The King's Justice

A Stanton and Barling Mystery, Book 1

By: E. M. Powell

Narrated by: James Langton

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?

The perfect historical mystery series for fans of C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series and Ken Follett

©2018 E. M. Powell (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Cleverly plotted, the action is fast paced and full of twists and turns, surprises, and suspense.”—Historical Novel Society

Slow Pace

The story was very slow moving and didn't engage me. The narrator was excellent. I will not be reading any more from this series.

good book

great story . Hard to put down. cant waite for the next book in the series

Narrator the Best Thing About the Book

Average story. Some details seemed wrong for time period, e.g., keys and locks in these peasants' doors? Or maybe just not clear how poor or well off the peasants were. But narrator James Langton is great.

Great character acting by the narrator

My dad recommended these books because I liked the Cadfael mysteries I really enjoyed it.

How the relationship between the 2 main characters slowly changed

The story and plot. Also the different suspects. Never saw the end the way it did