Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Justice Hall

Book Review

Justice Hall by Laurie R. King.

This is the sixth novel in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.

This book resumes the timeline where it left off in the fourth book. The fifth book goes back to a time before Mary and Sherlock were married.

Now, jump forward again into the (slightly) more recent timeline. They have just finished up the mystery on the moor. That story references The Hounds of Baskerville a considerable amount.

This story references O Jerusalem a considerable amount. And that is because this story brings back those same characters, but five years later, and with a considerable twist.

Justice Hall

We are placed back into the timeline where Mary and Sherlock are married and have just come in the door from their mystery on the moor. They are given no chance to rest, before the next mystery arrives on their doorstep. Quite literally.

Their friend from O Jerusalem, Ali, requests their help in a disturbing domestic development with Mahmoud. This doesn't take them out of England, merely across it. And they aren't sent traveling great distances by foot this time. This is a domestic issue, both for Mahmoud and his family. But there are still mysteries to be solved and their outcome will determine the future of a Duke and his family.

Again I have found a Mary Russell story this draws me in and I like it.

I was surprised to see previous characters brought back from a previous novel. I wasn't immediately drawn into these characters of the past. At first I was irritated by subjecting previous characters to such a remaking of them. That seemed like too easy of a thing for a novelist to do. Easier than creating whole new characters. But, eventually, I came around. It works. I just hope there will be new characters in future books.

Fortunately, the characters are remade different enough that we don't see what is coming at us. There are a few twists along the way to keep things from being predictable. This is always nice.

Don't let the domestic nature of this story fool you. There is deception. There is greed. There is murder. There are attempted murders. Domesticity does not imply placidity.

This is another successful Russell and Holmes mystery that kept me reading. And I was glad I did. I enjoyed it. If you are enjoying the series, this is likely to prove worth your time.

No comments:

Post a Comment

We welcome your thoughtful comments.