The Justice of Kings

When I held a copy of "The Justice of Kings" in my hands, Richard Swan was a completely unknown author to me. However, the blurb of his novel was so intriguing to me, that I had to read it instantly - and was rewarded with the best thriller I've read in my life when it comes to mixing historical fantasy with questions of jurisprudence. Swan's novel is in equal measure character as it is plot driven with events moving in unprecented speed. We follow the story through the eyes of Helena Sedanka, clerk and apprentice to the Empire's most famous justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Together with Helena and Vonvalt, we join a seemingly ordinary murder mystery only to find ourselves in the midst of a grander scheme to overthrow the Empire's judicial system. Swan's world is teeming with malevolence and political intrigue which captured me right from the beginning as well as shocking me (in the best way) with unexpected turns. "The Justice of Kings" is one of those rare books which cannot be described sufficiently with mundane words to praise its unparalleled ingenuity.