Walter Mosley Books

Prepare to meet the most seductively female and shockingly fatal femme fatales, brought to you by seventeen of today’s finest authors of mystery and suspense fiction. Award-winning editor Otto Penzler presents a collection of short, sizzling masterpieces filled with thrilling tales that showcase how sexy and fierce the 'gentler sex' can be. In 'Third Party', a party girl takes you on a wild ride through the Paris night, while Nelson DeMille's 'Rendezvous' plunges you into a Vietnam jungle where the deadliest scourge is a woman. Elmore Leonard introduces a Depression-era teenage gun moll in 'Louly and Pretty Boy', who loves Pretty Boy Floyd more than robbing filling stations. Lorenzo Carcaterra's 'A Thousand Miles from Nowhere' features a smart blonde seeking slow-simmered vengeance, and Michael Connelly's 'Cielo Azul' reveals how a nameless woman found dead in Los Angeles can be the most lethal prey. Other riveting tales include a scorned lover claiming an old fling's heart, a mysterious woman offering a tempting suicide pact, and a she-demon rising from the grave. These and many other bad girls cast their criminal spells through the powerful voices of Joyce Carol Oates, John Connolly, Thomas H. Cook, Jeffrey Deaver, and more, in stories as irresistible as the anti-heroines that blaze through their pages.

Walter Mosley's Leonid McGill series is the best-kept secret in crime fiction: an explosive new McGill from Walter Mosley, creator of the internationally bestselling Easy Rawlins series.

Following his essential writing guide, This Year You Write Your Novel, award-winning author Walter Mosley delivers an eloquent treatise on the craft of fiction writing--part writing guide, part study of the mechanics of the genre.

Mild-mannered Paris Minton is delivered a pile of trouble when Fearless Jones shows up with a simple request: help find a beautiful woman's husband. Lending a hand gets him hit upside the head, hogtied, kidnapped, and threatened with a gun the size of a cannon. Now he's wondering whom he should fear more: the people he's looking for or the people he's working for. Tangled up with cops, rival millionaires, several corpses, and one of L.A.'s wealthiest women, Paris Minton is in a corner-and not even his invincible friend Fearless can save him.

Leonid McGill is back, in the most enthralling and ambitious instalment of Mosley's latest NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series.

In this highly anticipated sequel to the Edgar award winner Down the River Unto the Sea, Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he's asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up.

Easy Rawlins is out of the investigation business and as far away from crime as a black man can be in 1960s Los Angeles. But living around desperate men means life gets complicated sometimes. When an old friend gets in trouble to ask for Easy's help, he finds he can't refuse. Young Brawly Brown has traded in his family for The Clan of the First Men, a group rejecting white leadership and laws. Brown's mom asks Easy to make sure her baby's OK, and Easy promises to find him. His first day on the case, Easy comes face-to-face with a corpse, and vefore he knows it he is a murder suspect and in the middle of a police raid. Brawly Brown is clearly the kind of trouble most folks try to avoid. It takes everything Easy has just to stay alive as he explores a world filled with betrayals and predators like he never imagined. Bad Boy Brawly Brown is the masterful crime novel that Walter Mosley's legions of fans have been waiting for. This book marks the return of a master at the top of his form.

After a doctor touts an experimental drug that will shorten his life, but restore his failing memory and vigor, Ptolemy Grey is spurred to action after investigating his own past, his apartment and the circumstances surrounding his grand-nephew's death in a drive-by shooting. By the best-selling author of The Long Fall.

From innovative bestselling novelist Walter Mosley comes the return of the beloved Leonid McGill detective series featuring a morally ambiguous P.I. who solves crimes and whose victims are society's most downtrodden. Leonid McGill's spent a lifetime building up his reputation in the New York investigative scene. His seemingly infallible instinct and inside knowledge of the crime world make him the ideal man to help when Phillip Worry comes knocking. Phillip "Catfish" Worry is a 92-year-old Mississippi bluesman who needs Leonid's help with a simple task: deliver a letter revealing the black lineage of a wealthy heiress and her corrupt father. Unsurprisingly, the opportunity to do a simple favor while shocking the prevailing elite is too much for Leonid to resist. But when a famed and feared assassin puts a hit on Catfish, Leonid has no choice but to confront the ghost of his own felonious past. Working to protect his client, and his own family, Leonid must reach the heiress on the eve of her wedding before her powerful father kills those who hold their family's secret. Joined by a team of young and tough aspiring investigators, Leonid must gain the trust of wary socialites, outsmart vengeful thugs, and, above all, serve the truth-- no matter the cost.

