Rating: 
Summary: Well Worth the Wait
Review: After finishing O Jerusalem I was ready to pick up the next book in the series. Unfortunately I did not realize how long I would have to wait. Luckily, in the end it was everything I had hoped for. I am a big fan of the Russell/Holmes series and I feel that this was a wonderful episode in their advenutres together. We meet a great variety of new characters (perhaps we will see Iris again soon?) and spend a lot of time with Mary. One reviewer was somewhat upset by the lack of direct time spent with Holmes but considering that these are "Mary Russell Novel"s I can't see how that could be terribly surprising, although while reading the book I personally never found Holmes conspicuously absent from the story. There is still plenty of collaboration between our heroine and her partner we just get to see a lot of Mary's perspective rather that Holmes's perspective reflected through her. I found Gabriel's mystery heartwrenching and I thought that the entire plot was well developed. I think this is an excellent continuation of the series and I hope the next book will be as equally well written! If Ms. King happens upon this, I am waiting anxiously!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Return!
Review: Wonderful! The return of the Hazr brothers! I have waited two years for this book, and it was worth every second of the wait!
A reluctant, yet dutiful, heir. A loyal and desperate cousin. A surprise wife. A murdered and righteous man. A secret. And, of course, the remarkable pair of Holmes and Russell.
This was a great read. I would have to rank it right up there with "O Jerusalem," just behind "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and "A Monstrous Regiment of Women." I absolutely devoured every page of this great book!
Rating:
Summary: Twangs My Feminist Heartstrings
Review: I grew up on Superman, the Lone Ranger, Sherlock Holmes, and assorted other male heros. So the heros of my own novels tend to be male. I have to make a conscious effort to cast a woman in a heroic part in one of my sf/f novels, though I managed it in DREAMSPY they tell me. I could never have accepted Sherlock Holmes as a woman in some alternate universe continuation. Laurie R. King has found the perfect compromise -- an apprentice who is a)female, b)a love interest who becomes Holmes' wife, and c) oh, very much a hero in her own right, without losing the characteristics of a woman of her time. (she reminds me of my grandmother) Many of us think of the 1970's as the most significant period of feminism. But the 1920's were pivotal in changing the way women think about themselves too. JUSTICE HALL is set in 1923, in and around a ducal country house, a mansion slowly being taxed into a ruin. The 1920's were an interesting time in England -- there was still a very strong feudal heirarchy in charge of everything, but the modern world was fast emerging from within that caste system. Laurie R. King has captured the flavor of that era without an overburden of unnecessary detail. She has used the correct words to name various things we don't see everyday in the 21st century. She has transported us to a drafty, cold, impossible to heat, understaffed mansion and made us believe every word. Here Holmes isn't even certain he has a case, and with Mary Russell on the job, he ends up solving 2 cases. Over the course of this series of novels, we have seen Mary Russell become proficient in Holmes' "methods" -- and with that proficiency has come Holmes' trust. In JUSTICE HALL as in many of the other novels in this series, they work the case separately, but with beautiful coordination. I loved watching the two of them assessing the dual personalities displayed by their "guides" from O JERUSALEM. King has given us the vision of the deep cover secret agent's primary problem and made us believe every word. One important point is contained in the author's afterword regarding the changes in the law pertaining to a soldier who deserts under fire or refuses an order under combat conditions. This is fiction rooted in historic reality, and yet still very definitely fiction. What I like best of all I think is that now I get a chance to BE Sherlock Holmes by walking in Mary Russell's shoes! I had the delightful experience of finishing JUSTICE HALL and starting THE GAME immediately. For those new to these books, I'd recommend amassing as many of them in the correct order as you can and just reading them straight through.
