An irresistible story of love and death, this Easy Rawlins mystery takes place during the devastating 1965 Watts riots. Easy's hunt for a killer reveals a new city emerging from the ashes -- and a new life for Easy and his friends.
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"Mosely writes about African American living infusing his book with history and great commentary. Anyone who wants to get a feel for what its like to be African American in this country really needs to spend time with Mosley. Its good mystery and good history!"
— Lynn (5 out of 5 stars)
" Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors. I don't recommend him to everyone, though. His stories often take place in the tough streets of LA and the racial conflicts of the 30's-60's. The language and the situations are somewhat graphic, although probably accurate of the time. The most famous story by this author is Devil in a Blue Dress, which was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. "
— Aleisha, 2/20/2014" the easy rawlins books are always easy reading. nothing t complain about, a great airplane business trip book, with more heft for lit-lovers than the usual fantasy detective book. "
— Bill, 2/18/2014" Rawlin's is always good, the way he mixes race relations into classic hard boiled street detective stories with Easy Rawlins as a man just trying to make it in a changing world. And ever since they made Mosley's first book Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel Washington as Easy, I keep hearing Denzel's voice when I read, which is cool. But as I mature as a reader, I seem to have noticed that while Mosley has added a more new characters i.e Easy's adopted family, they are pretty empty. I think Mosley should focus on making his work more complexed( it seems that these novels have not developed over time) while the new characters seem only to be a drain on the story itself, if this makes sense? "
— Eric, 2/14/2014" It's the fact that books like this become popular that makes me question the idea of being a writer. The average Bugs Bunny cartoon has fewer plot holes than this novel. "
— Matthew, 2/2/2014" Love the character of Easy Rawlins. Mosley is one of my two favorite mystery writers. I have an autographed copy of Little Scarlet. "
— Harley, 1/29/2014" Another book for my 20th century literature class (focusing on African American literature). A quick read dealing with issues of race in Los Angeles during the Watts riots. "
— Rose, 1/29/2014" An entertaing crime book with Easy Rawlins working on a case in which a red-headed woman has been murdered. "
— Phillip, 1/27/2014" Listened to the audio version read outstandingly by Michael Boatman. Ultimately lacking as a mystery story, the novel is painfully revelatory regarding race relations in the 60's. Set during the Watts riots but not about them as such. Mosley is a thoughtful, sensitive writer. The novel gives one a "gut" sense of black experience that no essay could provide. "
— John, 1/19/2014" Set in the '60s, after the Watts riots, Rawlins is called in to help investigate a murder, so the cops can avoid stirring up trouble in the minority section of town. As usual, Rawlins gets more than he bargained for. "
— Tom, 1/9/2014" The story begins with the Watts riots and explores their emotional and racial repercussions. There's a mystery, too, of course, and a plethora of interesting characters. Good read. "
— Scout, 12/31/2013" Fantastic! A great mystery that takes place in a great moment in time. "
— Vicki, 12/7/2013Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy Award, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgar Awards, and several NAACP Image Awards. His work is translated into twenty-five languages. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, for AppleTV+ and serves as a writer and executive producer for FX’s “Snowfall.”
Michael Boatman is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and twice winner of the prestigious Audie Award for narration. He is a versatile television, film, and stage actor whose work on the hit TV show Spin City garnered him a GLAAD Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and nominations for two NAACP Image Awards. For his work playing Stanley Babson on the long-running HBO series ARLI$$, he was nominated five times for the Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.