Historical Fiction Book Review: The King's Justice (A Stanton and Barling Mystery Book 1) by E.M. Powell

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

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.

This is a classic medieval murder mystery, complete with all the cast of characters you would expect, plenty of suspicious deaths - and a few surprises.  E. M. Powell has a lively and readable style and a preference for short chapters, so this story is ideal for reading in those 'snatched moments'. 

I particularly liked the development of the main character, Hugo Stanton, a messenger in King Henry II's itinerant justices, who I'm glad to see is destined for more action in another book - and has appeared in the Fifth Knight Series.

I also learnt about Henry II's reform of criminal law, although I'm not sure if I'd choose trial by water (yes, it's worse than it sounds) or ordeal by hot iron as proof of my innocence. Fortunately, the will of God can be relied on to make sure only the truly guilty are punished.

I'm happy to recommend this book, and have added the Fifth Knight Series to my reading list.

Tony Riches 

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About the Author

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. Find out more by visiting www.empowell.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter @empowellauthor

Blog Tour Schedule:

Friday, June 1
Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, June 4
Review at Donna’s Book Blog

Wednesday, June 6
Review at The Writing Desk

Thursday, June 7
Feature at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Tuesday, June 12
Feature at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, June 13
Guest Post at Jathan & Heather

Saturday, June 16
Review at Clarissa Reads it All

Friday, June 22
Review at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, June 27
Review at Hoover Book Reviews
Feature at The Lit Bitch

Monday, July 2
Interview at Reading the Past

Tuesday, July 3
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Thursday, July 5
Review at Bri’s Book Nook

Friday, July 6
Guest Post at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Monday, July 9
Review at A Book Geek

Wednesday, July 11
Review at Jaffa Reads Too

Friday, July 13
Review at Bookramblings
Review at A Darn Good Read

Giveaway

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.

The King's Justice