Revision of Justice

Benjamin Justice #2

by John Morgan Wilson

In Hollywood, many people would kill for a movie deal, and in Revision of Justice --the scathing follow-up to John Morgan Wilson's Edgar Award-winning first novel--somebody does.

There's a Hollywood one never gets to see on Oscar night, the Hollywood of wannabes, has-beens, and never-weres.  It's this hidden Hollywood that Benjamin Justice finds when he accompanies Alexandra Templeton--the go-getting young journalist he met in Wilson's previous novel, Simple Justice --to an open house at the home of the well-known teacher of screenwriting Gordon Cantwell.  Templeton is on assignment, but the body she finds in Cantwell's garden isn't part of her story, and Justice suspects that the death isn't natural, either.

The dead man is Raymond Farr, born Reza JaFari, and as it turns out, almost anyone at the party might have wanted him dead.  The quintessential Hollywood deal maker, Farr's credentials were as phony as his name, and his scruples were as nonexistent as his credits.  Justice--ever the investigative journalist, however reluctant--begins to nose around, and unearths a tangled web of relationships that lead him, finally, to the killer.  Along the way he also reawakens a part of himself, the part he had kept buried, or preserved in alcohol, ever since the death of his lover from AIDS seven years before.

In Revision of Justice, John Morgan Wilson expands his world beyond the borders of West Hollywood to explore the tarnished detritus of Tinseltown, and his hero, Benjamin Justice, expands his world as well, as he begins to open up to the feelings he had been trying so hard to deny.

Genres: Mystery, Gay, LGBT, Fiction, M M Romance, Crime, Suspense

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

John Morgan Wilson is the author of several novels in the Benjamin Justice series as well as two co-written books with band leader Peter Duchin. He's the winner of the Edgar Award and three-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for the Benjamin Justice novels. He lives in West Hollywood, CA.

Reviews

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben is a glutton for punishment, y'all.

So in this one, Templeton asks Ben for help with a society piece for a magazine. They head off to a Hollywood party and of course, murder happens! Ben again gets involved with a jerk involved in the case, and he also befriends the murdered guy's roommate, who has AIDS. Ben's lover died of AIDS several years before, but Ben had ducked out and avoided the end, and it's been eating at him ever since, so now he's going to be there for Donny.

This isn't as sad and maudlin as it could have been, thankfully, because AIDS is a heavy subject. There's still a lot of detail about the disease and its effect on various characters, infected or friends/loved ones of those infected. So be forewarned if this is a sensitive subject for you.

The mystery was pretty decent. It could have gone a couple of different ways from the beginning, but it became clear what was going on about 2/3s of the way through, and then it was just a matter of getting enough evidence to go after the whodunit. There was a lot of focus on Hollywood and all it stands for, which was on the boring side, but since Ben wasn't into the glam, seeing it from his POV kept it from getting cheesy or hokey.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an excellent story from a gritty and excellent series. I am really not sure how to review it.

I love mysteries and I love stories with gay characters in them. This has a gripping mystery that reveals the underbelly of Hollywood with its desperation of the many who seek fame and fortune, and its hypocrisy and false lives. Benjamin Justice is thrust into this shadow world as he seeks to discover who murdered an aspiring Hollywood scriptwriter.

As he does so Benjamin is forced to confront the spectre of Aids which has been haunting him since his lover died of the disease leaving him bereft and adrift. Benjamin is forced to find who murdered the scriptwriter so that a young man falsely accused can die in peace.

But this story is not just about uncovering the truth about a murder, it is a story that makes the reader realise that we all have shadow parts of our lives. We all want to believe that we are good and living well but we never really fully know this until we are forced to confront those secret hidden parts of ourselves.

I enjoyed this story. I read it slowly and took my time with it instead of devouring it as I normally do. I allowed the heat, dust, glitter and emptiness of Hollywood to soak through me as I read and I had a great reading experience that left me wanting to cheer Benjamin on and also left me wanting to hug and comfort him as he confronts his own fears and the brokeness of his own life.

The best part of the story is that even though he is down and hiding, Benjamin is actually tough, dogged in pursuit of the truth and compassionate. I also love this series because Benjamin has a sassy, black, intelligent, determined female reporter colleague and I love the way they both work together and get on each others nerves.

