Michael Jeter wrote:
"Elroy commented, when an interviewer compared him to Moseley, 'I write aboout the cops
who beat up Easy Rawllins.'"
Too true. One of the things that have made this series so interesting is to watch Easy develop from a WWII-era black man, doing favors for people and trying to stay under the LAPD radar, to a man with a business (I think he even refers to himself as an investigator in the later books) who has seen the changes brought by the riots of the 60s. One significant development in the last couple of books is that Easy can look the cops (and white people, in general) right in the eye and not feel as afraid as he used to.
I also like the way he's accumulated his unconventional family. IMHO and experience, "family" is often not so much a function of blood relation, but of who you care about and vice versa--a point Mosley makes in the series.
These things, along with Mosley's great writing style (its like fine poetry, at times) and wonderful characters (like Mouse, who helps Easy when the going gets tough, but creates moral dilemmas for him in the process), make him a great addition to the hardboiled tradition, yet distinct enough to be way more than a Chandler knock-off.
And I haven't even talked about his other books, which cover the gamut from mystery to sci fi to mainstream to non-fiction. Pretty impressive, to say the least.
I'd like to know what others think about the Paris Minton series with Fearless Jones. It's interesting that the titles all feature Fearless, even though Paris is the main character. Tells you something about those characters.
I may gush a bit on the subject of Mosley. But I really believe the guy's an amazing writer.
Debbi
-- Debbi Mack IDENTITY CRISIS A Sam McRae Mystery http://www.debbimack.com
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