Tragedy at Law: An Inspector Mallett and Francis Pettigrew Mystery

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, ominous parcels, and suffer midnight attacks and attempts on his life, finally culminating in his murder outside the Criminal Courts. Until he meets his demise (a chapter or two from the end--an unusual step in a detective story), 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 characterisation, the characters deftly touched with real sympathy and empathy-the story is to the fore without diminishing the impact of the detection; and bamboozled by an ingenious and complicated plot relying on an obscure legal point, disclosed by the disillusioned and disappointed lawyer Francis Pettigrew, a most unlikely yet very human (anti) hero, who appeared in other detective stories by Cyril Hare.