Rating: 
Summary: Easy is back
Review: Finally, after a long wait, Walter Mosley has given us the next installment in the Easy Rawlins mystery series. And, no surprise, Bad Boy Brawly Brown does not disappoint.Set among the gang wars and internal race politics of Compton, California, Bad Boy Brawly Brown is the story of a young man caught up in a political movement that becomes something too big for him to handle. The boy, however, happens to be the stepson of Easy's close friend, John. When Brawly runs off to join the Urban Revolutionary Party (kind of like the Black Panthers), John gets worried and asks Easy to help him out. What follows is a tense, urban thriller where Easy (haunted by the voice of his maybe dead friend Mouse) is trying to save Brawly before he sinks too deeply into the shady underworld of Compton. Mosley has, yet again, created soem incredibly real characters with complicated, yet believable, problems. One of the best elements of Bad Boy Brawly Brown is the exploration of the father-son relationship between Easy and his son Juice in parallel with John and Brawly. This added character development elevtaes BBBB above the genre mysteries and keeps Mosley at the top of his field. For anyone who likes some brains with their mysteries, Walter Mosley is the man.
Rating: 
Summary: Still confused about the ending
Review: I agree this was an exceptional work - I've read all of the Easy Rawlins mysteries - except for the ending. I re-read the last 2 chapters twice, but I still can't figure out how John ended up at the finale scene wherein Easy commits the act that prevents Brawley from getting killed eventually (not trying to give away the story ending). And for that matter, what/where is the building from which Brawley/John emerge in this most crucial scene of the book?
Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait !
Review: I had been eagerly awaiting Mr. Mosleys return to the Easy Rawlin series and I would have to say that this book did not dissappoint. Mr. Mosley has the ability to draw the reader into Easy's mind through his rich dialogue and historically accurate perspective of African American life at that time. In this book Easy is haunted and helped by his friend Mouse who is assumed dead as he searches for the Brawly Brown stepson of his longtime friend John. However, in the book Brawly plays only a small role. The book focuses more or the importance of friendship and the value of family. As Easy searches for Brawly he learns the value of his own children and how important it is to listen to them and protect them always. Throughout the book Easy relies on his dreams and thoughts of Mouse, his dear friend and companion to guide him through his investigation, and through his thoughts of Mouse the reader is able to gain a perspective of how deeply the loss of Mouse has affected Easy and how tormented he is by the role he feels that he played in his death. Great book ! I would highly reccomend it and I am looking forward to the next book to find out what really happened to Mouse.
Rating:
Summary: We've waited so long for Easy's return and it was worth it!
Review: I have been a faithful reader of the Easy Rawlins mystery series since 1994 when a friend turned me on to them. I had just moved to Los Angeles and she thought it would be a good way to introduce me to the history of the city. Boy was she right! This latest novel was fast paced, thoughtful and a thoroughly good read. I couldn't put it down and spent the weekend with Easy as he tries to help his friend John and snatch himself back from the depression that has plagued him since the "death" of his best friend, Mouse. I love the addition of his love interest, Bonnie, who is Easy's equal in every way and a good balance to his loner ways as the seeker of information and solver of problems. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing back Easy and let's not wait so long for the next one Mr. Mosley!
Rating: 
Summary: Honest Men and Criminals
Review: I have eagerly read all of Mosley's novels, including Blue, and he is clearly working to transcend the cliches that define the mystery genre, and that limit a mystery writer to that genre. As I read this latest book, a disturbing thought keeps plaguing me. Mouse is a horrific and reprehensible character who not only is willing to risk his own life , which is fine, but is willing to kill and maim on the least pretext. Why does Easy find him admirable and worthy of love? Because he lives life so intensely as he states at one point in this book? That is lovely, but at the same time Mouse is a cold blooded, cold hearted murderer. So many, if not most, of the black characters in Easy's world are either criminals or skirting the criminal world. He floats past the workaday world of black LA as if it were some kind of dreamscape of tidy houses and working families. The comparison to Hillerman is interesting. Hillerman goes out of his way to make the lead characters in his novels admirable examples of the Hopi and Navajo. But Hillerman plays down the moral insight that a reader might gain from his novels. In an interview, he said that using Navajos in his novels gives white people a pleasurable moral feeling that somehow, by reading his novels, they are on the right side of the historic injustices to Native Americans (I paraphrase, of course.) I have an uneasy feeling that Mosley is serving the same function for his many readers, while really perpetrating a negative view of the African American community of Los Angeles. On the other hand, when I see Easy as Denzel Washington in my minds eye, then the book really comes to life.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful atmosphere
