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Benjamin Justice #4
The Limits of Justice
From the Edgar Award-Winning author of Justice at Risk
For ex-reporter Benjamin Justice life has hit rock bottom — HIV positive, no job, no hope, no future. Then a young woman comes to his door with a handsome job offer — to ghostwrite a payback book.
Someone has written a bio attacking her father, the late Rod Preston, a onetime Hollywood hunk. Rod was not all he seemed on the big screen — or so says the sleazy bio. The actor is linked to a shadowy world of powerful men, sinister perversion, and blood-chilling crimes so shocking, they give Justice a reason to fight the good fight once again.
But no sooner has Justice cashed his advance check than Rod's loyal daughter unexpectedly turns up dead in her bedroom, a needle in her arm. The authorities rule her death a suicide, but Justice knows there's more to the story.
Armed only with rumor and circumstantial evidence, Justice goes looking for the truth and discovers that the secrets he seeks lie hidden behind a web of deadly games and unspeakable depravity. To uncover them Justice may have to risk not just his life but his soul....
For ex-reporter Benjamin Justice life has hit rock bottom — HIV positive, no job, no hope, no future. Then a young woman comes to his door with a handsome job offer — to ghostwrite a payback book.
Someone has written a bio attacking her father, the late Rod Preston, a onetime Hollywood hunk. Rod was not all he seemed on the big screen — or so says the sleazy bio. The actor is linked to a shadowy world of powerful men, sinister perversion, and blood-chilling crimes so shocking, they give Justice a reason to fight the good fight once again.
But no sooner has Justice cashed his advance check than Rod's loyal daughter unexpectedly turns up dead in her bedroom, a needle in her arm. The authorities rule her death a suicide, but Justice knows there's more to the story.
Armed only with rumor and circumstantial evidence, Justice goes looking for the truth and discovers that the secrets he seeks lie hidden behind a web of deadly games and unspeakable depravity. To uncover them Justice may have to risk not just his life but his soul....
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
John Morgan Wilson
20 books50 followersJohn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 3, 2019
3.5 stars.
Benjamin stumbled upon a pedophile ring while trying to help a young woman who came to him to clear her father's good name. There wasn't as much mystery to this mystery as there was just finding enough proof to do something with it, which does take a considerable amount of time considering the crime involved. Well, there was a mystery around who killed a certain character, but that felt like it was back-burnered through much of the book. A couple of things were added at the end that felt unnecessary:
I'm also bemused that we only found out what happened with a few of the perps here, and This one could've used an epilogue, more so than some of the others.
I am glad to see Benjamin finally starting to put his life back together after the life-altering events in the previous book. I'm not really a fan of Oree though. There was something about him in the last book that kept rubbing me the wrong way, Alex was starting to get that "pushy best friend" vibe, just a smidge, which would annoy me more if Ben didn't so desperately need someone to keep him engaged in the world outside his apartment. Unfortunately, she's pro-Oree. :(
Edit: After seeing some reviews for the next book in this series, Blind Eye, and doing much pondering, I'm going to leave this series here. Two books about pedophilia in a row is a bit much, and in the next book it's revealed that I don't understand why some authors feel the need to needlessly torment their characters like this. On top of everything else Ben's been through , I just don't want to travel this road with him anymore. I'm out.
Benjamin stumbled upon a pedophile ring while trying to help a young woman who came to him to clear her father's good name. There wasn't as much mystery to this mystery as there was just finding enough proof to do something with it, which does take a considerable amount of time considering the crime involved. Well, there was a mystery around who killed a certain character, but that felt like it was back-burnered through much of the book. A couple of things were added at the end that felt unnecessary:
I'm also bemused that we only found out what happened with a few of the perps here, and This one could've used an epilogue, more so than some of the others.
I am glad to see Benjamin finally starting to put his life back together after the life-altering events in the previous book. I'm not really a fan of Oree though. There was something about him in the last book that kept rubbing me the wrong way, Alex was starting to get that "pushy best friend" vibe, just a smidge, which would annoy me more if Ben didn't so desperately need someone to keep him engaged in the world outside his apartment. Unfortunately, she's pro-Oree. :(
Edit: After seeing some reviews for the next book in this series, Blind Eye, and doing much pondering, I'm going to leave this series here. Two books about pedophilia in a row is a bit much, and in the next book it's revealed that I don't understand why some authors feel the need to needlessly torment their characters like this. On top of everything else Ben's been through , I just don't want to travel this road with him anymore. I'm out.