Mosley and his new hero return, in a series that's already being hailed as a classic of contemporary noir.

Watts is smoldering in ruins-and the cops are on Easy Rawlins's doorstep. Easy expects the worst, as usual. But, incredibly, they're asking for his help. A redheaded woman known as Little Scarlet had sheltered a man during the riots. Witnesses later saw him fleeing her building; not long after, Little Scarlet was found viciously murdered. Now, with his old friend Mouse at his side, Easy follows the case's single clue across Los Angeles. The missing man is the key, but he's only the beginning. Hidden in the heart of the city is a killer whose red-hot rage is as fierce as the fires that rocked L.A.

In this gritty, fast-paced crime novel, a resilient ex-con seeks redemption and uncovers a web of high-stakes secrets as Detective Leonid McGill tries to prove her innocence.Zella Grisham never denied shooting her boyfriend. That’s not why she did eight years of hard time on a sixteen-year sentence. It’s that the shooting inadvertently led to charges of grand theft. Talk about bad luck.Leonid McGill has reasons to believe she’s innocent. But reopening the case is only serving to unsettle McGill’s private life even further—and expose a family secret that’s like a kick to the gut.As the case unfolds, as the truth of what happened eight years ago becomes more damning and more complex than anyone dreamed, McGill and Zella realize that everyone is guilty of something, and that sometimes the sins of the past can be too damaging to ever forget. Or ever forgive.

Walter Mosley's infamous detective Easy Rawlins is back, with a new mystery to solve on the sun-soaked streets of Southern California

Bestselling author Walter Mosley has proven himself a master of narrative tension, both with his extraordinary fiction and gripping writing for television. The Awkward Black Man collects seventeen of Mosley's most accomplished short stories to showcase the full range of his remarkable talent.

Five years have passed since the White Butterfly Affair, there?s a Kennedy in the White House and Martin Luther King is in the news. It might look like a new dawn for Black America but for Easy Rawlins times are only getting tougher - his real-estate empire is deep in the hole. Trouble comes knocking once more when Easy?s asked to find a missing woman, Elizabeth Eady, aka ?Black Betty?. From her native Houston to her position as housekeeper for a wealthy Beverly Hills family, Betty?s beauty and raw sensuality have left a trail of chaos and mayhem in her wake. Walter Mosley?s previous Easy Rawlins novels are White Butterfly, A Red Death and Devil in a Blue Dress, a film starring Denzel Washington as Easy.

It's 1966, and Easy Rawlins is desperate for cash to pay for his daughter's much-needed medical treatment. Easy gets a gig working for a legendary private eye on a missing person case. Soon, Easy's search uncovers a shocking crime in Mosley's latest sizzling "New York Times" bestseller.

The New York Times Book Review ended its rave for White Butterfly, the most recent novel in Walter Mosley's acclaimed mystery series, by saying "I can't wait to see where Easy Rawlins turns up next. And when". Black Betty holds the sure-to-be-bestselling answer. The place is Los Angeles. The year is 1961, the dawn of a hopeful era for America's black citizens. Easy Rawlins's quiet real-estate empire is deep in the hole, so he must accept $200 from the oily white private eye Saul Lynx to track down one Elizabeth Eady, aka "Black Betty". From her native Houston's Fifth Ward to her position as housekeeper for the immensely wealthy Cain family of Beverly Hills, Betty's stunning beauty and raw sensuality have left a trail of chaos and mayhem in her wake. To compound Easy's troubles, his murderous sidekick Mouse is due out of jail, and he has bloody revenge on his mind. Entertainment Weekly has said that "[Easy] Rawlins isn't just the best new series detective around, he might be the best American character to appear in quite some time". Easy's murder-strewn search for "Black Betty" takes him into the depths of America's racial dilemmas and the mysteries of human character - and his creator, Walter Mosley, to even greater heights of achievement in the American novel. It is that rare novel that tells a gripping, fast-paced story while it grapples with the biggest questions that haunt American life.

