Tragedy at Law

By: Cyril Hare

Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell

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 favorite 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?

©1942 Cyril Hare (Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark) (P)2019 Tantor

Definitely not Rumpole!

This is a mildly interesting relic from the 1940’s. The many statutory details are somewhat tedious, and the composition long and arduous. Worst of all is the narration. I guess this person was trying to sound authentic by delivering the story as if it were a colorless law tome. They (singular) succeeded.

Starts out slow but worth sticking with.

I’ve never met a motive quite like that one. It was quite twisted and would take an old English lawyer to figure out.

A neat point of law and an interesting setting

I enjoy reading books set between the world wars. They show a life that’s become ever more foreign and thus fascinating. This one is full of the details of English circuit courts in the first years of WWII. Terrible lodgings, peculiar customs, wigs, a mix of personalities jammed together, and a judge who collects enemies results in an interesting mystery. The perpetrator was a real surprise. Unfortunately the narrator drones and makes the book feel tedious instead of leisurely and dryly funny. It helps to speed up the audio.

Too Bad Only 2 Pettigrew Books are Available

Ok, I admit it. This one gathered cyber-dust in my audio library for quite a time before I decided to listen. I find Chris MacDonnell's delivery takes some getting used to. And in audio form, longer mysteries are something of a challenge for me, too (remembering that vital clue from 14 chapters and 7 hours ago? Good luck.) But Cyril Hare is one of my favorite mystery writers, and he does not disappoint.

Here we have a mystery story that's also a good story in and of itself. We meet Frances Pettigrew, a man whose legal career may be less than successful but who remains buoyant, in a worldly-wise way, both in court and after hours. He's an attractive character, and he's surrounded by others who are equally engaging, if not quite so attractive.

The writing is, as usual with Cyril Hare, superb. And Chris MacDonnell does a great job, too. I'd only suggest that you speed him up a bit (1.15x worked for me); his pace may be the reason another reviewer found this one a bore.

BORING!

Do not think this is in the same caliber as Cyril Hare's ' An English Murder'. This isn't worth time or money.

Boring

The writing is pedantic and dated and the story wanders along with little to hold the readers attention. If I had been reading a printed version I’d have thrown it away against a wall unable to read more. In the end I gave it another try but with the same result. I’d have given it fewer stars but was impressed with the vocabulary. The narrator was a poor choice as his slow reading as though to a child was irritating and furthered the boredom.