This is a great series for anyone who likes gritty mysteries with flawed heroes and thank goodness I still have more in this series to read.

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most gritty, hardcore, mysteries I’ve read in a longtime. I avoid this kind of thing normally but it also was so well written I couldn’t look away.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the second edition of John Morgan Wilson's Revision of Justice (A Benjamin Justice Mystery Book 2), Wilson updated the book as he did with the first Benjamin Justice. Back in the day, decisions were made, edits happened in order to get the book published. In 2023, ReQueered Tales wanted to republish the books the author wanted, and so we have a more polished, more modern, more intimate story. Two things make this book stand out among the many murder mystery novels I read. First, it takes place not just in the world of Hollywood, but specifically in the world screenwriting, making it a fascinating look at a profession which normally goes unnoticed until awards season. Justice himself is a writer, a disgraced journalist, so his foray into Hollywood makes for some interesting storyline. Second, his two major sex scenes couldn't be more different and yet show the reader so much about Justice's character, flaws, depth of affection, and need for redemption - or better still desire to set things right this time. Beautifully written, I adore this series. So thrilled to read book 2.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without Hollywood, Los Angeles has no point! (Chapter 12)

There is a murder in a Hollywood party that Benjamin Justice attends to, as companion to Los Angeles Sun reporter Alexandra Templeton. The victim is a young wannabe screenwriter -- who ends up having a lot of important people connected to him, who have reasons to want him dead.

It's been awhile since I read murder mystery that has more than 450+ pages (this one clocks at 471 pages on my Kindle). But it is oh, so satisfying. I always love murder in a party setting -- where the guests immediately become suspects. Blame early experience with Agatha Christie's stories, I guess.

The hints of the murderer is there, and it's related to the old dream of becoming big in Hollywood. I enjoy the process of Benjamin Justice gathering all the information, bullying his way to finding answers from the suspects. Reporters are like detectives, and when they get their nose on clues, they will not let go easily, huh?

I love the big names thrown here, the people in Hollywood that we know are big names now. I especially smiled big when the name mentioned was of Quentin Tarantino.

There is one scene, that makes me particulary worried about Benjamin Justice's temper ... he beat one of the characters, Lawrence Teal, without any remorse. Since I've been spoiled with the dark twist on book #3 from a friend, I wonder if this is the 'seed' heading that way.

Since this book is released in the late 90's, the HIV/AIDS situation is very prominent, and I find it heartbreaking to read. What the disease does to the people infected ... particularly to those who caught it without being aware they they have exposed to it.

Over all, a solid murder mystery, and I will definitely try to read book #3.

[LARRY · Rating 4 out of 5]

As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:

This is the first Benjamin Justice book I've read. I have to say that I really liked it, next to Michael Nava's Henry Rios.

At a party filled with directors, actors, screenwriters and other wannabes, Raymond Farr, a.k.a Reza JaFari, an Iranian actor, is found murdered.

Disgraced gay reporter, Justice, has been offered an opportunity to assist Alexandra Templeton in an article regarding the situation. Strapped for cash, Justice has no choice but to participate.

Homophobic detective, Claude DeWinter, strongly believes that Raymond's roommate, Danny Romero, is the murderer. Perhaps against his better judgment, Justice falls hard for Danny. Just one problem...Danny is HIV-positive. However, so was Justice's deceased lover, Jacques. It seems that Justice is reliving and amending his past through Danny.

Meanwhile, Justice has to help finish this article in time. However, the Hollywood people, especially the bigwigs, are giving Justice the runaround by giving him half-truths and lies. Justice has no choice but to ask blunt questions and to trap his interviewees in compromising situations in order to get the answers he need. Justice may be a disgraced reporter but he sure does know the art of reporting.

This book was interesting as it was filled with titles and synopses of old, classic movies. This book was hot in terms of gay sex. Wilson doesn't hold back with sordid details of Justice's sexual encounters with some of the suspects. Whooo...hot!

*Revision of Justice* was a good read that not only focused on solving the murder but also on Justice's personal issues on making amends with his past.

[Fritz42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I enjoyed Ben, the MC, in this book more than in the first. In this one, he started to come out of his self-hating purgatory, showing us a hint of a human being in that cynical shell we saw in the first book

The mystery was interesting, but I figured out the killer halfway through the book. What was interesting was finding out how they did it.