The New York Times Book Review ended its rave for White Butterfly, the most recent novel in Walter Mosley's acclaimed mystery series, by saying "I can't wait to see where Easy Rawlins turns up next. And when". Black Betty holds the sure-to-be-bestselling answer. The place is Los Angeles. The year is 1961, the dawn of a hopeful era for America's black citizens. Easy Rawlins's quiet real-estate empire is deep in the hole, so he must accept $200 from the oily white private eye Saul Lynx to track down one Elizabeth Eady, aka "Black Betty". From her native Houston's Fifth Ward to her position as housekeeper for the immensely wealthy Cain family of Beverly Hills, Betty's stunning beauty and raw sensuality have left a trail of chaos and mayhem in her wake. To compound Easy's troubles, his murderous sidekick Mouse is due out of jail, and he has bloody revenge on his mind. Entertainment Weekly has said that "[Easy] Rawlins isn't just the best new series detective around, he might be the best American character to appear in quite some time". Easy's murder-strewn search for "Black Betty" takes him into the depths of America's racial dilemmas and the mysteries of human character - and his creator, Walter Mosley, to even greater heights of achievement in the American novel. It is that rare novel that tells a gripping, fast-paced story while it grapples with the biggest questions that haunt American life.

In a perilous landscape, the citizens of America face the harsh realities of survival amidst chaos and uncertainty. The narrative explores themes of resilience, community, and the human spirit's endurance against overwhelming odds. As characters navigate treacherous circumstances, their relationships and moral dilemmas come to the forefront, highlighting the complexities of life in a fractured society. The story delves into the challenges of maintaining hope and humanity when faced with dire situations.

From the acclaimed author of "Devil in a Blue Dress" comes the paperback debut of his latest Easy Rawlins mystery and his biggest selling hardcover to date. Easy Rawlins enjoys a few moments of ecstasy with a sexy schoolteacher. But when the lady vanishes, he's stuck with a couple of corpses, the cops on his back, and a little yellow dog who's nobody's best friend. National ads, including "USA Today".W. Norton.

When three black bar girls are killed by a serial murderer the LAPD pays little attention, but when a white college co-ed becomes a victim it gets their attention. That's when they call on Easy Rawlins because he can go places and do things the police cannot.

The arrival of his lowlife cousin, Ulysses S. "Useless" Grant, spells trouble for Paris Minton, who discovers that his wayward relative has become involved in a high-stakes blackmail scheme, and his friend, Fearless Jones, as they become embroiled in a bizarre case involving mysterious women, desperate blackmail victims, cheating business partners, and murder. Reprint.

Marking a new territory for the bestselling author of "Devil in a Blue Dress," this bold new novel is the story of one mans dark, funny, soulful, and outrageously explicit sexual odyssey in search of a new way of life.

The story you are about to read concerns certain events that occurred in the early days of my life. It all happened over a hundred and seventy years ago. For many of you it might sound like a tall tale because I am no older today than I was back in the year 1832. But this is no whopper I'm telling; it is a story about my boyhood as a slave and my fated encounter with the amazing Tall John from beyond Africa, who could read dreams, fly between galaxies, and make friends with any animal no matter how wild. In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Walter Mosley weaves historical and speculative fiction into a powerful narrative about the nature of freedom. 47 is a young slave boy living under the watchful eye of a brutal slave master. His life seems doomed until he meets a mysterious runaway slave, Tall John. 47 soon finds himself swept up in an otherworldly battle and a personal struggle for his own liberation. Deeply compelling, 47 is reminiscent of the literary masterworks of Nancy Farmer, Philip Pullman, and Octavia Butler.

Devil in a Blue Dress honors the tradition of the classic American detective novel by bestowing on it a vivid social canvas and the freshest new voice in crime writing in years, mixing the hard-boiled poetry of Raymond Chandler with the racial realism of Richard Wright to explosive effect.

