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The Justice Belstrang Mysteries

by John Pilkington 3 books in this series

The Justice Belstrang trilogy follows Robert Belstrang, a former magistrate who cannot settle into retirement while corruption and injustice remain unanswered. Set from 1616 to 1618, the books take him from London to Worcestershire and the Forest of Dean, using each investigation to explore a different pressure within Jacobean society.

Religious suspicion after the Gunpowder Plot, accusations of witchcraft and the profitable manufacture of royal cannon provide the historical frameworks for the three cases. Belstrang's experience of law makes him sceptical of easy conclusions, particularly when fear or social rank is being used as evidence. The series combines country-house and urban crime with the institutions of early Stuart England.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

A Dangerous Justice cover

1. A Dangerous Justice

John Pilkington

First published 2020

4.3(2,583)

England, 1616. Former magistrate Robert Belstrang leaves his country estate for London to investigate the disappearance of Thomas Jessop, the son of a poor Catholic neighbour. He finds the young man confined in Bedlam, starving himself and refusing to speak, and discovers that attempts to secure…

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A Hunt for Justice cover

2. A Hunt for Justice

John Pilkington

First published 2020

4.4(1,957)

Worcestershire, 1617. Susanna Cobbett, daughter of a powerful landowner, is found dead in a woodland pond known locally as the Witching Pool. Widow Agnes Mason is accused of driving the girl to her death through witchcraft and faces execution if the charge is accepted at the…

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A Season for Justice cover

3. A Season for Justice

John Pilkington

First published 2021

2.5(5)

England, 1618. Robert Belstrang is summoned by his friend Sir Richard Mountford, whose brother has died in an explosion at the family iron foundry in the Forest of Dean. The works cast cannon for the Royal Armouries, and Mountford is convinced that the fatal blast was…

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