Customer Reviews

Blind Eye: A Benjamin Justice Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now in his mid-40's, HIV+ and single since his boyfriend moved out of the country, the Benjamin Justice we find here seems
significantly subdued from the fiery, brash investigative journalist we met in Wilson's first four books in the series, which started a dozen years earlier. Back then, Justice had managed to short-circuit a promising journalism career by fabricating some interviews for a story which won a Pulitzer Prize, and was caught. Writing assignments had been few and far between since then. In the past five years, Benjamin had not worked, living simply and frugally, but recently got an advance to write his biography, which gives him some apprehensions about reliving part of his past he'd rather not revisit. His only current link to his former profession is his best friend Alexandra Templeton, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, who is secretly engaged to columnist Joe Soto, a longtime friend as well.

In making notes on his biography, Justice faces his long-buried
feelings about having been molested at ages 12-13 by a parish priest back in Buffalo NY. To bring closure to that episode in his life, he seeks out information about the priest, and learns that he actually had been transferred to the Los Angeles archdiocese a few years after his encounters, and died in a reported hiking accident about ten years ago. Justice presses the local diocese officials for more information, whether there had been further reports of molestations or if he had indeed been "rehabilitated," and is surprised when the "sorry, that's confidential" response comes from the office of the Bishop himself. Justice smells a coverup, and talks his friend Joe Soto into doing a column about an "anonymous" reader who reported abuse by the priest, and the strange reaction
received from the diocese.

The mystery quickly grows from there, as Joe Soto is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run accident, with some evidence suggesting that the driver may have been an infamous South American hired assassin, who usually works for drug cartels. At the same time, reaction to Soto's column triggers letters from readers with additional reports of mollestations by the priest, creating more questions than answers, especially when one such reader mysteriously dies in a fall from the hospital where she worked. When the diocese offers him a million dollars to end his investigations, Justice becomes more
assured that the bishop (which had been a close friend of the priest in question) may be involved, and perhaps even the presiding Cardinal, who is under strong consideration to be the next pope.

Absolute nail-biting suspense, with passages of outright terror, make this, in my opinion, the best of the series. Realistic, street-saavy characters and scenarios, with an eye for detail that makes him one of the best.

I was absolutely thrilled when I found out that John Morgan Wilson had written a fifth Benjamin Justice novel, because I was heartbroken when the series ended (or so I thought). I wasn't sure how Wilson could top The Limits of Justice, but he did, managing to take on vaunting ambition, the Catholic Church, institutionalized pedophilia, corrupt media, and spiritual alienation, all in one fell swoop.

Ben is, as ever, a fantastic character...a man of both nobility and carnal appetite, of deeply felt compassion and reckless bravado. He's a lost soul, struggling not to succumb to fear and darkness and despair. I adore him and his struggle, which always, inevitably, costs him something in the end. This story is no different. I actually gasped out loud at one point in the book, stricken to my very heart by the price Ben pays for contending with evil.

I would highly, highly recommend this book.

This latest book by John Morgan Wilson manages to be extremely timely, relevant and although, written with his usual skill, quite unbelievable. Wilson's protagonist, Benjamin Justice, is in the process of writing his memoirs and while delving into his past and searching for information about the priest who sexually abused him as a child, he starts upon a series of catastrophes and mayhem.

First, his best friend's fiancé is assassinated; though in the beginning his death is considered an accident. There is a hired assassin and skullduggery and corruption in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church. The story proceeds pell-mell to a quite unbelievable conclusion.

As always, Wilson imbues Justice with depth and humanity and compassion and his friends and neighbors are delightful and entertaining. But unfortunately, this foray by Justice is just a little too much over the top. Hopefully, his next adventure will return to some semblance of reality

So if I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to finish this, does that mean it's a good book? Yes, it certainly is.

This is a Benjamin Justice novel, and Ben is going through his usual angst. He's broken up with his last partner, and is coping with his HIV meds, while trying to write his autobiography. He decides that he needs to track down the whereabouts of the priest who molested him when he was twelve years old. Though he discovers the man has since died, he also discovers that there were more victims. Then a reporter who is helping his investigate, and who writes a column about priest molestations, is murdered, and it looks like the Archdiocese, which tries to bribe Justice into silence about the priest, itself may be involved.

With Wilson, there is no black-and-white, only shades of grey. Even a vicious killer's back story hints at some reasons for sympathy. Justice struggles with his history, feeling guilt for things he did (and didn't do) as a child that are affecting the present. In what will surely offend some people, pure evil here is confined to the hierarchy of the Catholic church. It is not only the molestations and the cover-ups, which could be taken from any headline, but the total lack of empathy and caring, the hypocrisy, that makes these men evil. This is one of the darkest of a dark series.

And well worth reading.

It's so nice to see Benjamin Justice back again, as I thought that we had seen the last of him after his last outing. John Morgan Wilson has written yet another timely, fast paced and speedy thriller, as Benjamin delves into his Catholic past, and opens a Pandora's box of lies, betrayals and murder within the Catholic church. Wilson, like Britain's Val McDermid and Ruth Rendell, just loves to insert current controversial events into his stories and Blind Eye is no exception. With so much in the media lately about pedophilia and the Catholic Church, it's not surprising that Wilson felt the need to explore this issue, and he does it in an extremely confrontational, and damning way.

Under contract to write his autobiography, Justice is trying to pull together his life for the first time. While searching out a priest, Father Blackley, from his childhood, Benjamin enlists his best friend, Alexandra Templeton's fiancé Joe Soto - a journalist - to tell the hidden truth about this almost forgotten priest. When Joe is killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident and Justice starts to investigate the so-called accident, he finds himself in the midst of a case involving a child murder, a powerful and controversial cardinal, and elements of his own past. Again, Wilson sets the story in the frenetic, hurried world of Los Angeles, and the action is placed deep down into the heart of the City: Silver Lake, the cultural district of Little Tokyo, and the action and liveliness of West Hollywood or "Boys Town" are all set pieces.

Justice is forced to confront the duplicity and hypocrisy of the church, and Wilson through the novel raises some serious questions about religious pretense: How can gay priests support a church that demonizes gays? And how can gay priests, innocent though they may be of molestation, who know that children are suffering, do nothing to stop it? Benjamin feels "immersed in a perplexing sadness" as he prepares to write his autobiography, and in Blind Eye this sadness reaches a catalyst as he ruminates on his raging bouts with alcohol and other self-destructive habits; the baffling murders he's solved with Alexandra Templeton; his rape at the hands of a lethal ex-cop four years ago, and his subsequent sero-conversion to HIV. Blind Eye is a hard-edged thriller; a real page turner, and highly recommended.

Michael

Wilson's latest book is not for the weak stomached, nor for those who would "blindly" follow the Church's orders. There is a lot of hard boiled grit here. Much of it is about the gay society in West Los Angeles. To my surprise, I didn't find it much different from the other areas of LA. Wilson's writing is fast paced and shocking. He gives the church its due, and it's about time! This is a book to keep you reading right to the end. And don't forget to think about the multi-meaning of the title!

The saga of Benjamin Justice continues and excels. This latest volume brings richer qualities to the characters and raises genuine issues for analysis and discussion. The writing is touching, moving, and suspenseful. A must-buy for any fan of mystery writing - gay or straight.

Another first rate thriller from John Morgan Wilson in the Benjamin Justice series......This novel involves intrique with the Catholic Church and was a page turner from start to finish...highly reccomend!

I discovered John Morgan Wilson several months ago through a magazine article. Thank heaven I saw it.
He's in my top 3 fiction writers, with Elizabeth George and James Lee Burke.
This novel is incredibly powerful, full of good emotion, drama and characterization. Like most of Wilson's books, the ending is no surprise. These are not really mysteries, for the tales are more about ethics, morality, rage, the impact of personal history on present day actions and more.
No one escapes a critical eye here - the gay community, Catholic church, the police, and more. But there is balance, veracity, and believeability.
Elizabeth George is unbeatable at character development and Burke at developing sense of place, but Wilson puts together great characterization, story lines and drama to suck you into the world of his novels. It's books like this one that reveal how far Wilson's craft has come to rise over that of Sue Grafton and other best sellers.
This particular book of Wilson's easily makes my top 5 favorites of all time.
Read them all from in order of publication.
Paul

Whenever I'm asked who my favorite authors are, John Morgan Wilson is consistently in the top three. And Blind Eye is a great example of why. I am woefully behind in this series, and only recently completed Blind Eye. JMW is a beautiful writer and his portrayal of a man possessed by a legion of personal demons is realistic and remarkable. I may not want to have dinner with Benjamin Justice, but I feel such empathy for him and root for him every step of the way. The portrayal of Justice's best friend, Alexandria Templeton, is just as well drawn and she is a great character worthy of her own series. The Benjamin Justice series may be too gritty for some, but the elegant writing and the gut wrenching humanity of the characters make every page worthwhile.