Tragedy at Law follows a very important High Court judge, Judge Barber, as he moves from place to place presiding over cases in the Southern England area. When an anonymous letter arrives for the judge with a warning.

A Francis Pettigrew mystery - It is the Second World War and the Blitz has forced the evacuation of various Government offices from London. Francis Pettigrew accompanies his ministry to the distant seaside resort of Marsett Bay where the civil servants must make the best of their temporary home. A lighthearted game of 'plan the perfect murder' starts and Pettigrew remains detached from the silliness - until a real murder happens.

Who killed solo violinist Lucy Carless during a concert by the Markshire Orchestra? Was it her first husband? Or her second? Womanizer Bill Ventry? Or perhaps the clarinetist and fellow Polish émigré, Zbartorowski, with whom she'd had a violent argument? "A plot compounded of musical knowledge, a Dickens allusion, and a subtle point in law is related with delightfully unobtrusive wit, warmth, and style." - The New York Times

1981, mass market paperback reprint edition (of a work first published in 1954 - aka THE YEW TREE'S SHADE), Perennial Library / Harper & Row, NY. 222 pages. Cyril Hare wrote wonderful British mystery novels, featuring clever characters and solid writing. This particular title has been called delightfully entertaining. Mr. Pettigrew and his wife have settled into country society. Until one day one of his neighbors, a sweet old dear, is murdered. Yikes!

A delicious mystery of a haunting childhood nightmare and a vanishing murder victim, Untimely Death will enthrall Inspector Mallett and Francis Pettigrew fans. While on holiday with his wife, Pettigrew stumbles upon a body on the moor, but when he returns with help, the body is nowhere to be found. Originally published in 1958.