John Morgan Wilson

Ben Justice is back, investigating another Hollywood mystery. A beautifully flawed character, he continues to struggle with alcoholism and guilt, while trying to figure out who killed a young script writer found dead at a large Hollywood party. Wilson is adept at weaving in copious detail, sense of place, and great development of even minor characters. Love the film history , L.A. history, and I appreciated the history of the progression of AIDS treatment. Many passages made me feel like I show more was in the room. Highly recommended. show less

Benjamin Justice is winding up an author tour following the publication of his memoir, "Deep Background: The True Story of a Disgraced Journalist and the Pulitzer Scandal that Destroyed Him". The publicity results in the appearance of a skinhead motorcyclist, the reason for whose attentions Justice can't figure out. (I did, fairly early, but won't spoil it!). Then there are the threatening postcards from an old (though unknown to Justice) "admirer", who had an affair with an older Hollywood show more interior designer and may or may not have been responsible for his death. (It's this character's penchant for spiders that gives the book its name.)

Justice continues to fight his demons, and a rival journalist seems intent on bringing him back down into the alcoholic gutter from which he had dragged himself. At the same time, he is reconnecting with Ismael Aragon, who has left the priesthood and is coming to terms with his own homosexuality, an exploration which Justice would be glad to help him with!

Although the Benjamin Justice series is shelved among "mysteries", this one really isn't. It's really more about how Justice deals with unexpected revelations from his past, and with the changes in his present. So those who pick it up expecting a mystery may be a bit disappointed, but I've always felt that Wilson is better at characterization than plotting, so no disappointment on my end. show less

The story is a complex, captivating mystery that approaches to teach lessons about the dangers of bigotry and the shallowness of some people, and how dangerous both can be affecting how we deal with our everyday lives. The author takes the character out of his cozy nest in West Hollywood, teaming him with longtime friend, LA Times reported Alexandra Templeton, covering the shooting of a movie at a historic hotel in the remote town of Eternal Springs, now known as "Haunted Springs" due to two show more murders that took place there, and which is the focus of the film being made. They meet the cast, including the 30ish male lead...a frequent subject of tabloid rumors about his sexuality whose seeming interest in Benjamin has him simultaneously flattered and flustered. When another reporter, known for her merciless "expose'" stories about celebrities, is found murdered with her throat cut (the same as the two victims that are the subject of the film), Benjamin finds himself in the middle of the mystery, with no shortage of colorful suspects around for him to choose from. Was the murderer the actor, who feared the reporter would try to "out" him, or perhaps it was the rapper with the "gangsta" image who seemed to alienate everyone, or the troublemaker midget stuntman, the hotel owner living with a troubling secret from his past, or perhaps it was the ghostlike female figure Benjamin saw on the rocks outside the hotel window, right before the murder took place? Lots of suspects all providing a really good mystery. show less

One of the darkest books yet, with Benjamin Justice chasing down and confronting ghosts of his past when he begins research for his autobiography. Not only does he uncover memories from his own childhood, but discovers that he's not the only one to suffer at the hands of his priest and that the man committed even worse atrocities comes as a shock...

Still, I got sucked into the story fast and furious and the more I read these books, the more I like them. Well written, edgy, intelligent. Ben show more Justice has to be one of the most flawed characters I've ever come across, but that's what makes him interesting. show less