Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Bantam (2003), Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:Only hours after Holmes and Russell return from solving one murky riddle on the moor, another knocks on their front door . . . literally. It�??s a mystery that begins during the Great War, when Gabriel Hughenfort died amidst scandalous rumors that have haunted the family ever since. But it�??s not until Holmes and Russell arrive at Justice Hall, a home of unearthly perfection set in a garden modeled on Paradise, that they fully understand the irony echoed in the family motto, Justicia fortitudo mea est: �??Righteousness is my strength.�?� A trail of ominous clues comprise a mystery that leads from an English hamlet to the city of Paris to the wild prairie of the New World. The trap is set, the game is afoot; but can Holmes and Russell catch an elusive killer�??or has the murderer caught them? BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Laurie R. King's Pirate… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stewartry
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
In the combined desire to reread the Holmes/Russell series and still hurry to get to Pirate King, I skipped two books: Letter of Mary I did not have, and O Jerusalem was a departure of setting and plotline, and took place a step out of time in the series, so that I felt
I know, but it really does make perfect sense. The timing and placement of the books in the series is actually quite brilliant planning, if planned it was – and if it wasn't, perhaps it's even more brilliant.
Once again, Holmes and Russell have only the briefest of respites from their travels before they are haled off on another urgent undertaking, to help another old friend in desperate need. Not a need for himself, but that of his closest friend, his all-but brother, who has found himself with no honorable choice but to leave the work he has loved and lived for for decades in the Middle-east to come back to England to play lord of the manor in his family seat, Justice Hall. It's a variation on a theme often played in historical and fantasy novels: the man who never expected to be heir. Marsh Hughenfort was the younger son, and his elder brother had a son – but upon the relatively early death of the brother and the mysterious death of the nephew somewhere on the frontlines of WWI, the title is his. The problem is that his near-brother believes it will kill him, and he wants Holmes and Russell to come and convince him he should shirk his duty and return to the desert. With a sigh (and some grumbling from Russell), the pair heed the call to investigate the nephew's death and, making no promises, to see what they can do in the matter of convincing Marsh to cede the title that will leave him a virtual zombie.
I loved this book. I loved the double lives – not only of the "guest" protagonists, but of Holmes and Russell (for nearly every case necessitates some degree of false face) and also of others in the cast. I loved the house, and its character; I blunder through that a little more below, but it takes a special gift for a writer to successfully depict a setting with personality without drifting into a fantasy lane. And most of all I loved the people, familiar and new (or altered), living and dead, who filled the story. Setting and characters are all imbued with their own lives and thoughts and business, into which the reader is privileged to be given a brief glimpse.
Justice Hall is an elegy to all that WWI destroyed – the innocence, the security, a generation of youth and promise gone or broken or soured to cynicism. At this distance of space and time it's hard to grasp the gaping wound the Great War left on England – hard, that is, without reading something like this. Here it all becomes much clearer – the chaos and the pain, and the ruination of so many lives. The waste.
I'm not sure this is going to come out as I want it to, but here goes. The book is also a testimony to what a lord should be, the classic ideal of the feudal establishment – the protector and pillar of his people. By this I don't mean shiny-faced happy peasants with their mattocks on their shoulders pulling forelocks to their lord and master as he rides haughtily by on his hunter, and later he sits down to a feast in his lofty hall while they eat their gruel in their hovel. That's not a model of anything except bad cliché. As such, as it is so often seen in fiction (and fact): the system is rife with abuse and advantage-takers, unfair to everyone except the "nobles" at the top of the pyramid. But here the reader is given a glimpse of a platonic ideal in which the family born to power respects it as well as those in its care, and uses the power and wealth of its position to ease life not only for its own immediate members but for its dependents. No one starves on the lands overseen by Justice Hall. The Hughenforts care for and look after their people, and their people in turn are proud of their allegiance to the Hughenforts – it's a beautiful symbiotic relationship. I wonder how often (if ever) this ideal was ever achieved in reality.
It is right and just that this is how it is here – because without the strength and desirability of the estate, there would be no conflict about its inheritance. The draw of Justice Hall is much more than simply familial duty or nostalgia for a childhood home. This book is a love story, on many levels … There is the unorthodox love between Russell and Holmes, of course. There is the filial love between the cousins, which will not allow Alastair to see Marsh core out the heart of him even for Justice Hall. Love of country – which is part of what has kept Marsh and Alastair away from England for so long, and why their nephew went willingly to his death, and why so many, one way or another, lost the lives they had before the war. And duty, that rare sort of duty not performed through mere obligation.
