Hare, Cyril - Tragedy at Law (1942)

Review by Nick Fuller

5/5

Someone obviously agreed with Mr. Justice Barber’s statement that “the reckless motorist…is better out of this world,” for, having hit a man — but not killed him - Mr. Justice Barber began to receive anonymous death-threats, poisoned chocolates and ominous parcels, and suffer midnight attacks and attempts on his life, culminating in his murder outside the Criminal Courts. Until he meets his demise, however, the reader is entertained by the background of the life led by a Circuit Judge, surrounded by ritual; enthralled by the amusing and vivid characters, deftly touched in with genuine sympathy (the story is to the fore without diminishing the impact of the detection); and bamboozled by an ingenious and complicated plot relying on an osbucre legal point, disclosed by the disillusioned and disappointed lawyer Francis Pettigrew, a most unlikely, yet very human, (anti)-hero.

Tragedy at Law introduced for the first time Francis Pettigrew, a disappointed and unsuccessfuly attorney. He is paired professionally with Inspector Mallet of Scotland Yard, and clash they do. Pettigrew, who has little liking for the police or detection, finds himself involved and at odds with Mallet. This book in particular is extremely interesting in the fact that the entire plot revolves around a very obscure legal point, one that doesn't truly come to light until the very last pages of the book.

The book highlights six months in the life of Judge Barber and his wife, as well as the subordinates who surround him, as he goes through the countryside hearing cases. He is involved in an accident that haunts him and threatens to end his career, as well as multiple death threats. There are twists and turns, and although a read herring appeared halfway through the book, the guilty party is not revealed until 3-4 pages from the end.

Tragedy at Law is considered one of the Hare's classics, and a must read for anyone who has not done so.

Anita

I have tried to read Tragedy At Law (1942), but without much success. Many people regard this as Hare's best novel. Its suffocating depiction of endless ancient English legal rituals leaves me cold. The legal society it depicts is as oppressive, meaningless and traditional as Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast. Hare's characters are also truly unpleasant, including the new sleuth the book introduces, lawyer Francis Pettigrew.

Mike Grost