Justice Hall - Softcover

Laurie R. King

4.22

14,888 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 000711138X ISBN 13: 9780007111381

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003

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The latest in Laurie R King's hugely popular Mary Russell mystery series: `Beguiling variation on Sherlock Holmes sequels... civilized, ingenious and engrossing' - Literary Review Hours after Holmes and Russell return from solving the murky riddle of The Moor, a bloodied but oddly familiar stranger pounds desperately on their front door, pleading for their help. When he recovers, he lays before them the story of the enigmatic Marsh Hughenfort, younger brother of the Duke of Beauville, returned to England upon his brother's death, determined to learn the truth about the untimely death of the hall's expected heir... a puzzle he is convinced only Holmes and Russell can solve. It's a mystery that begins during the Great War of 1918, when young Gabriel Hughenfort, the late Duke's only son, died amidst scandalous rumors that have haunted the family ever since. While Holmes heads to London to uncover the truth of Gabriel's war record, Russell joins an ill-fated shooting party. A missing diary, a purloined bundle of letters, and a trail of ominous clues comprise a mystery that will call for Holmes's cleverest disguises and Russell's most daring journeys into the unknown... 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 they catch an elusive villain in the act of murder before they become his next victims?

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Review:

A lost heir, murder most foul, and the unexpected return of two old friends start Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes--spouses and intellectual equals--on an investigation that takes them from the trenches of World War I France to the heights of English society. In this sixth entry in Laurie King's award-winning series, fans will find the Baker Street sleuth mellowed by age and marriage yet still in possession of his deductive abilities and acerbic wit, and, in Mary Russell, a surprisingly apt companion for the legendary detective.

Justice Hall brings back two colorful characters from earlier in the series: Bedouins Ali and Mahmoud Hazr (now known as Alistair and Marsh), who last appeared in O Jerusalem. At their request, Holmes and Russell take up the trail of the doomed heir to Justice Hall, who has been executed for cowardice in the bloody trenches of France. As the detectives strive to make sense of his death and to locate another heir to the family title, an attempt is made on the life of the man who's soon to be welcomed as the new duke. Holmes and Russell soon realize something sinister is afoot, and that they must untangle a web of deceit to discover which of the many suspects is taking steps to shorten the line of inheritance. Once again, King's satisfying tale stays true to the spirit of Conan Doyle's original stories while extending them into new terrain. --Benjamin Reese

From the Inside Flap:

Dazzling readers and critics alike, Laurie R. King's bestselling mystery series featuring Mary Russell and her partner-in-crime Sherlock Holmes has been described by The New York Times as a ?lively adventure in the very best of intellectual company.?

Author of The Moor, The Beekeeper?s Apprentice, and O Jerusalem, King?the first writer since Patricia Cornwell to win the most prized mystery awards in both the United States and England for a debut novel (A Grave Talent)?brings back Russell and her famous mentor to solve a case that may prove their undoing.

Justice Hall

Just hours after Holmes and Russell return from solving the murky riddle of The Moor, a bloodied but oddly familiar stranger pounds desperately on their front door, pleads for their help, and then collapses. When he recovers, he lays before them the story of the enigmatic Marsh Hughenfort, younger brother of the Duke of Beauville, returned to England upon his brother?s death.Not until Holmes and Russell arrive in the village of Arley Holt can they fully understand Marsh?s dilemma.

For Justice Hall is a home of dizzying beauty and unearthly perfection, set in a garden modeled on Paradise. Russell longs for what it represents: permanence, history, the kind of roots that reach back for centuries. But Holmes senses the burdens echoed in the family motto, Justitia fortitudo mea est. And as Marsh seeks to live by the words, ?Righteousness is my strength,? he is determined to learn the truth about the untimely death of Justice Hall?s expected heir...a puzzle he is convinced only Holmes and Russell can solve.

It?s a mystery that begins during the Great War of 1918, when young Gabriel Hughenfort, the late Duke?s only son, died amidst scandalous rumors that have haunted the family ever since. While Holmes heads to London to uncover the truth of Gabriel?s war record, Russell joins an ill-fated shooting party. A missing diary, a purloined bundle of letters, and a trail of ominous clues comprise a mystery that will call for Holmes?s cleverest disguises and Russell?s most daring journeys into the unknown...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 they catch an elusive villain in the act of murder before they become
his next victims?

A brilliant blend of traditional Holmesian myth, startling originality, complex plotting, and unforgettable characters set against a fully realized early-twentieth-century world, Justice Hall will delight readers with a mystery as intelligent as it is engagingly devious.

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