And, not least of all, there is the love that Laurie R. King has for her characters and her work. You can't produce something like this without loving what you do, and caring about the people who will read it. That makes itself felt. And is very much appreciated.
In the combined desire to reread the Holmes/Russell series and still hurry to get to Pirate King, I skipped two books: Letter of Mary I did not have, and O Jerusalem was a departure of setting and plotline, and took place a step out of time in the series, so that I felt
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safe leaving it out for the time being. (I will get back to it before long.) Such is the beauty of this series that it was perfectly possible to do so and still happily read this sixth book, which not only opens hours after Holmes and Russell return home from the adventures of the fourth book but also picks up the threads of the fifth book, which took place in the middle of the first. I know, but it really does make perfect sense. The timing and placement of the books in the series is actually quite brilliant planning, if planned it was – and if it wasn't, perhaps it's even more brilliant.
Once again, Holmes and Russell have only the briefest of respites from their travels before they are haled off on another urgent undertaking, to help another old friend in desperate need. Not a need for himself, but that of his closest friend, his all-but brother, who has found himself with no honorable choice but to leave the work he has loved and lived for for decades in the Middle-east to come back to England to play lord of the manor in his family seat, Justice Hall. It's a variation on a theme often played in historical and fantasy novels: the man who never expected to be heir. Marsh Hughenfort was the younger son, and his elder brother had a son – but upon the relatively early death of the brother and the mysterious death of the nephew somewhere on the frontlines of WWI, the title is his. The problem is that his near-brother believes it will kill him, and he wants Holmes and Russell to come and convince him he should shirk his duty and return to the desert. With a sigh (and some grumbling from Russell), the pair heed the call to investigate the nephew's death and, making no promises, to see what they can do in the matter of convincing Marsh to cede the title that will leave him a virtual zombie.
I loved this book. I loved the double lives – not only of the "guest" protagonists, but of Holmes and Russell (for nearly every case necessitates some degree of false face) and also of others in the cast. I loved the house, and its character; I blunder through that a little more below, but it takes a special gift for a writer to successfully depict a setting with personality without drifting into a fantasy lane. And most of all I loved the people, familiar and new (or altered), living and dead, who filled the story. Setting and characters are all imbued with their own lives and thoughts and business, into which the reader is privileged to be given a brief glimpse.
Justice Hall is an elegy to all that WWI destroyed – the innocence, the security, a generation of youth and promise gone or broken or soured to cynicism. At this distance of space and time it's hard to grasp the gaping wound the Great War left on England – hard, that is, without reading something like this. Here it all becomes much clearer – the chaos and the pain, and the ruination of so many lives. The waste.
I'm not sure this is going to come out as I want it to, but here goes. The book is also a testimony to what a lord should be, the classic ideal of the feudal establishment – the protector and pillar of his people. By this I don't mean shiny-faced happy peasants with their mattocks on their shoulders pulling forelocks to their lord and master as he rides haughtily by on his hunter, and later he sits down to a feast in his lofty hall while they eat their gruel in their hovel. That's not a model of anything except bad cliché. As such, as it is so often seen in fiction (and fact): the system is rife with abuse and advantage-takers, unfair to everyone except the "nobles" at the top of the pyramid. But here the reader is given a glimpse of a platonic ideal in which the family born to power respects it as well as those in its care, and uses the power and wealth of its position to ease life not only for its own immediate members but for its dependents. No one starves on the lands overseen by Justice Hall. The Hughenforts care for and look after their people, and their people in turn are proud of their allegiance to the Hughenforts – it's a beautiful symbiotic relationship. I wonder how often (if ever) this ideal was ever achieved in reality.
It is right and just that this is how it is here – because without the strength and desirability of the estate, there would be no conflict about its inheritance. The draw of Justice Hall is much more than simply familial duty or nostalgia for a childhood home. This book is a love story, on many levels … There is the unorthodox love between Russell and Holmes, of course. There is the filial love between the cousins, which will not allow Alastair to see Marsh core out the heart of him even for Justice Hall. Love of country – which is part of what has kept Marsh and Alastair away from England for so long, and why their nephew went willingly to his death, and why so many, one way or another, lost the lives they had before the war. And duty, that rare sort of duty not performed through mere obligation.
And, not least of all, there is the love that Laurie R. King has for her characters and her work. You can't produce something like this without loving what you do, and caring about the people who will read it. That makes itself felt. And is very much appreciated.
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LibraryThing member SandiLee
Although O Jerusalem, the previous installment in the Mary Russell series, takes place several years prior and a continent away, Justice Hall follows beautifully. We get to see the Hazr brothers again and as foreigners in their home country. I don't know how King makes such a sensational story feel
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realistic, but she does. I was grateful to be in the company of the Hazr brothers again and delighted with Iris, their unlikely third musketeer. Show Less
LibraryThing member sageness
Holy crap, this was wonderful. I both lost it laughing and actually wept, and I haven't cried at a book in ages. Happily, I was completely unspoiled for this, and I'm so glad for it. I think what I loved most is that this is a book about families and secrets and love FAR more than it's a whodunnit.
I love this SO HARD, OMG.
tag notes:
glbt interest tag: 1. awesome lesbian major character (Iris) in a 20-year relationship with a woman (Dan, short for Danielle)
2. and this exchange:
He [Holmes] smiled to himself. "It is a rather interesting variation on a marriage, is it not?"
[Russell:] "Do you mean Marsh and Iris, or all three of them?" [Meaning Mahmoud/Marsh, Iris, and Ali]
But his smile only deepened.
disability tag: minor character (Ben O'Meary) - positive portrayal, if brief.
Canada: transatlantic sideline to rural Ontario! (The geeky part of my brain that digs setting so hard was so, so happy.)
*happy sigh*
This book is, effectively, a dozen of my favorite things on a platter: mystery! strong female protagonist! Holmes! Mycroft! revisiting characters from earlier in the series -- continuity yay! gorgeously drawn settings! secret passages! ancient ruins! war story! awesome non-anachronistic women! queer people! friendly nontraditional marriages! hilariously-dealt with nosy children (without a shred of smarm)! nefarious intrigue both for ill and for justice! ancient scholarly library! creepy Biblical references! Action plots demanding action and travel and people thinking on their feet instead of sitting in chairs and thinking for 300 pages! And, like I said, a whole book full of people to get personally invested in! (Er, that's a bit more than a dozen. Yay? *g*)
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The mystery itself is well-done, but so many mysteries -- especially in the Holmes genre -- are exercises in "ha-ha, look how clever the detective is!" This book is great because Russell and Holmes aren't at all aloof from everyone else involved. They care deeply, and as a reader, you get invested in all of them, so that even if you do figure out who did it by the midway point (or earlier), the emotional payoff of the end is completely worth the journey.I love this SO HARD, OMG.
tag notes:
glbt interest tag: 1. awesome lesbian major character (Iris) in a 20-year relationship with a woman (Dan, short for Danielle)
2. and this exchange:
He [Holmes] smiled to himself. "It is a rather interesting variation on a marriage, is it not?"
[Russell:] "Do you mean Marsh and Iris, or all three of them?" [Meaning Mahmoud/Marsh, Iris, and Ali]
But his smile only deepened.
disability tag: minor character (Ben O'Meary) - positive portrayal, if brief.
Canada: transatlantic sideline to rural Ontario! (The geeky part of my brain that digs setting so hard was so, so happy.)
*happy sigh*
This book is, effectively, a dozen of my favorite things on a platter: mystery! strong female protagonist! Holmes! Mycroft! revisiting characters from earlier in the series -- continuity yay! gorgeously drawn settings! secret passages! ancient ruins! war story! awesome non-anachronistic women! queer people! friendly nontraditional marriages! hilariously-dealt with nosy children (without a shred of smarm)! nefarious intrigue both for ill and for justice! ancient scholarly library! creepy Biblical references! Action plots demanding action and travel and people thinking on their feet instead of sitting in chairs and thinking for 300 pages! And, like I said, a whole book full of people to get personally invested in! (Er, that's a bit more than a dozen. Yay? *g*)
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I do try to be sparring in handing out five stars--and I've read some really fine books lately. But this series is a favorite of mine, and this might be my favorite of the books yet. For those who don't know, the Mary Russell series is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. King created a female counterpart
It might have been best to read the books back to back, but I didn't feel like I'd missed a step. You know why I felt I had to give this five stars? Because from the first words I couldn't stop reading to the end and finished the same day. Because from the beginning I felt as if I had stepped into a bath and felt warmth suffuse through my body as I read the descriptions of Mary returning with Holmes. There are just so many elements done right. Sherlock Holmes is a delight to read, a highlight whenever he appears. The historical fiction side is convincing--this is set in 1923 and deals with World War I and its aftermath. I loved the theological and thematic elements woven in--in particular into "Justice Hall" one of those fictional great estates, like Pemberly or Manderley, that dominate a narrative, that is a character in a story. And the mystery--not brilliant in a Christie or Tey twist sort of way--but satisfying. And the book never insults your intelligence. I enjoyed the Stephanie Plum book I read, but soon decided she wouldn't wear well on me--too stupid to live characters don't amuse me. But the so very sharp Holmes and Russell, ah that's a great pleasure.
