Friday, December 4, 2015

Friday Forgotten (or Overlooked) Books: Four by Hare

I've recently discovered the books of Cyril Hare, aka Alfred Gordon Clark .  If you know my style, you won't be surprised to learn that I acted with my usual reckless abandon. Hare immediately zoomed into favored status in Yvette Land and I'm hoping to read every mystery of his that I can find. In the meantime, here are the four I've read and recommend:


1) THE WIND BLOWS DEATH(1949) aka When the Wind Blows

The mystery of the disappearing and reappearing clarinetist during a concert, obfuscates the murder of a visiting violinist moments before a major performance.This is the baffling problem facing the police and barrister Francis Pettigrew, author Cyril Hare's charming amateur sleuth. Pettigrew is plunged into the mix by his status as honorary treasurer of the Markshire Orchestral Society, a post he only reluctantly has accepted and see what comes of it. Now that he's on the scene, he might as well go ahead and help solve the murder.

I gave the book 5 Stars, so I must be in agreement with whoever it was that listed this as one of the 100 best mysteries ever written.

Belated apologies to John and Ron who correctly corrected me on my initial confusion re: the who and the where of the murder. I went back to the source, which I should have done immediately. Thanks, guys. 

2) AN ENGLISH MURDER (1951)

Who murdered Lord Warbeck's heir? The victim had Fascist leanings so I say, well deserved, but still one cannot allow killers to vent unchecked. This is a murder that takes place over Christmas at a snowed-in country house peopled with the usual cast of eccentric upper crust Brits with problems (I know, what more could you ask for?). This is the perfect story to cuddle up with in front of a roaring fireplace (real or pretend) during the holidays.

4 Stars.


3) SUICIDE EXCEPTED (1939) 

Police Inspector Mallett is on holiday at Pendlebury Old Hall Hotel when a fellow guest, Leonard Dickenson, is found dead - suicide the probably cause. The night before, Mallett had had an odd conversation with Dickenson wherein the man revealed that the rather shabby hotel had once been the family home. Moreover, Dickinson had seemed despondent and gone on at length about death and other assorted grimness. Not a fun evening for Inspector Mallett. Hence, the Inspector is inclined to accept the coroner's verdict of suicide. But he has second thoughts once he meets the Dickenson family who are at daggers drawn over the idea that suicide will nix the large insurance payment they were expecting.

I gave this one 3 Stars because I didn't like anyone in the story except Mallett. Still, the ending was a clever surprise.


4) WITH A BARE BODKIN (1946)

Set during WWII, this is the first book to feature barrister Francis Pettigrew who has been sent to ply his legal talents on behalf of the Pin Control Ministry (?). A faction of government which has been relocated to the seaside resort of Marsett Bay in the north of England. (I never did figure out what the Pin Control Ministry actually was and what they did but got the feeling this was Hare being satirical about government pettiness and let it go at that - assorted pin business being rather droll to read about.) Anything in aid of the war effort.

Here we're introduced to a disgruntled group of civil servants busy shuffling papers around while indulging in office gossip and spite and putting up with over-crowded accommodations - a nice cast of suspects when murder strikes. The crime itself is tantalizingly close to a locked room mystery event and it's up to Pettigrew (with the help of Mallett who shows up mid-book) to save the day for the Pin Ministry.

3 Stars.

I like Cyril Hare's deliciously serene style of writing, his devious plotting and his knowledge of British law which comes in handy. Though not as prolific as other Golden Age mystery writers, Hare certainly deserves to have his work read, remembered and/or discovered. I plan on getting my hands on more of his books in the new year.

Michael Edwards and Philip L. Scowcroft have a nicely done tribute to Cyril Hare, his life and work, at this link.

Friday is Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book day over at author Patricia Abbott's blog, Pattinase. So don't forget to check in and see what other forgotten or overlooked books other bloggers are talking about today. 

21 comments:

  1. Yvette, I have a feeling that I have come across Cyril Hare's book (or books) at book exhibitions. "An English Murder" looks all too familiar. Thanks for reviewing these four mysteries.

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    1. You're welcome, Prashant. Next time you see a Cyril Hare book, buy it!!

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  2. I like Cyril Hare a lot. I discovered him back in the 1970s and 1980s when I worked in Boston. There was a Barnes and Noble that had tables of discounted books, many of them Perennial mysteries. I hadn't heard of are, but I liked the covers. I've read eight of his books, two of those that are on your list. I think it's time to read more!

