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    Justice Hall: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Justice Hall: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Justice Hall: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Audiobook16 hours

    Justice Hall: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

    Written by Laurie R. King

    Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Only hours after Holmes and Russell return from solving one 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 leads Holmes and Russell from an English hamlet to fashionable Paris to the wild prairie of the New World. But as the moment of reckoning approaches, will justice be done.or have they been lured straight into an elusive killer's perfectly baited trap?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 5, 2003
    ISBN9781436112314
    Justice Hall: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Author

    Laurie R. King

    Laurie R. King is the Edgar Award–winning author of the Kate Martinelli novels and the acclaimed Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes mysteries, as well as a few stand-alone novels. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the first in her Mary Russell series, was nominated for an Agatha Award and was named one of the Century’s Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. A Monstrous Regiment of Women won the Nero Wolfe Award. She has degrees in theology, and besides writing she has also managed a coffee store and raised children, vegetables, and the occasional building. She lives in northern California.

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    Reviews for Justice Hall

    4/5

    633 ratings40 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Classic Mary Russell! I enjoyed the return of Mahmoud and Ali, and there were a few passages in the middle that almost brought me to tears. As always, Jenny Sterlin shines as the narrator. It’s gotten to the point where I can hear her voice narrating even when I’m reading my physical copies of Mary Russell books.
    • 5/5
      Justice Hall is possibly - maybe - my favourite Mary Russell book to date. It didn't start that way, but by the end I was sad to leave the Hall and its inhabitants. I was ambivalent about Mahmoud and Ali in O Jerusalem so their re-appearance didn't thrill me at the beginning of Justice but by the end I was quite attached and found them endearing. I also loved Iris; I'd love to see her pop-up again in future books. As always, I could have used more Sherlock. As I write this, I find myself downgrading my review from 4.5 to 4 stars, because as I look back on it, the mystery itself, the whodunit plot, felt awkward. By the end, it sort of felt like the author just randomly chose the villain to keep the solution from being obvious from the beginning. The wrap up at the end also left a lot of loose threads: were there any consequences, good or bad, for the Darlings? They seemed to have just disappeared, and I'd have liked to have known more about how the changes affected them. But overall, it was a fantastic story of the murder-at-the-English-country-estate type. The WWI letters were heartbreaking and difficult to listen to; the author certainly had to have done some extraordinary research to achieve this level of verisimilitude. I'm looking forward to staring the next one on audio (although I'm taking a break for a Halloween season audio).
    • 2/5
      I love this series but I just didn't care for this one at all.
    • 5/5
      Holmes and Russell have just returned home after their adventures on Dartmoor and are hoping for some quiet time when a knock at the door brings an old friend with a huge problem. Holmes and Russell met Ali Hazr in Palestine four years earlier. Now they are seeing him in his other identity as Alistair Hughenfort.Ali has come to beg for their help in rescuing his brother Mahmoud from a future that he doesn't want. As the second son of the Duke of Beauville, he wasn't expected to ever inherit the dukedom and the tremendous responsibility and the weight of family tradition. However, his brother's heir nineteen-year-old Gabriel died during World War I and his brother died soon after. Ali wants Sherlock and Mary to c.onvince Marsh Hughehfort to abdicate in favor of another heir so that they can resume their lives in Palestine as Mycroft's agents. Marsh is not happy with his new responsibilities. In fact, Mary likens him to a man who is just waiting to die. But his long family history won't let him abandon those who depend on him. He does have questions though. Was his nephew executed for some sort of military crime? And if he was, who engineered his death? And, did his brother Lionel really marry and have a child who could be a new heir?As Mary and Sherlock investigate Gabriel's death, they discover all sorts of questionable things from missing records to unexplained transfers. As they dig deeper it becomes clear that someone engineered young Gabriel's death. And, after a hunting accident that could have killed Marsh, it is clear that the manipulator isn't finished with his crimes. This story ranges from Justice Hall to London to Paris and to a small town outside of Toronto as Mary and Sherlock investigate this complex conspiracy. The setting and time period are so well drawn that they feel real. The aristocratic lifestyle of Justice Hall is already showing some cracks as the results of World War I and the loss of so many young men are making for great changes in the culture.The descriptions were so detailed both for Justice Hall and for Ali's home. The characters were complex. Although we don't ever meet Gabriel we get to know him through the memories of those who did know him and through his diaries and letters. There are many secrets and startling revelations in this story which adds to the excitement and to the mystery. It was a compelling story both as a mystery and as a window into a time long gone.
    • 4/5
      The best in the series...so far
    • 3/5
      Although not a sequel to a previous book in the Mary Russell series, O Jerusalem, this book does include two of its Arab brothers and traveling companions in Jerusalem, Mahmoud Hazr and the younger Ali Hazr. Although their early relationship has a rocky start, the two soon learned to respect Holmes and Mary Russell.When this book opens, Holmes and Russell have recently returned from their latest adventure and are resting at home only to be interrupted by a loud pounding on their front door and discovers it to be Ali Hazr. Shortly, the investigative duo discover that Ali and Mahmoud are actually English aristocrats, Alistair Hughenfort, and his cousin Marsh, who has recently returned from the Middle East to assume his position as the the seventh Duke of Beauville. Already tiring of this responsibility, Ali has asked Holmes and Russell to find Marsh's younger brother's son to replace him as next in line. Marsh's younger brother apparently died in WWI from pneumonia shortly after marrying an ambulance driver who became pregnant before he died.Of course, as Holmes and Russell begin their investigation at Justice Hall, Marsh's ancestral home they quickly discover that events are not quite what they seem. Additionally, their investigation leads to an attempted murder by one of the guests visiting Justice Hall.I listened to this book as an audiobook. It is probably best to read this one rather than listening to it. At times, the plot plodded along and I found it difficult to maintain my attention. However, I did enjoy that Russell took much more of the pages limelight and got to learn about this character.
    • 5/5
      Another Stunner by Ms. King, she always keeps me hooked. Believable, Russell is the natural evolution for Holmes from Watson.
    • 5/5
      This is absolutely my most favorite series ever! Every book in the series is fantastic-5 star! If you like Sherlock Holmes, you have to read this pastiche. It's the best one I've read yet.
    • 3/5
      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 learning about history based on the actions of the characters. King's books are just too "preachy" about history.
    • 4/5
      A good book but O Jerusalem, the previous book in the series, is a hard act to follow. It was great to see Mahmoud and Ali again but I wanted the backdrop of Palestine.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I had just read O Jerusalem and it was fun having the two characters continue in such a different setting. I couldn't put it down.
    • 3/5
      Brings back some characters from O, Jerusalem, tying things together nicely.
    • 5/5
      My favorite so far in the series. It's just - right. Justice.
    • 5/5
      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. 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*)
    • 5/5
      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).
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable read. The writing was superb, the historic events that inspired the plot were heartbreaking and beautifully handled, but I felt like a lot of literary cheating went on to allow the tidy conclusion. When learning to write fiction, one thing I hear over and over again is that using coincidences to further your story is dangerous, and using them to provide a conclusion is unforgivable. While the events that allowed this story to wrap up were not strictly coincidences, they had a bit of that essence about them and the epilogue was just over the top.

      The strength of the book lies in the characters, chiefly the protagonists. Somewhat unusual for the Mary Russell books I've read so far, this includes Mary and Sherlock Holmes only to a limited degree, instead giving us Marsh and Alistair - seen previously in O Jerusalem as Mahmoud and Ali - and a few new faces (notably Iris and the deceased Gabriel) to follow. But as strong as she makes them, I found a few things in the story/other characters lacking:

      SPOILERS NOW FOLLOW

      I sniffed out the realization that a new heir would present himself much earlier than I usually see these things coming in a story. Perhaps it was simply that such a solution was the only possible way to free Marsh, so it was a bit inevitable. I can easily forgive King for that. But the way it was made possible seemed to convenient. A young soldier who's constantly sent back to the front lines of World War 1 France really had enough time to create a romance? And he found a girl that was not only willing to fall for him, knowing how likely it was he would be killed, but also to marry him so quickly? And to conceive a child in the middle of that war-torn horror? Yes, it's possible, but seems so unlikely. And that the child would just happen to be male - fine, a fifty-fifty chance, but now the cluster of "it just happened to be the way we needed it to be"s is getting a bit thick.

      And why was Ivo the guy? He was the less-likely of the two suspects, but the motives provided for him seemed a bit weak. Perhaps this is because so very little was known about him through most of the story. Practically everything we learned about him was from Holmes' summary of the suspects toward the end. I would have liked to know more about him so I could more fully believe him capable of all the horrors described. Being rich, slightly spoiled, and suddenly pining for a noble title seems weak motive for one horrific murder followed by several sort of pitiful murder attempts.

      All right, it's fine. The story was so engrossing that in the end, I can forgive all of that too. I'm just not sure if I can forgive the epilogue. It certainly was a very tidy way to wrap up, and I see how it was meant to be a satisfying what with the "waters of Justice" and all, but.... Gah! It's right up there with Iris Murdoch's bomb-killing-the-unloved-wife in The Sacred and Profane Love Machine for deus ex machinas coming in to solve an otherwise unresolveable conflict. Boo! I would have been much more satisfied if the'd left Ivo to face a broken justice machine that would inevitably find him not-guilty. What was he doing in the pond anyway? Did someone who wanted to make sure he got justice lure him there? I couldn't even tell if that was being implied.

      I find that this is a lot of criticizing I'm doing for a book I claim to have enjoyed reading so much. I suppose that's because enjoying King and her books so much, I feel a little let down when she doesn't meet the otherwise very high standards I have for her. In any case, I very much look forward to the next installment in the series.
    • 5/5
      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, 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.
    • 4/5
      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."

    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      I've read the print version some years back, and just finished the audio book version. Easily among my favorites of this series, perfectly placed after |O Jerusalem (Mary Russell, #5] and, while returning us to the point at which that book sent us back in time, brings forth two of my favorite supporting characters in the Mary Russell universe -- The Hasa brothers,vicious Bedouin cut throats and spies, here revealed to be cousins and members of a high and ancient English noble family.Ms. King, if ever it is possible, let us visit Iris Southerford once more. I don't think we shall see the Hasa brothers/Hughenfort cousins again, but I could wish for that, too. This time, the same as last time, as soon as I finished the book, I missed those characters as if they had freshly walked into and out of my life.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      Superb as usual, but don't read this until you've read O'Jerusalem.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5

      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 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.

    • 5/5
      Characters from one of the earlier novels are reintroduced to us in a surprising new guise. Holmes and Russell are drawn into the secret lives of the family of the Duke of Beauville. They are charged with discovering the cause of death of the last heir to the title, and with saving the next heir from the terrible fate of having to assume the family title.
    • 5/5
      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 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.