2009 Reading #51: Devil In a Blue Dress

[snurri]

Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.

51. Devil In a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. I've had a few of the Easy Rawlins mysteries for years, but I hadn't read any of them because I wanted to start from the beginning. So a couple of months ago I went to Uncle Edgar's and picked up the first three, and now that I am both wiped out from Sycamore Hill and laid low by the heat, this is perfect stuff to be reading. My context for Mosley is a couple of short stories and the Socrates Fortlow books, which are fucking amazing. So it's not Easy's fault that I don't find him as compelling right off the bat. Which isn't to say I'm not interested, but I'm more interested in Mosley's setting--L.A.'s Watts neighborhood circa 1948--and the weird Doppelgänger relationship between Easy and Mouse, his sociopathic best friend. I also like the fact that these books are told from a long perspective, as Easy at some later time in life narrating certain pivotal events, and the way he's able to pinpoint the moments when he learns important things about life or detecting or both.

Comments

[st-writes.livejournal.com]

Loved the Easy Rawlins books, especially the first 4. I have not read the Socrates Fortlow books though, so I guess I'd better take a look!

[snurri.livejournal.com]

The Socrates Fortlow books aren't mysteries, at least not really, but they're very tense and vivid.

I'm on Book Three of the Rawlins series now. All good so far.

[justinhowe.livejournal.com]

Socrate Fortlaw rules! I also like the Fearless Jones books. They're kind of like the Don Knotts/Vin Diesel buddy movies that never were.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I have to check out Fearless Jones, too. I hadn't realized how prolific Mosley was until I was looking at his Wikipedia entry!

[justinhowe.livejournal.com]

"The Man in My Basement" is a pretty great read--kind of slipstream/surreal/suspense. Short and stand alone, too.