Gone Fishin: An Easy Rawlins Mystery (Thorndike Large Print Americana Series)

Rating:
Summary: Character study
Review: This was the first Mosely I've read. I know of his genre/style, and have seen the film of Devil in a Blue Dress. This though seemed a departure, at least from my expectations.

The opening short story Smoke is more L.A. sleuth/heavy Easy as he searches out a school bomber. Smoke seems to be more like the Mosely I'd heard of than the main piece, Gone Fishin'. Smoke is a serial piece, continued into Six Easy Pieces. It ended with my curiosity peaked....

Gone Fishin' is a character study of both Easy and Mouse, as they drive into Southeast Texas to seek money for Mouse's upcoming wedding to EttaMae. This story is incredibly written. The dialect/colloquealism'd language gives much to the charaters and the setting. As well, Mosely paints Mouse as the "funny-man" to Easy's "straight-man," in that Mouse's actions lead Easy to response, and truly progress the action. But Easy, being the conscience of the piece is fascinated by Mouse, haunted by dreams and visions and leads us through an eye opening experience in through late 30's south Texas. Throughout the story Easy is in one form of disorientation after another, overcome by the country people he encounters, realizing along the way that he is at a pivitol time in his life. I suppose that Gone Fishin' too is a serial piece, a prequel though to Easy and Mouse's later adventures.

I left Gone Fishin' liking Easy, sympathizing with his way in the world, and curious to read about his war experience, how he gets to California, as well as what becomes of Mouse and EttaMae.