Death Among Friends and Other Detective Stories

Francis Pettigrew

by Cyril Hare, Michael Gilbert (editor/introduction)

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Crime, 20th Century, Detective

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Cyril 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

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having quite recently discovered Cyril Hare's detective novels, I have become a huge fan and so, although I am not really a lover of short stories, I was keen to read those by Hare. In fact, the author's real name was Alfred Alexander Clark, who was a Judge and who died in 1958, a year before this volume was published. There are thirty stories in this collection:

Legal
"Where There's a Will-"
Miss Burnside's Dilemma
Name of Smith
Murderer's Luck
The Tragedy of Young Macintyre

Murder
Weight and See
"It Takes Two...."
Death of a Blackmailer
The Old Flame
"As The Inspector Said..."
Death Among Friends
The Story of Hermione
A Surprise for Christmas
The Heel
The Rivals
The Ruling Passion
The Death of Amy Robsart

Other Crimes
I Never Forget a Face
A Life for a Life
The Markhampton Miracle
A Very Useful Relationship
Sister Bessie
Line Out of Order
Dropper's Delight

The Children
Monday's Child
Tuesday's Child
Wednesday's Child
Thursday's Child
Friday's Child
Saturday's Child

This was a very enjoyable collection, some of which featured his series detectives, Inspector Mallett and Francis Pettigrew. I particularly enjoyed the legal stories which, written by a judge, have clever authenticity and legal loopholes. Hare was an excellent Golden Age author, who deserves to be more widely read and I enjoyed this collection which any mystery fan will love dipping into.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty and amusing collection of short stories by an author new to me.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when a plan (doesn't) come together.

All the wrong-doers in these deliciously ironic stories have one thing in common: they had a plan. And, since one each expected to benefit greatly from his plan, much time and energy and brain-power were spent on those plans. Which is what makes it so hilarious when their crimes are brought home to roost like so many bedraggled chickens.

There's a faithless wife who's determined to track down and eliminate her blackmailer, only to get a very nasty surprise. There's a disgruntled nephew who knows more about law than he does about the prim, elderly aunt whose fortune he hopes to inherit. There's a murderous husband whose air-tight alibi is foiled by a portly detective.

There's a pair of art thieves who come to grief because a beautiful young woman is admiring her reflection instead of the valuable painting on display. And there's a pair of lovers who plan to murder her elderly husband, who proves more suspicious and wilier than they thought.

Most of these criminals are male and (not surprisingly) many have difficulties with their women. Jack Saunders has a gullible, rich girlfriend and is determined to marry her, but a last dalliance with a malicious, talented former girlfriend proves his undoing. Ray Meldrum has the opposite problem. His profitable scam is almost complete when a unexpectedly generous gesture by HIS current squeeze costs him a small fortune. Whether sweet and helpful or scheming and revengeful, women are trouble!

And out of thirty stories, only two men get by with their dishonesty. One is a friendly village vicar and the other is a recently deceased Justice of the High Court. What do you think THAT says about the author's philosophy of life?

"Cyril Hare" was an English lawyer and judge who wrote mysteries in his spare time. His WIKI picture shows a suitably solemn man, but he must have had a wicked sense of humor along with his deep knowledge of the shadier side of human nature. At 99 cents, this book of delightful short stories is the Bargain of the Century. Enjoy!

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like short mysteries, and these were good but differing. I liked especially the first ones, but others were rather gruesome or not so easily understandable.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories were deliciously sardonic! Some of them made me chuckle out loud. Cyril Hare's short stories are absolutely brilliant!

[Carolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend reading this collection slowly, a story or two a day as they can start blending into each other. Some really interesting plots combining law and crime in Cyril Hare's style of wit and cynicism. I enjoyed it very much.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of thirty short stories, most of which use Hare's background in the law. He also has a positive mania for short stories with a sharp twist in the tail. Nearly all of the stories have a surprise ending--some are more obvious to long-time mystery fans, but most did catch this mystery fan out. It is a very strong collection which I heartily recommend. My favorites are "Where There's a Will--," "Weight & See," "It Takes Two...," "The Heel," and "Monday's Child." ★★★★

"Where There's a Will--": When Julian Symondson's aunt dies leaving him an inheritance with strings attached, he knows just enough about the law to think he's found a way around the strings. But you know what they say...a little learning is a dangerous thing.

