Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on The King's Justice Blog Tour
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| Thomas & Mercer 1 June 2018 Stanton and Barling #1 My thanks to the author for my copy of this book and to HF Virtual Book Tours for the invitation to be part of this blog tour |
What's it all about..
A murder that defies logic—and a killer on the loose.
England, 1176. Aelred Barling, esteemed clerk to the justices of King Henry II, is dispatched from the royal court with his young assistant, Hugo Stanton, to investigate a brutal murder in a village outside York.
The case appears straightforward. A suspect is under lock and key in the local prison, and the angry villagers are demanding swift justice. But when more bodies are discovered, certainty turns to doubt—and amid the chaos it becomes clear that nobody is above suspicion.
Facing growing unrest in the village and the fury of the lord of the manor, Stanton and Barling find themselves drawn into a mystery that defies logic, pursuing a killer who evades capture at every turn.
Can they solve the riddle of who is preying upon the villagers? And can they do it without becoming prey themselves?
And here are my thoughts about it..
It's been a real treat to escape to 1176 and spend time in the company of Aelred Barling, an esteemed clerk to the justices of Henry II, and his messenger and erstwhile assistant, Hugo Stanton, as they seek to investigate a brutal murder which has taken place in a small village on the outskirts of York.
With a real sense of time and place, The King's Justice takes us into very heart of medieval England and back to a time when impartiality was tenuous at best, and most often those on the wrong side of the law were often pronounced guilty even before trial. Trying to prove innocence was, quite often, a deadly affair, and although they have people under suspicion, Barling and Stanton’s attempt to investigate this horrific crime leads them into some very dark places.
From its short and snappy chapters, and filled with twists and turns, The King’s Justice moves along at a lively pace and there is certainly never a dull moment, or a minute’s peace, once these two, rather unconventional, investigators arrive in the village of Claresham. Stanton and Barling's subsequent involvement with, Sir Reginald Edgar, the Lord of the Manor, does nothing to make the due process of justice any less troublesome.
Imaginatively written, with a fine eye for historical detail, The King’s Justice is the first in a proposed new series of medieval crime mysteries. The partnership between the sanctimonious Barling, alongside the more rambunctious, Stanton, makes for a really interesting partnership, and I am sure that we will learn more about what makes this duo tick as the series progresses. There is much to find out and I am already looking forward to seeing just where this intrepid duo find themselves in the next instalment of the Stanton and Barling mysteries.
E.M. Powell’s historical thriller Fifth Knight novels have been #1 Amazon and Bild bestsellers. The King’s Justice is the first novel in her new Stanton and Barling medieval murder mystery series. She is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers’ The Big Thrill magazine, blogs for English Historical Fiction Authors and is the social media manager for the Historical Novel Society.
Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she now lives in North-West England with her husband, daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog.
Twitter @empowellauthor #TheKingsJustice
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 6 paperback copies of The King’s Justice! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on July 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
This giveaway is organised by the Blog Tour operator and Jaffareadstoo is not responsible for its organisation or of the distribution of prizes.
Historical Fiction Virtual Tours
Thank you so much for hosting The King's Justice blog tour & for your wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteAmy
HF Virtual Book Tours
Always a pleasure to be involved, Amy. Thanks for the invitation to the blog tour.
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