Gordon Clark, a real-life English judge. He does an excellent job of portraying the early World War II era of the English circuit court system. There is a great deal of humor, which rings true to life:
"Barber's habit of concealing things from his wife was as instinctive as that of the dog who hides bones under a sofa cushion, and about as effective."
Hare has a light touch and the humor is never overdone. The legal theme is handled well, too, and does not get boring or feel like a lecture. The characters are well drawn and interesting. I even felt sorry for Barber, who is not really a likable character. My personal favorites were Derek Marshall, Lady Barber, and Francis Pettigrew, a lawyer who solves the case.
This is not a fast-moving murder mystery. Like someone else said, the murder (at least in this paperback) doesn't even happen until over 200 pages in. The end is abrupt. You get the feeling that Hare thought he was going on too long and so drew everything to a quick conclusion. However, this is a mystery worth reading, especially if you like Golden Age mysteries.
January 19, 2021
This is a 1940s book with the story set in 1939 England. It was a time when judges still have to travel from town to town to hear cases (doing the circuit or assizes). The book is well written with lots of dry humor thrown in. The story is about Justice Barber (not a fair judge and not a good person) receiving an anonymous letter threatening him. Shortly after that, the judge injured a famous concert pianist in a traffic accident when he was driving drunk and uninsured. What followed then was a series of incidents and mishaps (chocolates that were tampered with, intruder at night giving Lady Barber a black eye, dead mouse sent in the mail with a warning note, loosened stair rods that caused the judge to fall, another anonymous letter, leaking gas in the judge's bedroom).
The actual murder did not happen until we are more than three quarters into the book. And of course, the judge was killed. The solution was given in the last chapter and it was a great surprise. The whole story, and its solution, turned on the legal interpretation of a 1934 English law on the statute of limitation (in US terms) or limitation of actions (in UK terms) and how it govern a plaintiff's ability to sue (in this case the pianist suing the judge which will ruin him financially). It turns out Lady Barber (who is a lawyer herself with an expertise in statute of limitations), in order to avoid financial ruin to the family if the lawsuit were to proceed, cleverly delayed the plaintiff filing the lawsuit through protracted negotiations. Then on the last day before they have to file, killed her husband, which under the law would then end the plaintiff's ability to sue the estate.
The book started out strong, then got a little bit boring after a while and I kept wondering if the judge will be the victim. The ending, however, is very strong, especially for people interested in how the circuit court system worked in 1930s England. The statute of limitation explanation is a really interesting one for readers who are interested in mysteries with a legal angle.
The actual murder did not happen until we are more than three quarters into the book. And of course, the judge was killed. The solution was given in the last chapter and it was a great surprise. The whole story, and its solution, turned on the legal interpretation of a 1934 English law on the statute of limitation (in US terms) or limitation of actions (in UK terms) and how it govern a plaintiff's ability to sue (in this case the pianist suing the judge which will ruin him financially). It turns out Lady Barber (who is a lawyer herself with an expertise in statute of limitations), in order to avoid financial ruin to the family if the lawsuit were to proceed, cleverly delayed the plaintiff filing the lawsuit through protracted negotiations. Then on the last day before they have to file, killed her husband, which under the law would then end the plaintiff's ability to sue the estate.
The book started out strong, then got a little bit boring after a while and I kept wondering if the judge will be the victim. The ending, however, is very strong, especially for people interested in how the circuit court system worked in 1930s England. The statute of limitation explanation is a really interesting one for readers who are interested in mysteries with a legal angle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2022
booooring
April 9, 2015
I wanted to read this Golden Age mystery as a result of the praise that P.D. James heaped on it in her book about detective fiction. Beginning it, I was sceptical as it had the potential to be stuffy and dry, but it proved to be wonderful. Hare was himself a county judge, and the story revolves around an assize court judge in 1939-40 (the book was published in 1942, which makes for some very interesting foreshadowing). During a circuit, the judge begins to receive anonymous nasty notes, and various other things go wrong. His indomitable wife is an interesting character, a barrister who as a woman was never able to build a successful practice, and has had to settle instead for having a hand in her husband's judgments. Wittily written, and really enjoyable, though with a slightly rushed conclusion.
July 5, 2021
It is a classic. This story of the decline and fall of an unpleasant judge and the subsequent murder makes the best 100 mysteries lists and I don’t disagree. The argument for greatness is not the clever (but guessable solution) but…
Well, imagine if Evelyn Waugh was a law loving barrister moonlighting as a thriller writer. The tone is very English, very witty and satirical, and more than a little upsetting in spots (there is a rank injustice committed about two thirds of the way through for petty reasons). 90% of the novel happens before the murder, which makes this more a novel about an odd artifact of the UK court system, circa 1939, than a straightforward golden age whodunnit.
Excellent novel by an excellent author who, like Raymond Chandler, did not write nearly enough.
Well, imagine if Evelyn Waugh was a law loving barrister moonlighting as a thriller writer. The tone is very English, very witty and satirical, and more than a little upsetting in spots (there is a rank injustice committed about two thirds of the way through for petty reasons). 90% of the novel happens before the murder, which makes this more a novel about an odd artifact of the UK court system, circa 1939, than a straightforward golden age whodunnit.
Excellent novel by an excellent author who, like Raymond Chandler, did not write nearly enough.
January 20, 2023
I'm finally finished, I really felt like I read read read and read and didnt make any progresss even tho the book is like 200 pages.
This book would make a perfect TV show, because nothing actually happens (in the murder mystery sense) until the end.
Its basicaly a series of things leading up to the murder, It would be perfect for a TV show.