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and partner for Sherlock Holmes--a much younger, feminist Jewish American partner. Oh, so many ways it could have gone wrong! But I loved the first Mary Russell book I picked up in the middle of the series, A Letter of Mary, and eventually made my way to the first, The Beekeeper's Apprentice and made my way back up to this, the sixth book. It's been a while since I've read one of these--this is actually something of a direct sequel to the last, O, Jerusalem, and two characters central there, Ali and Mahmoud Hazr, are also central here. It might have been best to read the books back to back, but I didn't feel like I'd missed a step. You know why I felt I had to give this five stars? Because from the first words I couldn't stop reading to the end and finished the same day. Because from the beginning I felt as if I had stepped into a bath and felt warmth suffuse through my body as I read the descriptions of Mary returning with Holmes. There are just so many elements done right. Sherlock Holmes is a delight to read, a highlight whenever he appears. The historical fiction side is convincing--this is set in 1923 and deals with World War I and its aftermath. I loved the theological and thematic elements woven in--in particular into "Justice Hall" one of those fictional great estates, like Pemberly or Manderley, that dominate a narrative, that is a character in a story. And the mystery--not brilliant in a Christie or Tey twist sort of way--but satisfying. And the book never insults your intelligence. I enjoyed the Stephanie Plum book I read, but soon decided she wouldn't wear well on me--too stupid to live characters don't amuse me. But the so very sharp Holmes and Russell, ah that's a great pleasure.
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LibraryThing member Joycepa
Sixth in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.
Russell and Holmes have barely returned home to Sussex before they are startled by insistent knocking at their door. Russell opens the door--and Ali, one of the two “Arabs” with whom Holmes and Russell sojourned in Palestine, falls through the
Another excellent installment in the series. King is interested in World War I and the post-war era; she wrote a stand-alone book, Touchstone, that takes place during that period. The issue of British soldiers and officers being shot as deserters or cowards is a shameful one in British military history, and the plot makes full use of those abuses of power.
Naturally, there is opportunity for Holmes and Russell to don disguises in order to carry out their investigations; the ones in this book are particularly amusing.
This book has all of King’s strengths: good plotting, excellent characterizations, spare writing, and an exciting denouement. Highly recommended.
Russell and Holmes have barely returned home to Sussex before they are startled by insistent knocking at their door. Russell opens the door--and Ali, one of the two “Arabs” with whom Holmes and Russell sojourned in Palestine, falls through the
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door. This is a very different Ali--dressed in expensive Western clothing and wounded. After rest, Ali, clearly not an Arab (although both Russell and Holmes knew that before leaving Palestine), still invokes the bonds of Bedu brotherhood, asking their help in saving “Mahmoud”, the other Arab, who is in reality his cousin Maurice. Due to the childless death of his older brother, a duke, Mahmoud/Maurice suddenly inherited the title the family estate in Berhshire, Justice Hall. Both Ali (Alistair) and Maurice returned from Palestine to follow the call of duty; Maurice, however, having fled that life to begin with, is now drinking himself to death in order to bear the burden of a life he never wanted. Russell and Holmes accompany Ali to Justice Hall, where they find a much-changed Maurice and an intriguing mystery surrounding the death of Maurice’s nephew, who would have inherited the title, during World War I.Another excellent installment in the series. King is interested in World War I and the post-war era; she wrote a stand-alone book, Touchstone, that takes place during that period. The issue of British soldiers and officers being shot as deserters or cowards is a shameful one in British military history, and the plot makes full use of those abuses of power.
Naturally, there is opportunity for Holmes and Russell to don disguises in order to carry out their investigations; the ones in this book are particularly amusing.
This book has all of King’s strengths: good plotting, excellent characterizations, spare writing, and an exciting denouement. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
It's time for me to read these stories again, and they are worth the effort.
LibraryThing member Kathy89
I really enjoy the partnership aspect of Holmes and Russell. This story was a little to long but it was an interesting case involving the death of the heir to Justice Hall during WWI. The knowledge that he married and had a son was revealed rather easily by Russell & Holmes.
