It's very difficult to dispense justice in a land where it is every man for himself. That had been the case before the kings, and continued to be the case once the kings were enthroned in power. The sons of David, first Absalom and then Adonijah, took it upon themselves to appoint themselves king: Absalom to usurp David and Adonijah to usurp Solomon, the one David had promised would be his successor.
David by this time is so old, and has such poor circulation, he cannot keep himself warm. He has become distanced from what is going on in the kingdom and doesn't realize that Adonijah has set himself up as king until Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, and Nathan, the prophet, point out what is going on. One of David' last acts is to see that Solomon is crowned king, and then he extracts a promise from Solomon that he will deal with Joab and Shimei for their ruthlessness, something David was loath to do.
Solomon eventually carries out David's request, striking down Joab, Shimei, and Adonijah as well, for the wrongs they had done. It's interesting that both Adonijah and Joab ran to the temple and took hold of the horns of the altar for protection from Solomon, but they still lost their lives. Solomon goes to Gibeon and offers a thousand sacrifices on the altar to God. As a result, God appears to Solomon in a dream and tells him to ask for anything he wants. Solomon asks for a discerning heart as he knows that strength and cunning alone are not enough to rule the people. God grants his wish, and as a result of his wise decision concerning the two women claiming the same baby, the people of Israel "held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice." - 1 Kings 3:28 NIV
God didn't honor the request of the conspirators for protection, but he honored Solomon's request for wisdom. God was looking, as always, for someone to do justly and walk humbly.
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