A Dangerous Justice
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley June 30, 2026
Author John Pilkington
Distributor: Amazon
ISBN: 978-1807345976
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Release Date: 23 June 2026
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Please note that A Dangerous Justice from John Pilkington is breath of fresh air in the Historic Fiction Crime genre which will prove to be addictive, so thankfully, this is book one in the new series ‘A Justice Belstrang Mystery’.
Set in 1616, Robert Belstrang, a recently retired Magistrate finds he is bored, the daily life of a retired and affluent man in the country can be one that has little change or excitement involved.
When a neighbour comes to him to beg a favour, that of trying to find his estranged son Thomas Jessop, who went to London, sending a message that his family would be proud of him and then appeared to vanish, he is reluctant to get involved.
The family are Catholic, suffering for their religion, which as a stout Protestant causes Belstrang some serious conflict, but he reluctantly agrees to see what he can do once he reaches London.
He finds his return to the City is both interesting and enlightening, but once he begins to try and find out what happened to Thomas, he realises that whatever the headstrong young man had become embroiled in was very dangerous indeed.
Bribery gets him into see Thomas, now mute and residing in Bedlam, a meal with an occasional friend finds him locked up in a holding cell wondering exactly what is happening, why and who is behind his so-called arrest.
With his recent investigations appearing to have faint links to the recent attempt to overthrow the Government through the Gunpowder Plot; an event which was a catastrophic failure, Belstrang is drawn into a side of London life that is both dangerous and informative. It is the underbelly of London!
Belstrang seeks refuge with an old and trusted friend and is now determined to find out exactly what it was that has seen Thomas incarcerated in Bedlam, which then becomes a very dangerous undertaking.
Being the stubborn man he is, Belstrang refuses to give in or succumb to the pressure a certain clandestine sector of Government bring to bear, and with the help of a man, an ex-soldier he is not sure he can fully trust, sets out to right a serious and dangerous wrong.
A Dangerous Justice captures the intense and dangerous environment prevalent in London of 1616, when to be Catholic was dangerous, JamesI was ruling England and Parliament was rife with fractions, plots and danger. A refreshing and engrossing read from John Pilkington.
This title was previously published as Legacy.