Justicar Jhee and the Hole in The World

The Justicar Jhee Mysteries #2

by Trevol Swift

Death never takes a holiday... Justicar Jhee, a magic-wielding sleuth must work with local law enforcement to answer residents' cries for justice before tensions explode.

Galleon City is the central point in the Empire; the place where the Storm Shield protects the Blessed Isles from the wrath that surrounds them. But it is also a city that is being ripped apart by restless factions and swamped with refugees, the destitute and the unwanted.

Jhee arrives in the city in the midst of this chaos, but it isn't long before intrigue strikes once more, in the form of illness and death at the nearby mine.

With fingers of accusation being pointed at multiple suspects, Jhee and a local detective are called upon to investigate. But they soon uncover a much wider conspiracy and even greater dangers lying in wait in Galleon City, with disreputable mining companies and government corruption, creating unrest that is threatening to spill over.

Now the unanswered questions are piling up. Why is Jhee's wife Mirrei suddenly unwell? Why would someone plot to destroy the Storm Shield? And is it the blessing that they once thought it was?

With time running out, Jhee and her allies must stop a killer before they strike again and prevent an impending atrocity from wreaking havoc on the lives of millions.

Genres: Fantasy

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2019

About the author

The Journey Begins...
After being laid off from my job in game testing and localization in 2016, I embarked on a journey to write and publish a murder mystery novel set in a fantasy world. I had been writing since high school with several false starts along the way. The layoff gave me the kick in the pants needed to fulfill my dream of becoming a full-time fantasy author. In November of 2016, I wrote the first draft of Justicar Jhee and The Cursed Abbey. Originally it was intended as a standalone novel. However, as I wrote it, new ideas arose and I discovered more aspects of the story world I wanted to explore. Far too many for one book. Thus, the increasingly misnamed standalone became a trilogy.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable story. Action to keep you involved in the story and before you know it, you’re at the end. Ready for more. Received a free copy from the author and reviewing because I enjoyed it.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justicar Jhee and the Hole in The World (The Justicar Jhee Mysteries, #2), my third read from author Trevol Swift, and the third book in The Justicar Jhee Mysteries. A fun-to-read fantasy/mystery. Character & plot development are great. After 3 books the racial descriptions are still somewhat vague & under-developed. The style is reminiscent of the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I look forward to reading Justicar Jhee and the House of Sorrows (The Justicar Jhee Mysteries #3), the next book in the series. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Buttercupp77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Justicar Jhee and the Cursed Abbey begins where the first installment left off, with Jhee and her cohort en route to their new home in the capital. This time, Shep has gone on in advance of the family to prepare their new home, while Jhee and her younger spouses stop to visit an old friend of Jhee's, who happens to own a mine that's facing sabotage and murder.

This is a worthy sequel. The murder mystery element is just as convoluted as in the first novel and drives the novel well. The pacing is very good, and the mystery, although of secondary importance in my eyes, held my interest. I did find, as with the first novel, that it was the relationships within Jhee's cohort that were of primary interest to me, and the setting and mystery simply revealed layers to the personalities and conflicts in the relationships.

The world-building was excellent - this installment deepened the politics at play, as well as my understanding of the wider world. I found the setting was believable and immersive, and the factions (miners, protesters, government, law enforcement, etc) at odds, with their various vulnerabilities to corruption and influence, were very realistic.

Likewise, the character building was skillfully handled, with layers to both Jhee and her spouses being revealed, yet remaining true to what we learned of them in the first book. Jhee was of particular strength to me, especially in her ability to admit her shortcomings and biases, and to do her best to overcome them. I find all four characters in the cohort read as very realistic, with different facets appearing depending on the situations in which they find themselves.

This is a very strong series, and I really like the direction the author is taking it. I think, as with the last novel, a glossary would have been helpful for those getting used to the terminology. I would still like a stronger idea of how these characters look - we know they have snouts, are seemingly covered in fur, and that they walk upright, but little else has been revealed. There were some small mistakes (palette/palate, some odd punctuation, etc), but not to the extent that it was a distraction.

All in all, I really enjoy reading this series and I am looking forward to what comes next for these characters.

I received an ARC through the author.

[Stan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

What we have here is a book with an interesting premise: A mystery set in a fantasy world. Justicar Jhee is an investigative judge and the head of a polygamous family. Jhee arrives in Galleon City to investigate the outbreak of an illness (Fresh Lung Sickness), and death at the nearby mine. As with any mystery, the story grows more complex, with multiple suspects, unethical businessmen and government officials. The major conflict here is that one of Jhee's wives, Mirrei, suddenly becomes ill with Fresh Lung Sickness and someone is trying to stop Jhee and Vash from finding out who is plotting to rip apart the city. As with any good mystery, time is against our heroes who have to save the city.

I'll repeat my first statement, that this book has an interesting premise of a mystery set in a fantasy world. All of the elements of a mystery are there, couched in a world that is very well-crafted by the author. The plot is well structured, the characters are well-defined and the conflicts are well-paced leading to the denouement.

The problem that I had with the book was the language, primarily the names. I stumbled across them frequently and found it difficult to keep the characters sorted and thus, keep the plot straight. I actually got my copy nearly two months ago and I had to restart reading it three times just to try to remember who is who, this, despite having read and memorized the description of the book on Amazon. Normally, I can finish a book in a few days to a week, but this one took me quite some time. Nevertheless, I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could because it is actually better than just "good."

I want to thank the author and StoryOrigins for the review copy. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read with an awesome character Jhee. I have enjoyed both this book and the previous book with fast-paced action and a great story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Frank Geimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel to be highly entertaining and a very enjoyable read. The character Jee almost comes alive in the storyline and the world building was great. I recommend this novel to anyone wanting a fun and enjoyable read.
I was given this novel for my honest review and this is it.

[Mark Whalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What justice

This is a very interesting read about justice in a very different culture with different creatures. How they find justice as well as what it takes is fascinating.

[Terry Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and entertaining to read. I really enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading more books in the series. I received a free copy of the book from the author.