April 22, 2015
One year on from the brutal attack that changed his life, Benjamin Justice struggles to stay alive.
A year ago his life had started to come together but all of that changed leaving him with depression, suicidal thoughts and no hope. But life constantly moves and changes and things change once again when he is approached by a young woman (Charlotte Preston) to write a book about an author who had in turn written a book about her deceased father revealing him as a paedophile. Benjamin decides to take up this golden opportunity but a few days after cashing his huge advanced cheque Charlotte calls him to cancel the work and a few days later Benjamin finds her dead in her home from a supposed suicide.
But Benjamin knows there is more to this than meets the eye and decides to dig further with the help of his old 'friend' Alexandra Templeton who is now a journalist at the LA Times.
And Benjamin does dig deeper uncovering a wide ring of evil and exploitation which eventually through many twists and turns leads him to the murderer.
Once again Benjamin drags himself to solve the crime despite his depression, his suicide ideation, his diagnoses, his loneliness and his refusal to accept help. The story reveals more than a crime and a murder, it reveals that the journalist within Benjamin is keeping him alive. As he works to solve the crime, confronting people, dicing with danger, rescuing dogs he slowly edges away from the cliff that he imagines jumping off, slowly, slowly finding his way back to life as well as finding the murderer.
This was a great book but also incredibly dark and troubling. Each book in this series gets better and better as we get to see Benjamin and the people around him changing and growing despite all that life throws at them. Benjamin is quite fearless in his attempts to find the truth but often this puts him in incredibly dangerous situations. Again and again he just manages to stay alive but we also get to see him gradually opening himself to the people who care for him and to the potential for love.
The story is gripping. The crimes, the misuse of power, the exploitation of the vulnerable, the blindness of the masses all feature here in one gritty and tension filled mystery.
An excellent series and definitely one to follow through to the end!
A year ago his life had started to come together but all of that changed leaving him with depression, suicidal thoughts and no hope. But life constantly moves and changes and things change once again when he is approached by a young woman (Charlotte Preston) to write a book about an author who had in turn written a book about her deceased father revealing him as a paedophile. Benjamin decides to take up this golden opportunity but a few days after cashing his huge advanced cheque Charlotte calls him to cancel the work and a few days later Benjamin finds her dead in her home from a supposed suicide.
But Benjamin knows there is more to this than meets the eye and decides to dig further with the help of his old 'friend' Alexandra Templeton who is now a journalist at the LA Times.
And Benjamin does dig deeper uncovering a wide ring of evil and exploitation which eventually through many twists and turns leads him to the murderer.
Once again Benjamin drags himself to solve the crime despite his depression, his suicide ideation, his diagnoses, his loneliness and his refusal to accept help. The story reveals more than a crime and a murder, it reveals that the journalist within Benjamin is keeping him alive. As he works to solve the crime, confronting people, dicing with danger, rescuing dogs he slowly edges away from the cliff that he imagines jumping off, slowly, slowly finding his way back to life as well as finding the murderer.
This was a great book but also incredibly dark and troubling. Each book in this series gets better and better as we get to see Benjamin and the people around him changing and growing despite all that life throws at them. Benjamin is quite fearless in his attempts to find the truth but often this puts him in incredibly dangerous situations. Again and again he just manages to stay alive but we also get to see him gradually opening himself to the people who care for him and to the potential for love.
The story is gripping. The crimes, the misuse of power, the exploitation of the vulnerable, the blindness of the masses all feature here in one gritty and tension filled mystery.
An excellent series and definitely one to follow through to the end!
June 6, 2011
Ben sure knows how to put himself in the middle of things. This is becoming a very bad habit.
August 26, 2020
Benjamin Justice a former reporter that has issues. He has health issues both physical (he has HIV) and psychological (he is also dealing with alcohol) when the daughter of a former movie star known for playing western characters comes to him wanting him to investigate and report about her dead father since another writer has written a tell-all about him. She ends up dead herself not too long after.