LibraryThing member RachelfromSarasota
Laurie King brings back Mary Russell and her famous husband, Sherlock Holmes, in this, the sixth book of the series. Holmes is allowed a little more latitude in this book than in the pair's previous adventures, though his character is still fairly shadowy -- a not unexpected King touch. King's
King displays a deft sleight of hand with her readers from the opening chapter, with the reappearance of two previous characters, Mahmoud and Ali, the Bedouin guides who last appeared in King's O JERUSALEM. This time the shoe is on the other foot -- Russell and Holmes are needed to help Ali and Mahmoud find the missing heir to an English fortune. Along the way the detectival duo stumble onto a dark family secret, involving both lines of legitimacy and homosexuality; are plunged into conflict with the British War Office in a case involving an execution for cowardice under fire; and have to save the long-lost heir from imminent death.
This book has a few more twists and turns than most of the Russell-Holmes series, and as a result it is a fast-paced and exciting read.
Highly recommended to fans of the series.
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awareness that she is treading on what, to most Holmes fans, is sacred ground, is evident in her determination to hew to a fine line with Holmes' participation in these books. He has fallen in love with a much younger and very independent woman, one as bright and capable as himself. But none of the books allow readers more than a glimpse of the pair's domestic arrangements, thus avoiding the conundrum of showing the normally aloof and always collected Holmes in the throes of passion.King displays a deft sleight of hand with her readers from the opening chapter, with the reappearance of two previous characters, Mahmoud and Ali, the Bedouin guides who last appeared in King's O JERUSALEM. This time the shoe is on the other foot -- Russell and Holmes are needed to help Ali and Mahmoud find the missing heir to an English fortune. Along the way the detectival duo stumble onto a dark family secret, involving both lines of legitimacy and homosexuality; are plunged into conflict with the British War Office in a case involving an execution for cowardice under fire; and have to save the long-lost heir from imminent death.
This book has a few more twists and turns than most of the Russell-Holmes series, and as a result it is a fast-paced and exciting read.
Highly recommended to fans of the series.
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LibraryThing member Darla
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are called to a country estate, the Justice Hall of the title, to find a way to convince an old friend to renounce his title and return to his life as a spy in Palestine. The book, then, is the story of Holmes and Russell uncovering the family's secrets, solving
By all rights, I shouldn't have liked this story. It's slow-moving, doesn't have a clear direction, the solution was almost too convenient, and yet...
This is a perfect example of how my reading tastes have changed over the past couple of years. I read all the previous books in this series in 2002--all the books that were out in paperback at the time. And either this one is much better than the others, or I'm looking for different things, because I felt the previous ones were all solid 4-star reads. That is, I felt they were entertaining, but not great. So of course I feel compelled to dissect the discrepancy in my opinions.
To be sure, the first books would likely still get lower ratings from me because the Holmes/Russell romance is so squick-ful. That age difference--what is, it? 40 years? 50?--is just way too hard for me to get past. This book focused much less on their relationship, for which I'm grateful. There was also a Mary-Sue-ish-ness to the earlier books. Mary Russell, as a very young woman, is so smart and so attractive that she entices the notoriously misogynistic Sherlock Holmes. Not only that, but despite her age, she's his equal in deduction.
Okay, maybe it wasn't a change in reading tastes--maybe it's just that now that the series has moved past getting the two of them together, I can ignore that part of it and just enjoy the story.
The pace was slow, but it was compelling. Even when nothing had really happened yet, I was still eagerly turning pages. King is a master at creating an atmosphere of intrigue. The characters were complete, interesting, and individual, and I cared about them.
I have the next one in my TBR pile. I'm looking forward to it.
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some riddles, and coming up with a viable heir so their friend will no longer be torn between duty and desire.By all rights, I shouldn't have liked this story. It's slow-moving, doesn't have a clear direction, the solution was almost too convenient, and yet...
This is a perfect example of how my reading tastes have changed over the past couple of years. I read all the previous books in this series in 2002--all the books that were out in paperback at the time. And either this one is much better than the others, or I'm looking for different things, because I felt the previous ones were all solid 4-star reads. That is, I felt they were entertaining, but not great. So of course I feel compelled to dissect the discrepancy in my opinions.
To be sure, the first books would likely still get lower ratings from me because the Holmes/Russell romance is so squick-ful. That age difference--what is, it? 40 years? 50?--is just way too hard for me to get past. This book focused much less on their relationship, for which I'm grateful. There was also a Mary-Sue-ish-ness to the earlier books. Mary Russell, as a very young woman, is so smart and so attractive that she entices the notoriously misogynistic Sherlock Holmes. Not only that, but despite her age, she's his equal in deduction.
Okay, maybe it wasn't a change in reading tastes--maybe it's just that now that the series has moved past getting the two of them together, I can ignore that part of it and just enjoy the story.