Rating: 
Summary: Good characters but too many contradictions
Review: I only recently discovered the Russell-series, so I had the advantage to read all the books in short order. I would wholehearteadly say that I like Justice Hall most fo all but not for Holmes, Russell or the interaction between the two of them. I like it for another resson: Ali and Mahmoud or in this case Alistair and Marsh (and also in addition Iris) are the best "guest"charcaters Laurie R. King wrote in the whole series. They are vivid, believable, interesting and the relationshsip between them is just fascinating (a shame-maraiage between Iris and Marsh on oen side, a strong subtext between Marsh and Alistair on the other which may be interpreted as an homosexual relationship). I definetily hope there will be more of them in future books. But there is too less Russell in the book and even lesser Holmes. And Holmes is - at least for me - the reason why I buy the series. I don't necessary expect him to be more involved in the "action." But at least he should reflect more on the events and persons involved. For example I would have liked to read his opinion about the relationshipb etween Marsh, iris and AListair. But he onyl gives a smile as asnwer of Russlels (hence the readers) question. At the first sight the plot seems excating but on the second thought there are too many and too big wholes and contradictiosn in it. Mrs. King even seemed unably to remember the names she gave Ali and Mahmoud at there first mention in The Beekeeper's Apprentice (which were Albert and Mathew at this time not Alistair and Maurice). In the end things were rushed to much as in most of the series'installments and questions especially about the motivations behind the events remain unanswered (or are at least not satiesfying answered). So my fazit are mixed feelings about the books: it's great for the "guest"characters but it misses a lot of things when it comes to the main protagonists and the plot as a whole. Neverthless: if you like the series or at least if you liked O Jerusalem you should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Fiat Justitia
Review: Laurie R King's "Justice Hall" is the latest entry in her superb series featuring Sherlock Holmes (yes, the famous detective) and his wife and partner in investigation Mary Russell. While "Justice Hall" is somewhat atypical as a Sherlock Holmes story - either of the Conan Doyle canon or even of this series - it is no less satisfying as an instalment in the series. In fact, I enjoyed it more thoroughly than many of the other novels in the series. To begin with, I cannot over-stress the importance of reading "O Jerusalem" first. While set many years before the events in "Justice Hall", it is imperative to understand at least the basics of Holmes and Russell's work in Palestine with the Hazr brothers before the reader can grasp the finer points of this case. While this review will attempt to avoid any spoilers, some may be inevitable. Thus, if you don't want to risk knowing any of the twists, take it as read that this book is well worth the purchase price. The plot begins almost immediately our heroes return from Dartmoor (events described in "The Moor"). No sooner are Holmes and Russell recovering from their adventures there, than a mysterious - but strangely familiar - stranger arrives at their door and collapses into Russell's arms.
Providing aid to this man leads Holmes and Russell to the magnificent country estate of Justice Hall, owned by Marsh (Maurice) Hughenfort, the latest in the line of an exceedingly aristocratic family. Additionally, it leads them to a reunion of sorts with the Hazrs, although under rather interesting circumstances. The Hughenforts, you see, have a problem. The current Earl (Marsh) believes that a boy in France may actually be the rightful holder of the title - a view supported by his sister and brother-in-law, the rather shady Darling family.