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    1. I love discovering vintage authors - a fun past time. :) Many of them are better left forgotten, but so many more are wonderful and just waiting to be re-discovered. There's just something about these old books that appeal to me at this time of year, especially.

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  3. I just finished AN ENGLISH MURDER and thought it was a pretty thin story, existing mainly for the unusual motive. Not bad, but not as great as Hare's masterpiece, TRAGEDY AT LAW. If you still have that one left to be read, you're in for a treat.

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    1. Oh, it's not brain surgery, Graham. But I enjoyed it anyway. Funny you should mention TRAGEDY AT LAW - I ordered it just yesterday from Abe Books. Looking forward to it.

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  4. I've read only the first one and according to my notes (intended for a blog post that never happened) the murder victim is killed in her dressing room just before she goes on stage. The murder is not done while she's in the orchestra playing. Found this in my notes: "...didn't care for the bitchy and bastardy way most of the characters talked to each other. Lots of cruelty and ridicule." Guess I was in a low period because this is usually not something I react to strongly unless I'm feeling down. Maybe that's why I can barely remember the book at all. Most interesting part of the book was the info about whether or not clarinets appear in the score of the pieces played at the concert. There are a lot of musical clues and things that musicians would appreciate in this detective novel. It hasn't inspired me to read more Hare, however.

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    1. No, the victim dies in the orchestra during a concert. You must have mixed up your notes. I don't remember much about this book because I'm old and decrepit and my memory sucks, but I do remember the murder scene. It has to be during the performance because a Mozart expert would know the who and the why and otherwise that major clue wouldn't work. However, that being said, I could be wrong. But I don't think so.

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    2. ...as for the bitchiness quotient, I didn't notice it or maybe I was not paying attention. :)

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  5. I'm sold. After discovering Josephine Tey recently and falling head over heels for her cozies (something I thought I'd never do), this guy Hare sounds cut from the same cloth.

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    1. Well, he's not as brilliant as Josephine Tey - but who is? However, I'm enjoying Hare's books enormously, Mathew. I hope you'll try a couple. If you like 'em, let us know. If you don't, well, write about the why of it anyway. :)

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  6. I think I mentioned to you recently that the only Hare I'd read was THE WIND BLOWS DEATH but couldn't remember much about it. Your quick summary jogged my mind, and a look at my records - such as they are - showed I gave it a top rating, as did you. Now I may try another. Thanks for this 5-in-1 review!

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    1. You're welcome, Richard. I really enjoyed THE WIND BLOWS DEATH and I do wonder why I'd never heard of it before. Though I think I had heard of Cyril Hare's name but had just not ever run his stuff down. Now I'm glad I finally did.

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  7. I thought I had read all of Cyril Hare's books, now I am not so sure. But I do have copies of all of them. The two I read most recently (AN ENGLISH MURDER and WITH A BARE BODKIN) I enjoyed. TENANT FOR DEATH, his first book(?) and an Inspector Mallett, I did not like as well.

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    1. Haven't read TENANT FOR DEATH yet, Tracy. But these four other Hares I've read were very enjoyable. I think the thing with some of these vintage authors is that you have to be in the right mood to read them. Does that make any sense? Lately I seem to be craving vintage more than usual. Go figure. :)

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  8. Sorry Yvette. In THE WIND BLOWS DEATH the victim is killed in her dressing room. It is a suspect who disappears from the midst of the performance.

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    1. Yep, yep, you guys were right. I was wrong. And worse, I was stubbornly convinced I was right.
      Apologies.

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  9. Nos. 1 and 2 sound like my cup of tea. I'm going to give them a try, and hope to find them as good as you do!

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  10. I hope you do, Becky. And I hope you'll like them as much as I do. :)

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  11. Sounds interesting, but I'm stuck in England in J.K. Rowling/Richard Galbraith's third book, Career of Evil. And it's a long book and quite wordy, not one to speed through. Quite brutal, but Rowling is a very smart woman and has a lot to say.

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    1. Just add them to your ever-growing list, Kathy. :) I loved all of Rowling's Galbraith books. Yes, this last one was especially gruesome, but it was bearable and as you say, Rowling is a 'very smart woman and has a lot to say.'

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