Galley Talk

Blanche Richardson, manager, Marcus Bookstore, Oakland, Calif.

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 8/28/2006

Reading Walter Mosley mysteries does for me what truffles do for chocolate lovers. It is always a rich, satisfying, sensual treat that is over far too soon. Fear of the Dark (Little, Brown, Sept.), Mosley's latest mystery, is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It highlights the dichotomous relationship between Paris Minton, an intelligent and cowardly bookseller whose bad judgment (and well-endowed appendage) frequently puts him in danger, and Fearless Jones—a legendary (army-certified) killer—who isn't as smart, thinks with a pure heart and isn't afraid of death or love, threat or imprisonment. The plotting, though rapid-fire, is imbued with the feel, the tastes, sound and sights of 1950s black L.A. Fear of the Dark is brilliantly peopled with a large cast of characters so vividly drawn that even the least of the bit players is memorable. Walter Mosley is simply masterful. I devoured it in one sitting and it was good to the very tasty end.