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Book Reviewed by:The many fans of Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins are sure to be
satisfied with this tenth novel in the series. From the opening pages of
Blonde Faith, continual problems assail Easy and those he loves, but
this "unwilling detective" maintains steady focus as he searches for answers
in the neighborhoods of south-central Los Angeles. The interconnected story arcs
evolve and intertwine against a 1967 backdrop of civil injustice, Vietnam
fallout, and rampant racism. Forceful personalities and frequent plot twists
combine easily in Mosley’s smooth narrative about the inner and outer trials
of this melancholic, reluctant hero. Love, longing, loneliness, and broken
memories are as much a part of his life as criminal investigations, gunshot
trajectories, and speeding automobiles. The author’s ear for dialogue and
vernacular is very good, and the flowing prose style makes reading a
pleasure.
For readers who may not be familiar with earlier books by
this prolific and awarded writer, be assured that Blonde Faith can
also be enjoyed as a standalone mystery. It's true that at times, because of
Easy’s wide social ties and past successful cases, a new reader can feel
like the only guest at a party who doesn’t already know everybody there.
However, the narrator resolves this potential pitfall by repeatedly
providing history, back stories, and context whenever Easy’s old friends,
enemies, and acquaintances appear.
In keeping with the genre of "private eye" protagonists,
Ezekiel is intuitive, intelligent, and omniscient – sometimes to the level
of fantasy, like an all-knowing, middle-aged black superman. He is a tough
street killer with a sensitive heart; a man of learning haunted by his
choices; a recovering alcoholic, and a ready lover with absolutely no need
for Viagra. The innate complexity and roiling conflicts in his work are a
key part of the interest, and make the strong, brooding Easy Rawlins an
admirable and memorable character.
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in November 2007, and has been updated for the
August 2008 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
If you liked Blonde Faith, try these:
by Walter Mosley
Published 2019
From trailblazing novelist Walter Mosley: a former NYPD cop once imprisoned for a crime he did not commit must solve two cases: that of a man wrongly condemned to die, and his own.
by Alan Drew
Published 2018
What Dennis Lehane does for Boston, Alan Drew does for Southern California in this novel of psychological suspense about an idyllic community rocked by a serial killer - and a dark secret.
by Dennis Lehane
Published 2002
A tense and unnerving psychological thriller - also an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family.
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
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