Additionally, concern exists in the family as to the exact circumstances of the wartime death of the previous heir. All the family knows is that he died on the Western Front of the First World War, and the manner of notification leads them to suspect that he was actually executed. Holmes and Russell, therefore, have the interesting tasks of trying to establish the background to the heir's death as well as attempting to find out if the French boy is the rightful Earl. What this means is that much of the early section of the book is taken up with loving descriptions of English country life with Marsh Hughenfort at Justice Hall. Eventually, this calm is shattered in a shooting accident and Holmes and Russell begin to realise that these questions of succession are much more serious than they had previously assumed. In a series of dramatic chases which take our intrepid pair everywhere from London to Lyons to a remote town in Canada, the mystery gradually reveals itself. Of course, as it does so, Russell has ample opportunity to reflect on all manner of things from the effects that time has had on her relationship to the Hazrs through to the inhumanity of the Great War. The eventual denouement leaves a little to be desired, however the sheer sense of theatre with which King reveals all is very enjoyable. Suffice it to say that the absolute end of the novel turns into another "Holmes frantically chases the culprit" scene. This is one of King's worthiest inclusions in her series and fans of the earlier novels are well advised to pick it up. The same caveat applies to this novel as to any of the others in the series - start at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Holmes and Russell on a Splendid Jaunt
Review: "Justice Hall" is the sixth in Laurie R. King's wonderful series about the incomparable detective duo of Mary Russell and her partner Sherlock Holmes. I strongly recommend reading the whole series in order (the first is "The Beekeeper's Apprentice"), and re-reading "O Jerusalem" (if it's been a while) before you read this one, since the plot lines of the two are closely intertwined. While Holmes' and Russell's exploits are always a delight, this installment has the snappiest mystery plot of any in the series since "Beekeeper's Apprentice." The revelations of history add a new dimension to the characters of our old friends Ali and Mahmoud (now revealed to be Alistair and Marsh). Also, Russell is in her element in this seemingly placid country manor that nonetheless teems with dangerous undercurrents of greed and jealousy.
Rating:
Summary: Best since Monstrous Regiment of Women!
Review: I so enjoyed this mystery! All right, there's really not much between Russell and Holmes. Certainly Holmes is almost nonexistent... but it kept me turning those pages furiously.
I truly relished Ms. King's glorious descriptions of Old Badger Place and Justice Hall. The return to England for this book was an excellent choice. I enjoyed this book as much as her first two, maybe more in some ways. The unravelling plot took exciting twists and emotional turns.
I wasn't crazy about O Jerusalem, less so even The Moor. But this book makes up for the last two.
The Hazr brothers are AWESOME! Such interesting revelations! Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: for fans
Review: I'm a fan of Laurie King - Beekeeper's Apprentice was really great. I enjoyed reading this book - read it straight through in one sitting - but I think that she is running out of room in this series.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Addition to the Russell Series!
Review: Before you read this, you really must read the fifth book of the series, "O Jerusalem." Without this volume, this book makes no real sense. I wonder why they don't make a deal for buying this book with "O Jerusalem"... The book is a ready and welcome story to the Russell series with the coming of the Hazr brothers once again into the lives of Russell and Holmes in quite an unusual way. I sure don't want to spoil it for you, but I'll tell you that you'll enjoy it much more than you can imagine! The plot is ready and waiting to be read, wonderfully done and spectacular in its make. This is the one book in the series when I actually cried. I didn't let the waterworks come in any of the books, not even "A Mostrous Regiment of Women," but I did let them fall in this one. This book is so wonderfully deep and emotional, but it has its lighter side as well. Simply the variety of Laurie R. King's books are wonderful, yet they still have the same wonderful voice in them: Russell. A book to be reckoned with, and a spectacular story for the latest of Ms. King's works!
Rating:
Summary: Not the best, but Better than Most!
Review: I've read and thoroughly enjoyed all the Russell-Holmes novels, starting with THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE, the best of this series and one of the most wondrous exercises in "what if" ever composed. I also greatly admire A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN and O JERUSALEM. This latest book (like Peters' last Amelia Peabody novel) feels slightly tired, with a plot that repeats the past too much and, even worse, deals almost exclusively with the aristocracy and not with the whole spectrum of society, as do King's other novels of the series. I also found the two cousins a bit unreal in this book--as they definitely were not in O JERUSALEM. Nor was this the outraged indictment of British leadership in World War One, as one of the blurbs led me to believe. If you want a savage treatment of that in mystery format, go to other authors, especially to Reginald Hill's THE WOOD BEYOND. However, all criticism aside, King remains one of the most skillful and intelligent novelists writing today. Her characters, especially Holmes, contain all the quirks of inconsistency we find in people yet maintain sympathy. Her descriptions are unsurpassed and the scope of her learning takes my breath away. So--I do hope you'll choose an earthier plot next time around, Laurie, but even this novel, the least of the series, is better than most mysteries!
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