Even tho It wasnt really what I expected (a detective solving a murder trough the book) It was still engaging, and I wasnt bored at all just following the Life of the characters.
It only loses some stars because even tho we spend so much time with the characters there were some important things that are just mentioned in passing.
This book would make a perfect TV show, because nothing actually happens (in the murder mystery sense) until the end.
Its basicaly a series of things leading up to the murder, It would be perfect for a TV show.
Even tho It wasnt really what I expected (a detective solving a murder trough the book) It was still engaging, and I wasnt bored at all just following the Life of the characters.
It only loses some stars because even tho we spend so much time with the characters there were some important things that are just mentioned in passing.
April 9, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this, although in the edition that I had the type was rather small and cramped. Several seemingly unrelated plots were all tied together in a very interesting way. Like An English Murder the motive for the crime rests on a rather arcane point of British law, but it was still interesting. I am noticing, though, that a ridiculous number of British mystery novels from that time period end with somebody tipping off the murderer so that they can kill themselves and avoid the indignity of a trial. It would be nice to see the murderer get arrested from time to time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2016
There's bad blood between marginally unsuccessful barrister Francis Pettigrew and Judge Barber, and the mere fact that Barber's life seems to be unwinding doesn't mean he'll ease up on Pettigrew. But can the mild attorney really be the one making Barber's life a misery? Inspector Mallett thinks he knows who is responsible for the attacks on Barber, but his theory doesn't make psychological sense. This book features a fascinating look at how the assize courts in England worked at the start of the Second World War, at least for an American whose courts operate very differently.
December 29, 2021
I was given this at Christmas and was totally enchanted. In addition to being a whodunnit it is rapier sharp satire on the pomposity of the upper reaches of the English class system of the day (around 1940) and that of the legal profession in particular. If you are a Rumpole I think you will like this book very much. It is very funny in parts.
December 31, 2016
I found this book unbelievably boring and a complete waste of my time. I'm not usually so blunt with my reviews but this all but put me to sleep.
April 3, 2022
Despite its gentle pace, this is a compelling mystery that kept my attention throughout. Judge Barber is on the circuit of the Assizes, touring around the counties of the South of England to hear cases (a judicial phenomenon that was abolished in the 1970s). He receives some anonymous letters, and then a box of poisoned chocolates. As the severity of the incidents increases at each town, he begins to fear for his life. His brilliant wife Hilda and eager junior official Derek Marshall put all their efforts into protecting the judge, but someone is determined to see him die.
Cyril Hare was himself a lawyer, and he brings his knowledge and experience into creating a clever and intriguing plot. His descriptions of the ceremonies and rituals of the circuit are fascinating, and he captures all the foibles of the legal profession. His characters are colourful and memorable - from Hilda and the judge to unsuccessful barrister Francis Pettigrew and the rather dodgy clerk Beamish.
The tension gradually builds to a dramatic climax, followed by a clear and convincing account of the solution by Inspector Mallett (whose investigation to this point has been rather low key). As well as the story I really enjoyed the social history - the misogyny that blocked Hilda’s law career, the bygone attitudes towards drink driving, and the musings of the characters on the hardships to come in 1939/40.
Cyril Hare was himself a lawyer, and he brings his knowledge and experience into creating a clever and intriguing plot. His descriptions of the ceremonies and rituals of the circuit are fascinating, and he captures all the foibles of the legal profession. His characters are colourful and memorable - from Hilda and the judge to unsuccessful barrister Francis Pettigrew and the rather dodgy clerk Beamish.
The tension gradually builds to a dramatic climax, followed by a clear and convincing account of the solution by Inspector Mallett (whose investigation to this point has been rather low key). As well as the story I really enjoyed the social history - the misogyny that blocked Hilda’s law career, the bygone attitudes towards drink driving, and the musings of the characters on the hardships to come in 1939/40.
September 24, 2024
This started off really slow. Luckily, I was listening to the audible version (free right now) so I could do other things while I listen. About 20 minutes in, Pettigrew is introduced to the reader and it becomes bearable but still slow. I think I was several hours in before I really grew interested.
The motive would be impossible to determine unless you are a student of English law. I thought it was very clever. Toward the end, I didn't want to turn it off and I tore through the last 2 hours pretty quickly.
I like Pettigrew enough to read more of this series, especially if audible can get recordings.
The motive would be impossible to determine unless you are a student of English law. I thought it was very clever. Toward the end, I didn't want to turn it off and I tore through the last 2 hours pretty quickly.
I like Pettigrew enough to read more of this series, especially if audible can get recordings.
September 2, 2025
Good things: well-written cast of characters which are fleshed out and complex, clever plotting, interesting look into how the judicial system worked in Britain in 1939.
Bad things: way too much dwelling on various boring aspects of the judiciary, book is too long, nothing happens for almost all of it, the middle section is highly boring.
It's well written prose and the characters are clearly the strongest aspect, which I really enjoy in a mystery. We spend so much time with them that the reveal has real melancholy that the reader feels along with the characters. But so much of it was just so dense and boring. I felt like I was dragging myself through the middle parts. I may give Hare one more shot to see if the next one manages to balance the plot a little better.
Bad things: way too much dwelling on various boring aspects of the judiciary, book is too long, nothing happens for almost all of it, the middle section is highly boring.
It's well written prose and the characters are clearly the strongest aspect, which I really enjoy in a mystery. We spend so much time with them that the reveal has real melancholy that the reader feels along with the characters. But so much of it was just so dense and boring. I felt like I was dragging myself through the middle parts. I may give Hare one more shot to see if the next one manages to balance the plot a little better.
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