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The Benamin Justice Series by John Morgan Wilson |
Revision of Justice
Justice at Risk
Limits of Justice
Reviewer: Meg
Rating: *****
Note: These books must be read in order of publication.
Although Wilson has published four mysteries, he has really written one book in four parts about his character, Benjamin Justice. To state it more clearly, there are four separate mysteries, but one ongoing exploration of the life of Justice. Simple Justice is our introduction to Justice and the people closest to him. We learn something about the events of his life and the choices he has made as he enters a long slide downward. Revision of Justice reveals more of his dark background. Justice at Risk is the climax of these revelations and of his behavior in light of the horrific events and choices that have shaped his life. In Limits of Justice he begins to take charge of his options and moves his path along a slightly more positive track.
The genius of these books, and I believe they are the best of all these mystery series, is Morgan's ability to satisfy the mystery requirements of the genre while really writing about the great issues of life. Justice struggles with a history of parental abuse, patricide, alcholism, depression, his own betrayals of people around him, and his mistrust of close relationships. Loss within his family has led him to fear loss in his life, making difficult the trust necessary to build nurturing, long term friendships or relationships. Justice rages helplessly against the horrific unfairness of his life and responds by a compulsive, self destructive descent into darkness over the course of the first three books, that is as terrifying to the reader as it is to him. He drags us with him and we empathize all the way, falling into the void with him.
Morgan uses his character to ask the most daunting questions that face us all. A short list of these might include:
How does early trauma affect the rest of our lives?
How do we overcome our family legacies?
How independent do we have to be to survive? Do we trust? Who do we trust? How do we trust?
How do we respond to offers of love? How much trust is necessary to make a relationship work?
Why do we disappoint ourselves? Why do we make negative choices?
How do we respond to intense needs of others? Do we respond differently to emotional vs physical needs? Are we our brother's keepers? How much of our own brief lives do we give up for someone else?
When life gets intense do we back away or engage? How do we know which is appropriate? How far do we carry engagement?
How do we forgive ourselves our most dire mistakes? Do we? If we can't forgive, then how do we live with our own darkest choices?
How much suffering are we expected to take? When do we stop taking it? How do we fend it off? What do we sacrifice if we back off?
The list is endless, Wilson delves ruthlessly into these and many more issues that face us all. Justice is a tough, independent, intelligent, compassionate man who has suffered more than anyone can be expected to survive, and who responds in his own rough manner, often with negative choices. Wilson takes him through the consequences, never compromising for the sake of the reader, marching inexorably through a decline in spirit and then showing us dimly that there might be some possibility for resurrection, even in the face of terrible odds.
These books mesmerized me. I was compelled to follow this hazardous journey. I remember finishing the first one and searching desperately for the second while on vacation. Unable to find it, I read the first one over again twice. I couldn't seem to pick up another book by another author, from the start I knew that they had to be read together and in order.
This series is dark, fascinating, thought provoking, and by the way, very sexy. Justice is a compelling man with deep appetites, a rich appreciation for sensuality, and a willingness to explore sexual extremes. He is both a rough and tender lover who responds differently over a range of partners. The sex is satisfying, but Morgan adds another element, an exploration of desire itself and the consequences both positvie and negative, as we are vulnerable in the face of physical need.
These are mysterious books in the sense that they explore the constitution of the human spirit. In a way Justice is Everyman taken to the limits of endurance. As a reader I was forced to ask myself many questions about my own choices and the answers were difficult and still wanting. The Justice series is a group of books one can go back to again and again. They are more than good crime stories, they are the stuff of life.