The pace was slow, but it was compelling. Even when nothing had really happened yet, I was still eagerly turning pages. King is a master at creating an atmosphere of intrigue. The characters were complete, interesting, and individual, and I cared about them.
I have the next one in my TBR pile. I'm looking forward to it.
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LibraryThing member ruby1
Here, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes meet up with the blood-thirsty Arab spies from "O Jerusalem", and they turn out to be British nobility. It is another terrific mystery laced with wit, intelligence, a tight sense of place, and elegant language. At one point, a soldier's diary records, "I was
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clotted with France, stinking of battle." Wish I'd written it. Show Less
LibraryThing member krsball
One of my favorite series. I really liked this book.
LibraryThing member LindaSuzane
JUSTICE HALL is the sixth book in the series about Sherlock Holmes and his wife Mary Russell. Yes, a much older Sherlock Holmes, now in his fifties, has taken on an apprentice and a wife, in the much younger Mary Russell. The stories are told from Mary's viewpoint, as she and Sherlock work together
This one reunites Mary and Sherlock with two former friends, but times find them much changed. When Mary and Sherlock knew them, they knew them as Ali and Muhammad, two Beduins who helped them travel through Palestine on a secret mission for Mycroft. At the time Sherlock had his suspicions that the two brothers were not originally Arab as they appeared. And indeed they were not. Now, Ali turns up on the door begging help for Muhammad and looking and sounding like a very proper English gentleman. The problem that Ali needs help with so desperately is the fact that circumstances have demanded that Muhammad resume his old life as Marsh Hughenfort and the death of the heir to the title has made him the seventh Duke. Mary and Sherlock travel to Justice Hall and find a very unhappy man determined to do his duty, even though being away from his beloved desert is killing him. When it becomes clear that they will not be able to change his mind, Sherlock and Mary set out to help by providing Marsh with support during the difficult time and begin investigating the rather suspicious death of the young heir, executed for cowardice during World War I, and the set out to prove whether or not Marsh's heir, the son of his brother, is actually his son. More and more mysteries enter and then someone tries to kill Marsh. And the game is afoot.
Laurie E. King has written another great addition to her rather improbable mystery series that takes a very much different look at Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is still the Sherlock we know and love and yet different. Mary is charming and a very unique modern woman, a true heroine. JUSTICE HALL is very worth reading.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, June 5, 2002.
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to solve cases.This one reunites Mary and Sherlock with two former friends, but times find them much changed. When Mary and Sherlock knew them, they knew them as Ali and Muhammad, two Beduins who helped them travel through Palestine on a secret mission for Mycroft. At the time Sherlock had his suspicions that the two brothers were not originally Arab as they appeared. And indeed they were not. Now, Ali turns up on the door begging help for Muhammad and looking and sounding like a very proper English gentleman. The problem that Ali needs help with so desperately is the fact that circumstances have demanded that Muhammad resume his old life as Marsh Hughenfort and the death of the heir to the title has made him the seventh Duke. Mary and Sherlock travel to Justice Hall and find a very unhappy man determined to do his duty, even though being away from his beloved desert is killing him. When it becomes clear that they will not be able to change his mind, Sherlock and Mary set out to help by providing Marsh with support during the difficult time and begin investigating the rather suspicious death of the young heir, executed for cowardice during World War I, and the set out to prove whether or not Marsh's heir, the son of his brother, is actually his son. More and more mysteries enter and then someone tries to kill Marsh. And the game is afoot.
Laurie E. King has written another great addition to her rather improbable mystery series that takes a very much different look at Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is still the Sherlock we know and love and yet different. Mary is charming and a very unique modern woman, a true heroine. JUSTICE HALL is very worth reading.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, June 5, 2002.
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LibraryThing member jennyo
This is the sixth book in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. King has accomplished a very unusual feat amongst mystery series authors; each of her books is better than the last.
Chronologically, this book follows the fourth one (The Moor), but it makes perfect sense to read this
This one also shows off Ms. King's fascination with architecture. I can picture Justice Hall perfectly from her excellent descriptions.
I'll admit that I figured out the "surprise" in this one quite early on, but it was still great fun to read. Holmes is in good hands with Ms. King, and Russell is as entertaining as Holmes himself. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in this series (The Game), but I intend to read Rudyard Kipling's Kim first since he's a major character in that book.
Chronologically, this book follows the fourth one (The Moor), but it makes perfect sense to read this
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book immediately following O, Jerusalem. I'd recommend reading those two back to back (not something I normally do with a series).This one also shows off Ms. King's fascination with architecture. I can picture Justice Hall perfectly from her excellent descriptions.
