Excellent murder mystery, where the murderer was kept well concealed until the end.

Well written book with realistic, flawed characters, and a good mystery. Aside from the happenings in the first couple of chapters, I could not guess who the murderer was, or what was going to happen next. Will be looking out for the next in the series! ( )

In 1176 England Aelred Barling is a clerk in the halls of justice of the reign of Henry II. When he is sent with messenger Hugo Stanton to investigate the death of a smith in the village of Claresham. Unfortunately for them this will not be the last death. Both Barling and Stanton seem to have secrets, and look to be incompatible in their nature, but they must work together.
An enjoyable mystery with some interesting characters. So a good solid start to a new series.
Re-read the book and still enjoyed the story ( )

An unlikely pair of sleuths

What I like best about this novel are its 2 leading characters. Dipsomaniacal and non-combative Hugo Stanton and the pedantic court clerk Aelred Barling work well together (despite mutual dislike) to eventually ferret out an evil murderer. They have pasts which haunt them; what those pasts are is still to be fully revealed, though Stanton is a character we have met before in the second of the Powell's Fifth Knight books). I suspect later books in the series will give more of their backstories.

Powell does her history well; this story is set in 1176 during Henry II's reign - if other readers are like me they may thank their stars we do not live in the age of fixed status, monumental suspicion and bigotry in which our unlikely pair of sleuths have to function. The pace and plotting are very effective, and the climax/resolution comes as a credible surprise. Well worth a read and a book that welcomes the second in the series (as of June 2018 yet to be released).
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A great beginning to a series that uses a mystery and historical fiction to keep you turning the page.

Taking place in medieval England, The King's Justice focuses primarily on a mystery that Aeired Barling and Hugo Stanton are tasked with solving. I felt the characters were fleshed out well and the plot intricate and well done.

It was great to see a mystery set in the 1100s instead of modern times and to have no fantastical elements in a medieval novel. I look forward to Barling's and Stanton's next adventure. ( )

When the manorial Lord comes to seek permission of the king's justices to execute a man charged with murdering the town's blacksmith, the justice's clerk Aelred Barling along with Hugo Stanton, a messenger in the king's service, to make inquiries and serve justice. Stanton does not believe the accused committed the crime, but he's not the one there to give the verdict. Another man is murdered the night the accused escapes from the "gaol." The body count and attempted murder count climbs as the story progresses and the search for the missing man continues.

This was a nicely plotted mystery that held my interest. The guilty party was not immediately obvious although one might suspect the person among several others. The writing is not as strong or tight as it could be. I will probably seek future installments of this medieval mystery series. This review is based on an advance e-galley received from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review in exchange. ( )