"Miss Burnside's Dilemma": Poor Miss Burnside has discovered an unscrupulous, but perfectly legal bit of trickery on the part of someone she and the community admire...what on earth is she to do about it?

"Name of Smith": When a judge who was known as a competent lawyer yet with a somewhat scandalous personal reputation passes on, his colleagues finally learn the reasons behind his most infamous court room summing-up. There was method in his apparent madness after all...

"Murderer's Luck": It's no good to commit the perfect murder if the results still aren't quite what you expect...

"The Tragedy of Young Macintyre": A Wodehousian story of a young barrister, elocution lessons, a Mexican dance, and the lure of Hollywood.

"Weight & See": An apparently unbreakable alibi is smashed to bits by hefty policeman with a very apt name.

"It Takes Two...": The title tells us that it takes two to make a murder--the murderer and the victim. But the story itself proves that sometimes it takes three...and no one was more surprised by that than the murderer.

"Death of a Blackmailer": When a wealthy married woman has a fling with a ne'er-do-well, she oughtn't be surprised when she finds herself blackmailed. But Mrs. Mainwaring is a stubborn woman and doesn't submit to blackmail easily.

"The Old Flame": A man gets a nasty surprise when he plans to snuff out an old flame before marrying a rich, young bride.

"'As the Inspector Said...'": Another case of the best-laid plans going awry. When a local inspector stops by to warn Robert French about a ruthless burglar thought to be in the area, his wife and her lover see a perfect opportunity to clear Robert out of the way. Maybe...

"Death Among Friends": This story has one of Hare's most ironic twists. Here we have another man plotting a murder that will revenge not only himself, but his only friend. But fate has something else in mind...

"The Story of Hermione": Hermione goes from penniless daughter of an explorer lost in a mountaineering accident to heiress of her uncle's estate in a very short time. And then becomes engaged to a very eligible bachelor. It's a bit odd that he abruptly breaks off the engagement...or is it?

"A Surprise for Christmas": When Jimmy Blenkiron's nieces and nephews decide to give him a surprise for Christmas, it turns from a pleasant sugarplum dream into a nightmare--all because they wanted to give him a Christmas tree.

"The Heel": Have Americans been killing each other while stationed in England for the war? Or is one particular American using his fellow Yanks as cover to avoid justice of another sort?

"The Rivals": When a young woman is killed, it looks like one of her violent young boyfriends is responsible. But the policeman in charge of the case can't find solid evidence that points to just one of them. But the Chief Constable can...just goes to show, murderers should always pay close attention to what they wear when the commit murder and concoct a cover story.

"The Ruling Passion": It's a terrible thing when a passion for collecting leads to murder.

"The Death of Amy Rossart": Inspector Mallett uses the old "reconstruct the crime" method to flush out the killer of a young actress--was it the jealous wife? The director who's film was losing money but who had insured the actress's life? Or maybe the lover had tired of her?

"I Never Forget a Face": It doesn't help that our narrator never forgets a face when he can't for the life of him remember the name that goes with the face...especially when it comes to picking up strangers at train stations.

"A Life for a Life": Can a man make amends from the grave for having taken someone's life?

"The Markhampton Miracle":The managing director of the Football Pools asks William White, formerly Detective Inspector and now private inquiry agent, to investigate what looks like a massive fraud--53,619 residents of Markhampton all submitted the correct numbers for the Pools. How could anyone have worked a fraud that big?

"A Very Useful Relationship": Another fraud story--this time surrounding the building for for new town hall. Evil nephews (or nieces) are all the rage in detective fiction, but what about other relatives?

"Sister Bessie": A tale of a man and his blackmailer. Just when he thinks he's free of the blackmail...he finds himself drawn more deeply into the web.

"Line Out of Order": Like any technology, automated phone calls are great for anonymity--but not so great when something goes wrong. A spy network has a bit of trouble with the phone line.

"Dropper's Delight": A man tasked with "dropping" (passing) counterfeit notes thinks he's come up with the perfect plan to get rid of them

"Monday's Child": A museum director arranges for a decoy to cover an art theft. Except he didn't tell the decoy about his plans...and she wasn't pleased.

"Tuesday's Child": A pastor giving a much-used (memorized) sermon solves a crime from the pulpit.

"Wednesday's Child": A little matter of dates is all it takes to prove whether a young woman really was the fiancee a now-dead rich young man.

"Thursday's Child": A man seeking mineral rights on a small Scottish island finds another secret hidden there.

"Friday's Child": A slick confidence man is done out of his expected coup by the mark's need for a drink.

"Saturday's Child": When a persistent policeman dogs his footsteps, an exhausted young doctor begins to wonder if he's done something illegal during a few periods of blackouts.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed the Cyril Hare mysteries I’ve read with the Detectives Group. He was a barrister and judge, writing detective stories under the Hare pseudonym - I’ve especially enjoyed the Francis Pettigrew mysteries we’ve read in 2022.

Pettigrew appears in a few of these short stories, which mostly deal with would-be swindlers or murderers with plans to blackmail, cheat, or murder their way out of trouble or into wealth, but Hare always provides a twist at the end, and the plans go awry. Sometimes the would-be villain learns a lesson and walks away, other times the tables are turned utterly, and the hunter becomes the hunted. Hare’s dry humor and sense of morality are very much in evidence - every story ends with an ironic twist! I admit, a couple didn’t make sense to me, as they were to do with betting, or some old technology that is no longer in use, but was key to the plot.

I enjoyed almost all of the stories, reading two or three a day, but would not recommend reading them straight through, or they would become to samey. As usual when reading short story collections, I wrote a brief synopsis of each story in my reading progress, to keep track of the plots and themes. Standouts for me were the chilling “Story of Hermione”, “Surprise for Christmas”, and “Sister Bessie or The Old Leech”. And I always enjoy reading about Pettigrew, or Hare’s other detective, Inspector Mallett.

[Les Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it disappointing

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 to 4

Quite difficult to rate this collection.
The stories were all easy quick reads with well sketched protagonists and entertaining twisty endings.
None of the stories were overly drawn out and perhaps that was a weakness with some of them. A bit more meat might have been nice.
I had read some of the stories quite some time ago and remembered those quite well.
You cannot say the author varied the basic story skeleton very much, he really only changed the clothes so to speak. But still they were entertaining read over the course of a week or so.
Reading the collection through in one go would probably only serve to highlight the commonalities more.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Best not read too close together as there's a predictability about these very short stories - the longest is probably no more than about ten minutes, many are much shorter so these really are brief little interludes/tea breaks. The most noticeable quality is Hare's typically sardonic vision which is, however, better served in his novels. Only one story (I think) features Francis Pettigrew which is a shame. And not all of them are 'detective stories'. A bit disappointing.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

These make very enjoyable light reading and many of them have interesting little twists. It is not a good idea to read too many at once as thay are fairly even in tone and have a certain predictability after a while.

The best are "Sister Bessie", "The Story of Hermione" and "Death of a Blackmailer", but all, even the shortest are worthwhile.

3.5 stars

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tidy short mysteries represent a clever mind that fashions a short sharp path to a satisfactory resolution. So many endings, each with a twist or turn that is Sherlockian. Cyril Hare was the pen name of a British lawyer and judge, Alfred Alexander Gordon Clarke who was born in 1900. I appreciate the style and ease of resolution, but not the dismissiveness. Each story feels like an anecdote. In an anthology, this would be an interesting sharp snap. In a collection, the stories become wearying and tedious, too much the same in style. Still, the tang is tangible and may suit other tastes better.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love good short stories — a strong writer can set a scene, create a memorable character and tell the story in a few short pages and the reader will remember with delight the satisfaction that he has gotten from spending just a little while reading.

That was truly my experience reading this book. It's why I try to nurse the book by Cyril Hare along and, sadly, read that last four-five stories in a rush. Every single tale was a delight!