I'll admit that I figured out the "surprise" in this one quite early on, but it was still great fun to read. Holmes is in good hands with Ms. King, and Russell is as entertaining as Holmes himself. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in this series (The Game), but I intend to read Rudyard Kipling's Kim first since he's a major character in that book.
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LibraryThing member Capnrandm
Once I have managed to transplant myself someplace with more shelf space, I know all of the Marry Russell novels in hardcover will be moving in with them. Reading this book was a struggle for self-control, as I am simultaneously anxious to read faster, faster and find the resolution of the mystery,
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while at the same time I want to slow down and savor each subtle and delightful sentence. I look forward to the re-read, when the whip of mystery will be gone and I can simply relish the wonderful characters Laurie King has created. Mary Russell ranks next to Claire Frasier as one of my all time favorite heroines, capable, brilliant, passionate, and blessed with her own passions and pursuits alongside her husband’s. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
While mildly interesting, there wasn’t much of a mystery here. I haven’t read the previous book, so I’m sure that the new natures of the brothers weren’t as shocking to me as they would have been had I read it. But the shock kept being repeated between Holmes and Russell.
Now that is a
In the end, the elder brother is released from his ‘onerous duties’ as the titled head of the family. These duties are almost usurped by a fake son of the deceased lord and his mother. But in the end, the dead lord’s son was found to also have a son. He has been hiding in Canada with his mother who didn’t want anything to do with the family. In the end, she is won over (as only vast amounts of money can do with the morally indignant).
Now that is a
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strange thing – to picture Holmes married. I cannot conceive of him having so human a reaction to anything as would be required to sustain the bare minimum of a marriage. But Russell seems to be OK with his coldness and his lack of passion about anything except for solving mysteries and cocaine.In the end, the elder brother is released from his ‘onerous duties’ as the titled head of the family. These duties are almost usurped by a fake son of the deceased lord and his mother. But in the end, the dead lord’s son was found to also have a son. He has been hiding in Canada with his mother who didn’t want anything to do with the family. In the end, she is won over (as only vast amounts of money can do with the morally indignant).
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LibraryThing member NellieMc
Superb as usual, but don't read this until you've read O'Jerusalem.
LibraryThing member infjsarah
Excellent. I have to agree with most of the other reviewers - this is a step up from the previous 2 books. I am currently reading this series in chronological order and although enjoying it, I did feel less enthused by the previous two. But this one really works - yes it is unlikely and not
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particularly mysterious but somehow the characters really come to life in this - both the reinvention of Ali and Marsh and the new characters such as Iris. Very enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member mldavis2
Sixth is a list of (now) twelve pseudo-Sherlock Holmes mystery novels, Justice Hall upholds King's sense of character for Holmes while adding the growing expertise of Mary Russell, his young wife. King gets carried away at times with descriptions of rooms or environment, but she is a fine writer
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and continues to hold interest throughout the book. I give this one three and a half stars as a mystery (very good) and a must read for Sherlock Holmes fans, of course. Show Less
LibraryThing member rretzler
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes have been called upon by Ali Hazr, from O, Jerusalem, to aid him in convincing Mahmoud Hazr to return to the Middle East where they have been living for 20 years and working for Mycroft Holmes.
Mahmoud, whose real name is Maurice Hughenfort, has just become the 7th
I must say that as a lover of mysteries, I had deliberately stayed away from Laurie King's novels of an older Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, Mary Russell. Sure, I knew that the books were very popular, but really...an older Sherlock Holmes? ...with a female apprentice? I just couldn't imagine how a novel of that sort could even be good.
However, earlier this year, running out of ideas for really good authors of mystery series, I decided that I would give the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, a try. I was very delightfully surprised -- Laurie King's writing and her story really impressed me, and I quickly was ready for the second novel, then third, etc.
I have just finished the 6th in the series, Justice Hall, and I thought it was a really great book. I enjoyed the characters, Mahmoud and Ali Hazr, from O, Jerusalem, and was pleased to see them again, albeit in changed circumstances. Of course, it is a pleasure to read about Mary Russell, although the presence of Sherlock Holmes is as always a little too brief.
At first, although I certainly thought that it was a tragedy that Mahmoud would not return to the Middle East, I wasn't sure exactly what the mystery was. Even when the mystery was introduced, it was in such a subtle way, that I wasn't quite sure where the book would end up. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed that novelty.