The part of the book dealing with AIDS was heart wrenching, bringing back my own personal experiences. Because of that I'm going to have to take a break from this series before I read the next one. Which I probably will do, if only to see how Ben is handling what happened in the end.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm almost speechless. This is the first book by the author or series I've read. Another series and another author which I'm going to add to my list of "to-reads". What was surprising to me was the detail of sexual encounters he included. While I was shocked for, oh about three seconds, I'm glad to see such titles in the public library no matter what the content. Definitely NOT for the younger generation to read. Besides that, another wonderful author who puts the reader in the present and spins a story that brought tears to my eyes.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good gay mystery in which Ben gets pulled into researching a Hollywood story that turns out to be very convoluted, but gives him the chance to face some of his own demons... or flee again.

[Tex Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 of 5 stars – Exciting Sequel in Series I Loved For Its Gritty Mysteries.

[Gay Men’s Book Group-Chicago monthly selection]

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery and characterization.

[Steven W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greed, ambition and the tragedy of HIV mixed in with a murder mystery. I love this series!! You should try it.....

[Steven Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAYBE BETTER THAN "SIMPLE JUSTICE"

Requeered Publications, dedicated to reviving previous published gay literature for a new generation of readers, brings back this second book in the "Benjamin Justice" series by John Morgan Wilson. This second story may be better than Wilson's first, Simple Justice (see review). First published in 1997, this novel appeared just as the world was finally seeing some new medications offering hope to victims 0f AIDS.

Set in Hollywood, this murder mystery involves a mysterious screen play, its authorship, and a plethora of suspects surrounding a murder at a party in a well-known screenwriter's home. There's just enough "name dropping" of real Hollywood stars to make the story seem authentic. I was proud that I, a person rarely clever enough to figure out "who done it" when reading these types of books, was able to actually identify the murderer in Wilson's first novel! Not so here. I was blissfully in the dark to the very end. How Wilson unveils the killer is brilliant and dripping with the conceit and vanity that is "so Hollywood."

Wilson writes with a very human touch. All his characters possess both good and bad traits just like real people. The story is told in first person by Benjamin Justice, a grizzled tough and disgraced detective who's trying to make a comeback. His homosexuality is really adjunct to his personality as a whole, just as it is with most all men, and it is treated as such in story. This is also true for many of his other gay characters. Straight characters, as well, hardly seem bothered with sexual orientation, although this is "West Hollywood." Only an evangelical minister and his wife, minor characters, reign down their homophobia. The scourge of AIDS, however, does play a significant part in the plot of this mystery.

Having myself lived through that era and luckily beyond, I wasn't enthusiastic to be honest about reading another sad story involving an "AIDS tragedy." Wilson does use Justice's voice to shame straight society and the government, especially the Reagan administration, for its ignorance and slowness to take action against the virus. Prepared to "sigh" and move on from this part of the storyline, I was surprised Wilson didn't get too morose. Especially through a wonderful long-term couple who are Justice's landlords, Wilson focuses more on the good done by the gay community in those days caring for their sick and dying brothers. Upon further reflection it should also be noted that AIDS has been a "manageable" disease long enough now that there's a whole new generation who did not lived through the 80s and 90s when AIDS was pretty much a death sentence.

If you loved Michael Narra's "Henry Rios" series, you will surely enjoy the Benjamin Justice books. I look forward to Requeered Publications and John Morgan Wilson making the third book in this series available on Kindle very soon!

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Michael Nava then you will love this.

[Ikhneumon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An aspiring young screenwriter dies at a Hollywood party attended by disgraced reporter Benjamin Justice, who was dragged there for a story by his writing partner, Alexandra Templeton. Did Raymond Farr die of natural causes, or was he murdered? If he was killed, the list of suspects with possible means, motive, and opportunity seems to keep expanding rather than narrowing down. Templeton and Justice dig their way through the movie industry's tightly-knit, backstabbing community, interviewing agents, writers, directors, aspiring actors, ambitious assistants, has-beens and wannabes, trying to identify the culprit.

In addition to the professional opportunity the case provides, it also takes on a more personal dimension for Alex and Ben. The pair alternately assist and obstruct a homophobic police detective who has taken a shine to Alex, herself on the rebound from a failed relationship. Ben, meanwhile, finds his attentions divided between an amoral, sexually aggressive actor and a frail, HIV-positive artist, both of whom are suspects.

