Cyril Hare - Tragedy at Law

review by Ro Bennett on show 7th April 2011

This is another book chosen by PD James on the Ann Robinson show, 'My Life in Books'.
Cyril Hare is the pseudonym of Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark. He was born in Surrey in 1900 and practised law both in civil and criminal courts after being called to the Bar in 1924.The book is partly inspired by Cyril Hare’s own experiences as a barrister and judge.

This is the blurb from the back of the book: 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?

I found this last sentence rather misleading because it seemed that it was Mr Justice Barber’s wife and a young Marshal who were trying to protect the judge and find out who was behind all the apparent attempts on his life, not Pettigrew. However it’s an ingenious, convoluted plot with lots of twists and turns and the actual crime doesn’t happen until the end. In fact I had to read the last couple of chapters twice to understand it properly. It was very clever and I certainly couldn’t have guessed how it would end.

I absolutely love his style. As I read it I can hear the characters speaking in the clipped English accent of the 1940‘s. It’s beautifully written, dryly humorous story with believable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly read more of his books.

One reviewer wrote: "Tragedy at Law" is a delight: literate, funny and very well-informed. P.D.James's recommendation of Cyril Hare must have earned her the gratitude of thousands of detective story readers. Some modern crime writers are as clever as Hare, a very few are as literate, but none combines these qualities with wit as he does”
I heartily endorse this!

Ro Bennett