In most mysteries, there is a dead body, the detective is called in, and then proceeds to figure out who the murder is and catch them. In many books, the list of suspects is narrowed down very quickly and you merely go along with the detective to track down clues. However, in Justice Hall, part of the mystery was actually determining that there actually was a mystery, and then in a sense determining whether there was actually a dead body to go along.
Much of this book deals with the aftermath of the events of the First World War, but King does so in a much different way from other writers, such as Jacqueline Winspear's Maisy Dobbs series. I think that is part of what makes this book so compelling to me -- seeing a different part of the history of World War I than I usually see in fiction.
I have to say that so far, this is probably my favorite Mary Russell novel to date, and I am greatly looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.
Mahmoud, whose real name is Maurice Hughenfort, has just become the 7th
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Duke of Beauville, due to the recent death of his brother, the 6th Duke, who left no heirs. Maurice feels honor bound to stay at the family estate as the Duke until a new heir can be found, giving up his life's work in the Middle East. I must say that as a lover of mysteries, I had deliberately stayed away from Laurie King's novels of an older Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, Mary Russell. Sure, I knew that the books were very popular, but really...an older Sherlock Holmes? ...with a female apprentice? I just couldn't imagine how a novel of that sort could even be good.
However, earlier this year, running out of ideas for really good authors of mystery series, I decided that I would give the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, a try. I was very delightfully surprised -- Laurie King's writing and her story really impressed me, and I quickly was ready for the second novel, then third, etc.
I have just finished the 6th in the series, Justice Hall, and I thought it was a really great book. I enjoyed the characters, Mahmoud and Ali Hazr, from O, Jerusalem, and was pleased to see them again, albeit in changed circumstances. Of course, it is a pleasure to read about Mary Russell, although the presence of Sherlock Holmes is as always a little too brief.
At first, although I certainly thought that it was a tragedy that Mahmoud would not return to the Middle East, I wasn't sure exactly what the mystery was. Even when the mystery was introduced, it was in such a subtle way, that I wasn't quite sure where the book would end up. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed that novelty.
In most mysteries, there is a dead body, the detective is called in, and then proceeds to figure out who the murder is and catch them. In many books, the list of suspects is narrowed down very quickly and you merely go along with the detective to track down clues. However, in Justice Hall, part of the mystery was actually determining that there actually was a mystery, and then in a sense determining whether there was actually a dead body to go along.
Much of this book deals with the aftermath of the events of the First World War, but King does so in a much different way from other writers, such as Jacqueline Winspear's Maisy Dobbs series. I think that is part of what makes this book so compelling to me -- seeing a different part of the history of World War I than I usually see in fiction.
I have to say that so far, this is probably my favorite Mary Russell novel to date, and I am greatly looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.
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LibraryThing member purlewe
Another fantastic Mary Russel book. I loved how she brought back Ali and Mahmoud. I wouldn't mind a few more books with those "Arabs."
LibraryThing member Krumbs
I quite enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful return to characters from O Jerusalem! and an intriguing mystery. I think this may have been the first one in this series where I saw what was coming but I didn't mind at all. The journey to the end was well done.
LibraryThing member nocto
I got put off this series after finding the last couple of episodes pretty tedious. That was over three years ago and for some reason, I'm not quite sure myself, I thought I'd give Mary Russell another chance. And I'm very glad I did because I really enjoyed this book.
Mary and Holmes get caught up
Hope the next books in the series are as fun as this one.
Mary and Holmes get caught up
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in untangling the inheritance of the seventh Duke of Beauville - in the beginning the plot seems pretty thin and there isn't really much mystery about it. It develops into a decent story though and I found it to be a good page turner towards the end. Hope the next books in the series are as fun as this one.
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LibraryThing member kewaynco
I finally had to give up on this series of books. I like to read fiction for entertainment primarily and to stimulate my thinking secondarily. Unfortunately this series became more like a heavy history tome and less entertaining and stimulating. One of the things I liked best about ACD's books was
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learning about history based on the actions of the characters. King's books are just too "preachy" about history. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
Quite probably my favorite of the Russell/Holmes books so far. Great characters, good plot with a nice healthy number of red herrings, and some good changes of scenery (though Justice Hall and Old Badger are two of the most delightful settings I've read in a long while).
LibraryThing member parelle
One of my favorite Mary Russell books, I think in part because of the wonderful continuation of characters from O Jerusalem - and the story of Gabriel.
Language
Original publication date
2002
Physical description
464 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0553581112 / 9780553581119
UPC
076783006997
Local notes
Mary Russell
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery King |