Review: I like "Easy" Rawlins because the character is so politically incorrect. He smokes a lot, has violent tendencies, and has carnal thoughts about women of all ages that couldn't be broadcast in the evening news. He has committed crimes in his life, and even as he tries to settle down into a "normal" life, things just happen around him that make him tiptoe on the line that crosses into questionable behavior. I've read several books in the series, and was surprised that he is only 44 in this one, especially after all he has experienced in his life. But it's his words, and not mine that say someone in his environment reaching that age is indeed aged beyond his years. His past (and our need for another good story), however, do not let him go on as he would like to. His friend, the violent Mouse is dead, but that doesn't keep thoughts about him almost constantly reoccuring. And when past acquaintences ask him to find their son, it takes him back into worlds he hoped would no longer be part of his life. The year is now 1964, and Easy is seeing the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement. He is of the belief that hard work and living honestly SHOULD get you equal treatment, and therefore is not really a part of this movement. But he sees once again that maybe there is a need to speed things up. Once again he is taken in for questioning by the police, and sees that those Civil Rights tend to wait outside of an interrogation room. And it's this feeling that I like about the Rawlins novels. To live with the main character of a story, and realize that every single day, you have to play by different rules when dealing with the establishment. It is something that I, for the most part, do not have to contend with, but does make me appreciate that there is definately one more way of looking at the world.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome Back Easy
Review: I liked Socrates Fortlow just fine, but I'm so glad that Easy's back. There are few things in this world more attractive than a black man who's a hard case when he has to be, yet full of love for women, particularly his own. ...; with Easy, the plot isn't the thing. Easy's humanity, his violence and his constant evolution carry the story. After the indignities Easy suffered and the intelligence that he'd hidden for so many years, it was thoroughly satisfying to witness him put a few white men in their places. My main criticism is really a pet peeve: If Easy were really from Fifth Ward, Texas, he'd never think or say 'the' Fifth Ward. No native, black Houstonian would--it's simply 'Fifth Ward.' Also, for some reason, I had trouble keeping track of the male characters. Of course the one man I kept hoping to see never showed. Maybe next time. ...
Rating:
Summary: Magnificient
Review: I love this novel it was action-packed. Full of great twists and turns which kept you guessing. Also though you don't know what to believe about Mouse. This a must read. Plot was realistic and the setting keeps you in the right frame of mind.
Rating:
Summary: insightful ¿professional¿ amateur sleuth historical mystery
Review: In 1964 Compton, California, former fixer Easy Rawlins struggles with the death of his pal Mouse. Though he knows Mouse lived a dangerous life, Easy blames himself for his buddy being fatally shot, but he wonders if the medicos were wrong and his old Houston friend somehow survived, as there was no closure. In spite of his deep feelings of guilt, with two youngsters to nurture and a girlfriend to love, Easy goes straight. Another Houston friend John asks Easy for a favor. His live in girl friend Alva Torres worries about her twenty-three year old son (from a previous marriage) hanging with the Urban Revolutionary Party. She wants Easy to find and talk to Brawly before he gets in too deep with these radicals. Unable to say no, Easy begins a search with Mouse in his subconscious guiding him through the urban jungle where even the law is an enemy to a black man. The return of Easy, cleverly accompanied by Mouse at least in the hero's mind, is time for rejoicing for those who enjoy an entertaining yet insightful "professional" amateur sleuth historical mysteries. Easy remains an interesting character struggling with his loss and the need to take care of his two charges while helping a friend within a strong entry that shines a light on Los Angeles during the Civil Rights era. New readers will want to obtain Easy's previous appearances (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS and A LITTLE YELLOW DOG) as Walter Mosley shows why he is one of the best. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: DOING A FAVOR
Review: It is 1964 and Easy has settled into a comfortable life. All is going well until an old friend asks a favor of Easy. His girl-friend's son has been caught up in some radical group. She wants him to return home. Can Easy make it happen? Never one to turn down an opportunity for adventure Easy accepts and finds himself involved in more trouble than anticipated. Easy's task is to track down the young man Brawly Brown. While going through the process old wounds surface. He feels guilty about the "death" of his friend Mouse and is at wits end when his son Jesus decides to drop out of school. To further compound the agony, he finds himself caught up the cross hairs of a special police unit determined to destroy Brown's group. An assortment of bodies with Easy at the scene further complicates his mission. How will he be able to deal with so much pressure? Those are just a few of the issues Easy faces in this new book. Mosley was at his best in presenting an Easy who is ready to get back in the swing of things. We see him dealing with a new generation of young radicals who want to get things done even if they have to resort to violence. Brown's being caught up in such a group is a challenge for Easy sympathizes with this generation although he may not agree with its tactics. As usual you will enjoy this story but it is not the best work of the series. Mosley fails to develop the particular philosophy of the "radical" group. You don't get the feel for their anger or their cause. Although Brawly Brown is the subject of the search, he is not a major character. He comes across as a young man totally confused. Easy is trying to save him but is Brown worth the effort? Is he really for the cause or is he just another thug? You don't get the motivation or flavor of Brown's actions. Bad Boy Brawly Brown falls flat.
| 