Benjamin has a rocky journey dealing with child abuse and the problems of Mexican and other immigrants at our southern border. (talking about a timely issue right now in this nation). Will he manage to solve the case of the father who might or might not be who he seemed to be? Will he survive??
It is an entertaining book which I enjoyed greatly.
Benjamin has a rocky journey dealing with child abuse and the problems of Mexican and other immigrants at our southern border. (talking about a timely issue right now in this nation). Will he manage to solve the case of the father who might or might not be who he seemed to be? Will he survive??
It is an entertaining book which I enjoyed greatly.
May 18, 2019
Deeply steeped in the noir tradition of LA mysteries, the fourth in Benjamin Justice series cleaves close to the darkest strains of sleaze. If there is a hint of redemption, it is for the victims of the pedophile ring that Justice discovers in the course of his investigation into the apparent suicide of a client. Well-written and unflinching, Wilson rings all the chimes of the genre and then some. The reveal at the end is stunning and will stay with me for a long time.
December 10, 2018
Great series but SO bleak....
December 12, 2021
So this is the "we're pretty sure pedophilia is bad, right?" book.
July 3, 2011
Sexual violence is much less noticeable in this fourth book in the Benjamin Justice series, as the author seems to have hit his stride with a tighter, more focused mystery dealing with pedophilia, immigrants and rich men having their way with young boys. Benjamin begins to cope with his AIDS diagnosis. I'd give it 3.49 stars, not quite high enough to bump to a 4 but the best book in the series so far. Coming up next, #5 Blind Eye.
I liked the description of Benjamin's time in Tijuana and the border crossing experience rings true for the time period -- late 1990s probably.
I liked the description of Benjamin's time in Tijuana and the border crossing experience rings true for the time period -- late 1990s probably.
July 29, 2013
I don't actually have the hardcover version of the book; it's a soft cover "bound galley", not for sale.
The more Justice books I read, the more disgusted I'm becoming. Benjamin Justice is a despicable asshole because of the horrible way he treats people. He actually takes pride in it, at one point gloating in the fact that he was "ordering" someone to come out and talk to him. And what makes me even angrier is that everyone does it. They may put up a tiny protest, but then they immediately crumple. I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but real people don't behave the way your characters do. They don't just unburden themselves to a total stranger who demands it of them.
The more Justice books I read, the more disgusted I'm becoming. Benjamin Justice is a despicable asshole because of the horrible way he treats people. He actually takes pride in it, at one point gloating in the fact that he was "ordering" someone to come out and talk to him. And what makes me even angrier is that everyone does it. They may put up a tiny protest, but then they immediately crumple. I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but real people don't behave the way your characters do. They don't just unburden themselves to a total stranger who demands it of them.
June 25, 2007
Limits' plot is centered around a ring of pedophiles who pick up young illegal immigrants boys and pass them around. Justice runs smack into their business when he's asked to write a tell all book by the daughter of a deceased movie star about the movie star's biographer. She turns up dead the next day and of course, the movie star was nothing like his daughter thought. It's well written, well paced, a page turner but also it's a very cold account of the way some of us live, the way our society fails to protect its most vulnerable members what ever their age.
December 30, 2016
John Morgan Wilson delivers another forceful and thought-provoking read in “The Limits of Justice,” his fourth novel in the Benjamin Justice series. As with the previous novels, Wilson poignantly uses issues surrounding AIDS and HIV infection, with great honesty and insight, as a backdrop against which the action of the murder plot takes place. And the investigation into the murder itself, uncovers issues that are not always easy to read; you’ll likely find yourself feeling disconcerted, angry, and saddened by this story that’s all too real.
July 30, 2012
Another very good and very dark gay mystery that starts about a year after the previous book. Ben's not taking very good care of himself, but then he's hired to ghostwrite an expose of a guy who writes sleazy bios of recently dead celebrities... and things get complicated. Now waiting for the library to get in the next book in the series!
April 19, 2015
As all of his books, this is an easy read. Morgan does well in introducing each character without making the introduction boring for the series readers. Slowly throughout the book adding slight hints to the characters, these only add to the dimensions of the characters we already love.
March 13, 2019
4.0 of 5 stars – Strong Series Continues to Build with Realistic, Hardboiled Mystery.
February 1, 2015
I love this series. I have read every one.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews