Justice Hall (2002)

This is my second time through this book - the first time I read it, this time I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin. While I've gotten bogged down in The Pirate King previously (book 11), I do intend to break the back of this series this time through.

Having said that, I write this review having previously read the next four books in the series: The Game, Locked Rooms, The Language of Bees and The God of the Hive, as well as the five preceding books. At least at this point, this is the emotional high point of the series for me. The scene where Mary and Sherlock meet with Reverend Hastings to find the truth behind the case they are investigating remains one of the single most devastating and damning discussions of the emotional reality of warfare and the concept of honor that I've ever read, and it is odd that it is contained within the confines of a piece of Holmes pastiche. Laurie King has transcended the genre several times throughout this series, but this book, for me, is the one that does it most clearly and best.

If I had one series that I wish to see adapted for television by an HBO or a Netflix, it is this one. Even then, the idea of an adaptation terrifies me, because I see no likelihood that the depth of the series could be adequately translated without falling into the trap of ignoring what makes the series great in favor of what makes it commercial. ( )

You can read this full review on my blog The Body on the Floor at https://goo.gl/TFqE9o

As I’ve explained in another post, The Moor nearly made me give up this series altogether. O Jerusalem, however, played right into my lifelong love of MiddleEastern culture. [1] So to say King is becoming a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me is an understatement.

Enter Justice Hall, a book that combines two of my favorite Middle Eastern characters from the series with my all-time favorite mystery setting, a grand English manor. Upon first glance, it's not exactly a setting portmanteau I'd think would work, but King manages to make the two diametrically opposed worlds and the tension between them play together wonderfully. It’s a neat trick, and I can’t help but mentally tip my hat to author Laurie R. King for pulling it off.

The plot has all the elements needed to make it a fun, albeit a tad predictable, read for the mystery lover. Secret passages, a traditional English hunt, a huge, grand gala, a war-torn love story, family secrets. Like a traditional dish of comfort food untouched by the gluten free movement that uses real butter, King has crafted a shamelessly indulgent (and satisfying) piece of genre fiction.

There is a panoply of interesting, diverse characters, a well-plotted, complex mystery and several other artfully constructed settings besides Justice Hall as well. I found some of family genealogy aspects yawn-inducing but I know plenty of people simply love that kind of thing. And, in all fairness, it is the focal point upon which the plot turns.

Another compelling element of this installment is how King handles the time period. The struggle of an upper-class society attempting to find its footing in the turbulent wake of social changes brought by World War I is not a focal point of the book but is adequately explored through telling details such as the preparations for a huge party and the more casual dress and demeanor of houseguests. (I tried not to think this installment was not a mercenary attempt by King to capitalize on the Downton Abbey craze).

One aspect of this installment, one that I can’t help but wonder if it contributed to my deep enjoyment of this book, is that Sherlock himself is largely absent for a large part of it.

I have commented before on how unnecessary and pointless I find Mary and Sherlock’s marriage to be. In addition to being fairly far-fetched (and I say this as a woman whose husband is 10 years older than her), it is poorly handled and simply doesn’t do anything to further any of the stories or the characters.

Improbably in this installment, for example, Mary has to be reminded at one point that Sherlock, not being as young as he used to be, may take longer to recover from injuries. Again, as woman with an older husband (I am 34, my husband is 45), believe me – you can’t be in an intimate marital relationship and not pick up on something like that, let alone forget it. I don’t care how fit or healthy Sherlock is; a 20-year-old young man is simply not that easily confused with a man in his forties.

In addition, the relationship is extraordinarily cold and passionless anyway, which means when it does come up it gets in the way.

Russell and Holmes’ relationship feels like an intimate friendship between a girl and a mentor; why not just let it be that? I’m not looking for a romance novel and don’t need any bodice ripping, but for a young woman who is so willing to dive into life-threatening adventures the notion that she is essentially asexual is discordant.

We expect that from Holmes, of course, but for me Mary’s haughty, cold-fish nature only exacerbates the grating Mary Sue aspect of her character (speaking of the Mary Sue tendency, she has an absolutely eye-roll inducing part to play in an otherwise excellently done traditional English hunt).

At this point, I wish Mary would discover she’s a lesbian and fall passionately in love with a woman, or even another, younger man, or at least admit her marriage with Holmes is merely one of convenience so they can stay in the same hotel room or whatever when need be. It is the only thing that demotes these books from a fairly well-done pastiche to borderline adolescent wish fulfillment fan fiction.

[1] My obsession and love of the Middle East began after reading a special edition of National Geographic from my grandfather. (Oh how I loved his bi-yearly deliveries of that heavy stack of glossy, wonder-filled pages!)

Specifically, a special edition on the disappearing traditions of the Middle East. I think I was in third or fourth grade, possibly younger. There was one particular photo of a lone, robed Pashtun chief, robes billowing, walking away from the camera amidst gaping-mouthed modern tourists on a paved road that I will never forget. But it was the sidebars that got me – the folklore, the beautiful script I couldn’t read, the explosive colored mountains of spices, intriguing stories of women with "faces like the moon" and treasure that was likely to be coffee or spices as jewels...I was determined to travel the Middle East as a nomadic adventurer when I grew up.

Obviously, that is a dream deferred for a litany of reasons, but with every report of ISIS destroying Syrian artifacts or other Middle Eastern treasures, my heart simply breaks. ( )

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. ( )

Justice Hall story takes place quite directly after The Moor when Holmes and Russell find a bloodied guest at their doorstep begging for help. It actually makes a lot of sense to why O Jerusalem came before this book despite that the story takes place directly after The Moor. You just have to rad this book and the previous to find out why...

Russell and Holmes have to help Marsh Hughenfort discover the truth about the death of his nephew Gabriel Hughenfort who died in the Great War of 1918. But, there is someone out there that doesn’t want the truth to be reveal and will do anything to stop Holmes and Russell finding out the truth…

This is also, like O Jerusalem, a book that took some rereads for me to really warm up to it. I was actually a bit surprised to find I have only given it 4-stars on Goodreads (so I changed it to 5-stars) since I actually like it quite a lot nowadays. I like the connection this book have to O Jerusalem and the case is very interesting and tragic. It’s a very good book. ( )

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. ( )