Moth and Flame
by John Morgan Wilson

Benjamin Justice used to be one of Los Angeles's most respected journalists, but a scandal over invented sources cost him the Pulitzer, his job and his reputation. With his life in ruins, he's spent much of the past decade slowly piecing it back together. Now he's under contract to write his biography, but the writing is going slowly and he's in need of a job to tide him over financially. So when Bruce Bibby, a freelance writer, is murdered during an apparent burglary, Bibby's uncompleted assignment for the city of West Hollywood is a much needed opportunity for Justice. Hired to complete the dead man's assignment-researching and writing a booklet on the city's historically relevant buildings - Justice resists becoming involved in the murder investigation, wanting only to maintain his quiet, stable life. But it's not going to be that easy. There's a fight brewing over the fate of a set of rundown cottages - some believe them historically significant and wish to preserve them, others want them torn down to make way for a new condo project and both sides see Justice's pamphlet as the key to winning the fight. As Justice tries to go about his business, he finds himself intrigued by the complexities of the murder case - the young Russian immigrant tied to the Bibby murder scene may be damned by his father's notorious crimes; the detective leading the murder investigation is quietly searching for her own long missing father; the owner of the houses in question, the would-be developer, and their main opposition all share a secret connection that dates back nearly three decades. When the leader of the local preservation group is found murdered on the grounds of the controversial cottages, Justice must unravel the secrets that surround the murders or let an innocent suffer for another's crimes.

Other Books by John Morgan Wilson

Simple Justice
Benjamin Justice Mystery Book 1

Good Morning, Heartache

Blue Moon

John Morgan Wilson's Bio

John Morgan Wilson is an American journalist and author of crime fiction, notably the award-winning Benjamin Justice mystery novels. The books feature a reclusive ex-reporter, ruined by a Pulitzer scandal and haunted by personal loss, who operates out of West Hollywood, California, becoming enmeshed in murder investigations in and around Los Angeles. Simple Justice led the series in 1996, winning the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Six of the eight Justice mysteries, including Simple Justice, were nominated for Lambda Literary Awards for Best Gay Men’s Mystery, three of them winning in that category. Originally published by Doubleday (the first four books) and St. Martin’s Press (the last four), the series was revived in late 2020 when ReQueered Tales [www.requeeredtales.com] released Simple Justice in a revised 25th anniversary edition, with a Foreword by Christopher Rice [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Rice]. At that time, RQT announced plans to publish all eight titles in eBook and paperback formats. Revision of Justice, the second Justice mystery, set in the highly competitive and often heartbreaking world of Hollywood screenwriting, will be released in a heavily revised edition in late 2021. The remaining titles, also revised, will follow over the next few years.