Justice Hall

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

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.

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?

©2002 Laurie R. King (P)2003 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"A spellbinding mystery...superb." (The Washington Post)
"Consistently smart and poignant...[Conan Doyle] would probably approve." (Chicago Tribune)
"Audacious...Mary Russell is never less than fascinating company." (Los Angeles Times)

Excellent reader and story

This is one of the best audio books I've listened to. A wonderful reader; deft, understated, but dramatic, with both male and female voices sounding just right. The story itself is a wonderfully intricate tale, with powerful images and compelling characters. I'm saving this one to listen to again!

Much loved books, nice to hear them fleshed with a voice

I love these books, and I'm enjoying listening to them after having read the whole series several times. The narrator is really great, and does a wonderful job with the characters; however, I can't listen a moment more without saying that every single one of her American accents are very southern in sound...almost Texan sometimes. This does make it a little difficult to buy into the American characters as three dimensional. Still, the stories are amazing and have a lot of depth that is rare to find in a series. Every one is worth a listen.

Swept Away

The details of the Hall, the People who inhabit it and whom it inhabits along with the tensions and twists of the story make this an enjoyable listen. Outstanding narration/storytelling.

Book six is another 5 star read Kings series

Justice Hall is book 6 in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. It is my favorite to date. The book takes place at an immense country estate, known as Justice Hall. Russell and Holmes have been brought there by their friend Alistair John Hughenfort who is concerned about the welfare of his cousin, Marsh Hughenfort, the Seventh Duke of Beauville. We first met Alistar and Marsh, then known as the bedouin brothers Ali and Mahmoud Hazr, in book 5: O Jerusalem!, which took place 5 years earlier in Palestine.

Marsh has returned from his nomadic life in Palestine following the death of his brother, Henry, to do his family duty and serve as the Duke. It is not his choice, but his familiar duty. Not all family members are thrilled with Marsh’s return. There is a question of a possible heir, a young boy living in France with his mother and whom no one in the family has ever met. His alleged father is Lionel, one of Marsh’s brothers. His existence is suspicious in many ways, not least of which is Lionel’s “flamboyant disinterest in women”. Before long another possible heir is on the horizon. A young boy born to Gabriel, son of Marsh’s oldest brother, Henry. Gabriel was executed under suspicious circumstances during the war and his war diary tells of a romance with a young Canadian nurse.

Traveling from England to France to Canada, Russell and Homes conduct interviews, research documents and follow clues all while evading harm, in an effort to determine who is the real Hugenfort heir. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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fun indulgence

I love this series and this episode was very engaging. A bit of distraction from the world with fun characters.

Never liked Sherlock before this...

If you could sum up Justice Hall in three words, what would they be?

Mary Russell Shines!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Mary Russell character adds such superb depth to what could be just another English murder mystery series. Laurie H. King crafted the Mary Russell character so she doesn't always follow the rules of the times. Her partnership with Holmes and her own sharp mind allows her to move through the world in genius disguises. The character is bigger than live, tough, independent and as smart as he. What could be better?

Any additional comments?

The series is full of wonderful history, it is truly riveting, and Jenny Sterlin is an amazing performer. Cudos to all involved!!!

Intriguing

I have loved all of Laurie R King’s books, but this one is my absolute favorite so far!

Well done

I enjoy King's extension of the Holmes story very much. This happens to be one of my favorites of the series, revisiting as it does two characters I loved from an earlier novel, Ali and Mahmoud. Other reviewers complain that the book is uneventful, though perhaps they are misremembering Holmes stories as proceeding like James Bond novels. King doesn't rush the story's progression, certainly, but most readers will enjoy the slow building of tension and the sudden revelation of relationships, motives, and crime. The excerpts from the diary of a young soldier are fascinating. As for one reviewer's dismissal of the story as "unbelievable" because two Englishmen pass as Arabs, I wonder why they would bother with a spy/detective novel at all. Besides, there are plenty of people in the world who speak more than one language fluently, and who are at home in more than one culture.
My only quibble with this otherwise excellent performance was the narrator's rendition of a Canadian accent. One character in the novel is supposed to be from Toronto, but sounded like a speaker from Tennessee trying to imitate the speech of Manhattan.

Really well done!

I first read this book without having read the first 5, so I thought it was well done, but perhaps not great. However, after reading this as part of the series - I find this book to be fantastic! And the characters are amazing! Read the whole series, if you can - so it will make more sense. Audible is missing 2 of the series, currently, and they are well worth a trip to the bookstore! Great book!

Pleased with this one

I am a fan of the Mary Russell books and was very pleased with this one. It follows characters introduced in O Jerusalem. I highly reccommend it.