From the two stories about confidence men who get their comeuppance, to the woman who attempts to shame her husbands lover, only to get shamed herself. It all begins "Where There is a Will ..." with a young man eager to gain his inheritance from an elderly relative and to escape to England — I won't tell you the twist in the end but it was just the beginning of these wonderful tales, nearly all that seem to be going for a certain ending, only to veer off into the unexpected.

This is the second book I've read by Mr. Hare and I have not been disappointed in either his book-length tale or the stort ones. I can hardly wait to continuing reading the works by Hare, otherwise known as Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark, who served as an English judge but made his name as a crime writer during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

"Where there's a will-" --
*Miss Burnside's dilemma --
Name of Smith (aka Blenkinsop's biggest boner)--3
*Murderer's Luck (aka The unluckiest murderer)--
The tragedy of young Macintyre --
*Weight and see --
"It takes two ..." --
Death of a blackmailer --
The old flame --
"As the inspector said ..." --
Death among friends --
The story of Hermione --
A surprise for Christmas --2
*The heel --
The rivals --
The ruling passion --
The death of Amy Robsart --2
I never forget a face --
*A life for a life --
The Markhampton miracle --
A very useful relationship --
Sister Bessie (aka Blackmail --with loving greetings) --3
*Line out of order --
Dropper's delight --
*Monday's child --
*Tuesday's child --
Wednesday's child --
Thursday's child --3
Friday's child --
Saturday's child --

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Where There's a Will---" - 4 Stars
Miss Burnside's Dilemma - 3 Stars
Name of Smith - 3 Stars
Murderer's Luck - 3 Stars
The Tragedy of Young Macintyre - 1 Star
Weight and See - 3 Stars
"It Takes Two..." - 3 Stars
Death of a Blackmailer - 4 Stars
The Old Flame - 3 Stars
"As the Inspector Said..." - 4 Stars
Death Among Friends - 4 Stars
The Story of Hermione - 4 Stars
A Surprise for Christmas - 3 Stars
The Heel - 3 Stars
The Rivals - 3 Stars
The Ruling Passion - 3 Stars
The Death of Amy Robsart - 3 Stars
I Never Forget a Face - 3 Stars
A Life for a Life - 4 Stars
The Markhampton Miracle - 2 Stars
A Very Useful Relationship - 3 Stars
Sister Bessie - 5 Stars
Line Out of Order - 3 Stars
Dropper's Delight - 2 Stars
Monday's Child - 2 Stars
Tuesday's Child - 4 Stars
Wednesday's Child - 4 Stars
Thursday's Child- 3 Stars
Friday's Child - 3 Stars
Saturday's Child - 3 Stars

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected short stories of a single author are almost always a mixed bag, with some being stronger than others and clear repeated themes and plot devices emerging. That was definitely true with this collection, but I still enjoyed it. I liked the twist endings and the fact that evildoers almost always got their comeuppance one way or another. Some of the stories were tragic, while others are tragicomic, and some are just comic. A great book for reading a few stories at a time before bed or in front of the fireplace.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started with stories which were all very alike. I was almost at the point of giving up on it, but then a few longer stories were included and that made it slightly more interesting. I have read the novels by this author and found that they were a lot better than these short stories. Hare seemed to get into his stride with a longer story to tell.

[Hilary Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories are enjoyable, many with a twist. Even though many of these are predictable, the excellent writing and construction make this forgivable, particularly in view of their era. Worth a second read!

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed several of Hare's detective novels. Cyril Hare was a pseudonym of Judge Gordon Clark, a County Court judge in England. He died in 1958. This collection of his short stories was first published in 1959.

This collection of 30 stories is divided into three sections, "Legal", "Murder", "Other Crimes" and "The Children". I enjoyed the "Legal" stories particularly. Hare enjoys finding odd or peculiar legal rules and using them to create a good twist at the end of a story.

"The Story of Hermione" is a three-page story with a wonderful wallop at the end. Several stories feature blackmail schemes. "Sister Bessie of Your Old Leech" is a clever twisty story about the blackmailed victim trying to solve his problem.

Hare does have a weakness for plots where a criminal meticulously plans a very clever murder or theft and then gets tripped up by an ironic event he didn't or couldn't have foreseen. "A Surprise for Christmas" is an excellent example of that basic plot.

This is a first-rate collection.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cyril Hare has been one of my greatest "discoveries" in my reading career (to use an overly grandiose word, but that's what it feels like). I had never heard of him until one of his books was nominated as a Shedunnit book club read, and I've since gone on to read everything he wrote except for one book that I am holding out very high hopes for.

I'm not really into detective short stories (and to be honest, most of these have no detective involved - they are mainly about well-laid criminal plans...gone wrong, in most cases, in deliciously ironic ways. There were also a few appearances by Francis Pettigrew and Inspector Mallett, two of his main characters, but these were actually not the best of the stories. I didn't necessarily enjoy all of the stories, but there were a few that made the book worth the price of admission and much more.

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cyril Hare wrote one of my all-time favorite, non-Agatha-Christie-Agatha-Christie books, An English Murder (sadly, to date its only adaptation is a Russian film; happily, it’s a good one.) So I expected this collection of his “best” short detective fiction to be pretty good. They’re great. Well-deserving of your time. In fact, if someone published Not Bad Detective Stories of Cyril Hare I’d move it to the top of my reading list. These mostly very short stories are very fun tales of crime and malfeasance with helluva endings, written in prose that is wry and crystal clear. Rather like Dahl, or at least they would fit in nicely with his Tales of the Unexpected. Highly recommended.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon suggested this book to me late last summer and, being only 99¢ I figured it was worth a try. It's a collection of short stories, all with a murder mystery bent. Most are only 5 to 10 minutes to read through, so they're a good fit for when you have just a short amount of time -- too much to comfortably sit twiddling your thumbs, but not enough to get into a longer book.

The stories were originally published -- or maybe just collected -- in 1959. One or two are a bit weird but all are well written and many feature a sort of "O Henry twist" at the end. Of course, after you read a few in a row, you'll begin to see where the twist is coming. Still, on the whole, they're satisfying reads.

[J. Rubino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Cyril Hare (the pseudonym of English judge and crime writer Alfred Clark,) but happened upon this volume of his short suspense stories.
Also published under the title "Death Among Friends", this is a collection of sly, suspenseful, often ingenious short mystery tales, many with a solid and sometimes nasty plot twist. As with any anthology, a few may be disappointing but overall this is a must for readers of mystery and suspense and certainly deserves to be more widely read.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for crime-fiction readers who like stories with a twist! Based on the concept that "The best laid plans of mice and man go oft astray," this is a collection of tales where what was meant to be a profitable crime was seriously derailed, often by some small incident. Like the young man who finds and then "accidentally" drops his wealthy aunt's current will into the fireplace. A will not so favorable to himself. Thinking he'd get everything, as the only relative, if his aunt died intestate, he discovered to his dismay that a previous will was now in effect.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever Short Crime Stories

I enjoyed these stories tremendously. They are curious little crime stories because there is no one hero detective. Each story is unique and each one has an interesting twist at the end, sort of like stories by Saki or O’Henry. I also liked that they didn’t revel in blood and gore. They’re just pleasant little stories.

[Alan Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable collection of stories. Felt like a grand feast composed entirely of canapés and hors d’oerves - bite-sized delectable tales of murder, and other crimes, with irony akin to O’Henry and clever logic in the realm of Conan Doyle.
The British perspective and time period from mid-century past adds to the interest for those so inclined.

[Craftyhj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written short story is a thing of beauty and some of these definite fit that. There is a subtlety to many of them which pulls the reader down one line, just to nonchalantly turn them in a different direction at the end. My personal favourite was probably "Miss Burnside's Dilemma".

I found this difficult to give a star rating to as some I loved and others not so much. A solid 3.5*.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Really "detective stories" is a bit of a misnomer. Many of the stories don't involve detection at all but rather are crime stories, some told told from the criminal's point of view and others relating tales to friends, often with little or no police involvement.

Hare shows a fine hand at irony in many of the stories.

[Maria Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant

Such a wonderful book. I love the stories and an happy to teach them several times. The author is compassionate in his approach and joy of joys justice usually prevails.