A review by gray_05_sea
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

2.5

I have mixed feelings. It was slow to start, but at no point did I consider giving up. I wanted to know what happened. However, there were two main things that bothered me. The narrator voice rang false - Richard Swan must have a low opinion of woman. I also hated the insta-love plot- there was no reason for her to love Matas, so her love of him and his death felt like a plot device. The second part that bothered me was a poor marriage of political intrigue and detective story. I find it hard to believe that in the face of armies being stood up and the potential fall of an empire, a political actor would say “no, I really need to solve this insignificant woman’s murder first, who mostly merits the name of ‘Bauer’s wife’”. The character development across the board struck me as false; and I don’t think I will read the rest of the series.