"The joy of fiction is the joy of the imagination. . . ." The best stories engage readers, compelling them to turn pages in anticipation of what comes next. Great literature is defined by its imagination, as demonstrated in this exceptional anthology, which redefines the boundaries of imaginative fiction. It features contributions from renowned writers like Peter Straub, Chuck Palahniuk, Roddy Doyle, and Joyce Carol Oates, among others, showcasing their craft and challenging misconceptions about genres. Curated by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio, who personally selected each story, the anthology sets a high standard for this "new literature of the imagination." The collection aims to present familiar themes in fresh, illuminating ways. Notable tales include Joe Hill's disturbing exploration of evil in "Devil on the Staircase," Lawrence Block's unique take on fishing in "Catch and Release," and Carolyn Parkhurst's dark sibling rivalry in "Unwell." Joanne Harris introduces ancient gods in modern New York in "Wildfire in Manhattan," while Richard Adams's "The Knife" delves into vengeance. Jeffery Deaver's "The Therapist" features a psychologist on a mission to save lives, and Neil Gaiman's chilling "The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains" offers a haunting punishment for a grave crime. This visionary volume will transform readers’ perspectives and ignite a renewed appreciation for exceptional fiction.

Everything Easy Rawlins and Mouse Alexander ever knew about friendship, and themselves, comes apart at the seams when they enter a steamy bayou world of voodoo, sex, revenge, and death. Walter Mosley is a featured author in 1998 "Blackboard" Literary Calendar.

The author of "Devil in a Blue Dress" returns with another crime novel which plunges the hard-bitten detective Easy Rawlins into the political, legal and moral tarpits of Los Angeles in the early 1950s, where blacklisting is an official government policy and racial tensions boil.

Bestselling mystery writer Walter Mosley's electric new novel introduces a brand new investigator - Leonid McGill - and a gripping new set of challenges. We follow former rule-breaker Leonid McGill as he's buffeted between the overlords of New York's underbelly, desperate to turn straight, but unable to say no to a nicely paid job. When we're introduced, he's calling in old favours and greasing NYPD palms to uncover seemingly harmless information for a high-paying client. But when the former schoolmates on his list are bludgeoned to death one by one, McGill realises that a friendly reunion wasn't quite what his taskmaster had in mind. And the awkward questions that follow seem almost welcome in comparison to a visit from Willie Sanderson, a trained killer and 'modern-day Frankenstein', now primed to ensure that McGill breathes his last. THE LONG FALL shows Walter Mosley at the height of his powers, breathing new life into American crime writing with sassy dialogue and unflinching social truths. Vividly capturing a city not nearly as cleaned up as its politicians would have us believe, this is new Mosley - and it's just as good as the vintage kind.

The summer of '48 in the City of Angels and there's heat on the streets and in the ghettos of LA when Daphne Monet hits the sidewalk. Heat when she disappears with a trunkload of someone else's cash. 'I'm just asking you to find a girl...' A simple decision for Easy Rawlins - no job, a mortgage and money due. Simple but for one thing. Nobody ever warned him - better the devil you know...

The protagonist awakens from a long slumber with the unsettling realization that humanity is a destructive virus and he is the Cure. As he grapples with this revelation, Martin experiences a shift into an alternate consciousness, gaining enhanced physical abilities. His newfound strength drives him to fiercely protect his family, the only Black residents in their Hollywood Hills neighborhood, from impending malevolence. The story explores themes of identity, responsibility, and the fight against systemic evil.

The New York Times bestselling author returns to science fiction with an eerie, transcendent novel of the near future. Errol's father has been dead for several years. Yet lately Errol has been awakened in the middle of the night by a caller claiming to be his father. Is it a prank, or a message from the grave? When he hears the unmistakable sound of a handset being put down on a table, he decides to investigate. Curious and not a little unnerved, Errol sneaks into the graveyard where his father is buried. What he finds there changes his life forever. Caught up in a war between a secret government security agency and an alien presence infecting our world, touched by the Wave, he knows that nothing will ever be the same again.

San Francisco in the mid 1960s is already a crazy place when a cosmic blue light randomly strikes people in its path, quickening their DNA and enhancing their strengths. Under blue light nothing remains the same.

The brand-new Easy Rawlins novel, from one of America's most celebrated and beloved crime writers.

Easy Rawlins letzter Fall Easy Rawlins kehrt von der Arbeit heim und findet gewaltigen Ärger vor seiner Tür vor. Sein Freund Christmas Black hat seine Tochter in Easy’s Haus zurückgelassen, da er um ihr und sein Leben fürchtet. Auch Mouse, Easy’s bester Freund, ist verschwunden – er hat die Polizei einmal zuviel zum Narren gehalten, und Easy weiß, dass sie ihn töten wollen. Doch am schlimmsten für Easy ist der Plan seiner großen Liebe, einen anderen zu heiraten. Angetrieben von Schmerz und Verzweiflung streift Easy durch die Straßen von L.A. und versucht sich und seine Freunde zu retten. Dabei trifft er die geheimnisvolle Faith, die der Schlüssel zu all den Ereignissen sein könnte…

Primi anni Sessanta. Easy Rawlins ha deciso di mettere ordine nella propria vita e di dedicarsi ai due figli adottivi, lavorando come custode in una scuola. Ma una serie di morti manderà all'aria i suoi progetti. Prima un cadavere ben vestito farà la sua comparsa nel giardino della scuola, poi il gemello della prima salma sarà ritrovato in casa di una graziosa insegnante, scomparsa dopo aver sedotto Easy e avergli affidato il suo cagnolino. I sospetti dei poliziotti finiranno per appuntarsi su Easy.

Socrates Fortlow, der ehemalige Sträfling, lebt in einem heruntergekommenen Viertel von Los Angeles in einer windschiefen Hütte mit seinem zweibeinigen Hund namens Killer. Er hat es sogar geschafft, eine feste Arbeit zu bekommen und sich mit Iula vom Schnellimbiss anzufreunden. Aber niemand macht es ihm leicht, ein guter Mensch zu werden, am allerwenigsten die Polizei, die ihn immer als ersten verdächtigt, wenn in der Gegend etwas passiert. In einer gesetzlosen Welt muss Socrates ganz allein herausfinden, was richtig und was falsch ist.

Seine Frau trinkt mehr, als sie verträgt. Sein ältester Sohn fliegt vom College und zieht mit einer ehemaligen Prostituierten zusammen. Sein totgeglaubter Vater taucht plötzlich wieder auf. Und mal wieder muss Leonid McGill seine Seele vor den Schatten der eigenen Vergangenheit retten. Sieben Jahre ist es her, dass Zella Grisham wegen des Überfalls auf eine Versicherungsgesellschaft ins Gefängnis ging. Sie hatte immer ihre Unschuld beteuert, doch gegen die Beweislast von 80.000 Dollar, die in einem von ihr angemieteten Lagerraum gefunden wurden, kam sie nicht an. Leonid McGill war an ihrer Verurteilung damals nicht ganz unbeteiligt. Doch da er beschlossen hat, ein besserer Mensch zu werden, versucht er, seine früheren Übeltaten auszubügeln und Zellas Ehre wiederherzustellen. Er fahndet nach den wahren Drahtziehern hinter dem Überfall. Doch damit macht er alles nur noch schlimmer. Denn plötzlich muss Leonid auch Zellas Leben retten – und das seiner eigenen Familie …

Leonid McGill kennt sich aus in den Straßenschluchten New Yorks und in den dunklen Winkeln der menschlichen Seele. Und dennoch hat er den Glauben an das Gute nicht verloren. Deshalb ist er auch bereit, einer schönen jungen Frau in Not zu helfen, obwohl ihre Geschichte mehr als zweifelhaft ist. Chrystal ist die dritte Frau von Cyril Tyler, einem der reichsten Männer New Yorks. Cyrils Ex-Frauen sind beide auf mysteriöse Weise ums Leben gekommen. Und nun hat Chrystal Grund anzunehmen, sie sei die nächste. Leonid McGill soll sie vor dem scheinbar besiegelten Schicksal bewahren. Er sagt zu – obwohl er eigentlich genug Ärger am Hals hat: Sein Lieblingssohn Twill sitzt mal wieder in der Klemme, sein bester Freund kämpft mit dem Krebs, seine Frau hat einen neuen Lover und ein alter Freund seines Vaters, ein mächtiger Mann in der Unterwelt New Yorks, zwingt Leonid, tiefer in die eigene Vergangenheit abzutauchen, als ihm lieb ist. Aber wenn eine verzweifelte Frau mit einer Tasche voll Geld seine Hilfe braucht, steht Leonid McGill bereit – auch wenn sie womöglich gar nicht diejenige ist, für die sie sich ausgibt.