Murder mysteries that deal with sadomasochism, incest, serial
killers and alternative sexuality (among other things) might not the
kind of reading you might expect to be a source of spiritual
enlightenment and Jungian philosophy. But in the case of Bernard
J. Taylor, author of the Terrell Newman series, you'd be wrong. I
have personally found these books very enlightening and spiritually
uplifting, with some wonderful characters. His latest novel, Running
In The Dark, synchronicity features as a key ingredient to the
story. Jung's name also features regularly on the side of the "good
guys" in a number of the novels.

While these novels are designed for mass entertainment (and provide
real page-turning suspense), they show the extent to which everyone
is under pressure to conform to stereotypes that have no intrinsic
validity beyond very superficial generalizations, and demonstrate
how intolerance and the pressures to conform to these stereotypes
are a big part of the real darkness at the heart of society. They
particularly look at the way that organized religion often corrupts
spiritual goals in the pursuit of empire building.

Taylor's writings identify and beautifully define the hidden causes
of oppression, intolerance, fear and negativity in society in a way
that no other writer is doing at present. I believe that many
psychologists and others could learn a lot from his examination of
the human condition.

The books redefine the concepts of good and evil, sexual identity,
and the relationship between the flesh and the spirit. They provide
a moral compass at a time when most other writers are flailing
around (like much of society) in moral vacuum or in total confusion,
with no integrity. The basis of that moral compass is very simple is
the notion that you should be true to yourself and your nature
provided you do not intentionally cause harm to others, and don't
try to get everyone to conform to your views.

If you want a good read that offers a lot of spiritual enlightenment
and some wonderfully vivid characters, I can highly recommend these
works. They have the page-turning qualities of a Patricia Cornwell
along with a deep interest in the human soul.

You can read the first chapters of all the novels in the Files
section on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-novels-of-Bernard_J_Taylor