Suicide Excepted

Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark was born on the 4th September 1900 at Mickleham, Surrey, England.

Born into a traditional legal family, Clark studied history at New College, Oxford, before being called to the bar in 1924. He enjoyed a highly successful legal career, practicing in civil and criminal courts and eventually serving as a Surrey County court judge from 1950 until his death.

Clark began writing fiction at age 36, seamlessly integrating his impeccable, first-hand knowledge of British law into his intricate plots. His legal background heavily shaped his celebrated masterpiece, ‘Tragedy at Law’, which introduced his best-known recurring character, the brilliant yet underachieving barrister, Francis Pettigrew. His works are lauded for their witty, elegant prose, realistic legal procedures, and ingenious solutions. Though his writing career was cut short by an early death at age 57, he remains highly revered as an absolute master of the classic whodunit.

His pseudonym Cyril Hare was a blend of his home (Cyril Mansions) and his legal chambers (Hare Court).

Cyril Hare died on the 25th August 1958.