Hollywood provides rather too easy a target for Justice's jaded commentary, and the name-dropping of real life celebrities becomes tiresome. A key piece of information makes the killer's identity fairly obvious perhaps a little sooner than I would have liked, though the how proves a more clever problem than the who or the why (a few clues I had completely overlooked prove crucial to understanding the logistics of the crime). And Ben's instant bond with the ailing Danny is more than a little suspect, as he quite explicitly sees the younger man as a stand-in for Jacques, the lover he failed. But Wilson's dark story of deceit, betrayal, corruption and redemption, coming to an appropriately apocalyptic ending during one of California's devastating wildfires, ultimately delivers a compelling and satisfactory mystery.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Justice series second novel. Approximately a year after the events of Simple Justice, we find Benjamin Justice still the outsider, still struggling with his inner demons. Booze, guilt, self pity, a little depression. Alexandra Templeton, the rookie journalist, now a journalist with a name and some pull, is taping Justice for some help on an article she's writing for a LA magazine about Hollywood's business : the movie. More specifically the writing of movies. This second novel in the series is still a dark, angsty ride. But Justice finds a road to some redemption for his guilt. The plot does use the Hollywood writers paranoia, delusion and big ego nicely, you get some interesting description of life in West Hollywood and a cop that's a lot more than the sum of his dysfunctional parts. I liked it. Looking forward to "Justice at risk" to get here some time this month.

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Justice is becoming an even bigger asshole and alcoholic than he was in the first book of the series. If Mr. Wilson wasn't such a good writer, I wouldn't read any more of the series. Someone definitely needs to give Justice the ass-kicking he so richly deserves. But otherwise, the book is great. If it wasn't for Justice, I'd give it 5 stars. How's that for ironic?

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

With an interesting cast of suspects, this follow-up introduces a Hollywood mystery that feels completely different from Simple Justice. In some ways, the stakes feel (slightly) lower; however, Ben's personal life balances the dramatic tension rather well.

[Drianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

#2 in the series. Again, interesting for what it is.

[Christina]

Ok nice plot but depressing

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben Justice develops as a character and begins to come out of his self-imposed exile where he's been mired since the death of his partner from AIDS. Since book #1, Simple Justice, Alex(andra), his journalist friend, has gotten a promotion; and their police contact DeWinter, has become more human. Justice eases his way back into the world of journalism while investigating and interviewing leads in the death of a promising young gay screenwriter during a Hollywood hills party. The gay sex scenes are a bit tamer than in the first book, although still graphic.

Justice is an interesting and likable character and I'll be looking for #3 in the series, Justice at Risk, on my next library visit.

[_inbetween_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson tied me firmly to him with his second novel. The humanism makes it a good book, when the Hollywood setting, name dropping and newspaper-article-like chapter endings would have turned me off. Despite the wider LA setting I also find unattractive, and the illogical/crude relationship with a beautiful "cold" man, it is actually Justice's occasional violence, his drinking problem and AIDS deaths that made me like him and the books more, when just written down like this I would not even be interested in reading about such things.

"I wanted him very, very badly but was frightened of him just as much, frightened by the poison he carried in his blood and semen, and by his mortality."

The way he wants someone very much and is equally afraid of them is a simple powerful truth that exemplifies what I like about this author.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the weaker books in the Justice series. The whole Hollywood story line didn't hold my interest, but I did enjoy Justice's POV, as usual. His relationship (if you can call it that) with Teal was particularly amusing to read. Just the right amount of sleaze, lust, and contempt to raise my eyebrows.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The strength of “Revision of Justice” doesn’t lie in the plot, I was certain I knew who the murderer was long before the end, but in Wilson’s rich characters and in capturing the moment. I was very moved by the AIDS references which were so haunting in their veracity that I felt I was reliving experiences from the 80’s and early 90’s.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one, unfortunately. Seemed like the plot was a stretch of the imagination. The characters seemed more two dimensional, and the sex scenes seemed like they were just shoehorned in.

[Lori S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Justice is a complicated and very flawed character, but he's also determined and relentless in his pursuits for information and the truth. The more I read, the more I like.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked