Blonde Faith [Hardcover]

Walter Mosley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2007

Easy Rawlins, L.A.'s most reluctant detective, comes home one day to find Easter, the daughter of his friend Chrismas Black, left on his doorstep. Easy knows that this could only mean that the ex-marine Black is probably dead, or will be soon. Easter's appearance is only the beginning, as Easy is immersed in a sea of problems. The love of his life is marrying another man and his friend Mouse is wanted for the murder of a father of 12. As he's searching for a clue to Christmas Black's whereabouts, two suspicious MPs hire him to find his friend Black on behalf of the U.S. Army. Easy's investigation brings him to Faith Laneer, a blonde woman with a dark past. As Easy begins to put the pieces together, he realizes that Black's dissappearance has its roots in Vietnam, and that Faith might be in a world of danger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in 1967, Mosley's brilliant 10th Easy Rawlins thriller finds the middle-aged Easy still fighting some of the same battles he fought in his first outing, Devil in a Blue Dress (1990), as an angry young WWII vet trying to make his home in postwar Los Angeles. His family has grown from none to many over the years, and now Easy is dealing with the loss of the love of his life, Bonnie, and his decision to make her leave him. Despite Easy's vulnerability and anguish, he's a staunch friend and a fierce protector of those he loves. Easy's two most dangerous friends, Raymond Mouse Alexander and Christmas Black, have both disappeared and both are being hunted. Easy must find them before those who want to destroy them do. Mosley knows his territory as intimately as a lover knows his beloved, and Easy's tortuous progression from man-child to man may have reached its climax in this searing and moving novel. (Oct.)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

For 17 years, readers have witnessed Easy Rawlins’s evolution into a tough-minded, haunted detective navigating through a racially turbulent LA. A few critics surmise that Blonde Faith, the tenth installment, may be the last of the seriesâ€"and Easy certainly ruminates more on atonement and acceptance of life than in any other of the novels. Filled with melancholy, regret, and angst that may relate to finally understanding that his fate lies in his hands, Easy seemed tired to a few critics (and, consequently, a few chapters felt repetitive). Still, if Blonde Faith does not quite match Little Scarlet (**** Selection Sept/Oct 2004), one of the best of the series, and if it is the coda to Mosley’s chronicle of race relations between the 1940s and the 1960s, it is a fine end to a well-told story.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (October 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316734594
• ISBN-13: 978-0316734592
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Mosley is one of America's most celebrated and beloved writers. His books have won numerous awards and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Mosley is the author of the acclaimed Easy Rawlins series of mysteries, including national bestsellers Cinnamon Kiss, Little Scarlet, and Bad Boy Brawly Brown; the Fearless Jones series, including Fearless Jones, Fear Itself, and Fear of the Dark; the novels Blue Light and RL's Dream; and two collections of stories featuring Socrates Fortlow, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, for which he received the Anisfield-Wolf Award, and Walkin' the Dog. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 ...But Who Will Save Easy Rawlins?, November 1, 2007

By 

Chantay W. "BookLover4Life" (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blonde Faith (Hardcover)

Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley is the eleventh book in the Easy Rawlins mystery series and it is the book to read!

At the start of Blonde Faith, we find Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, private eye, lost so to speak. What is a man to do when he has lost the love of his life to a prince? When Easy learned his former long-time girlfriend Bonnie had an affair with a prince, he pushed her away from his life and kicked her out of their home without fully resolving their situation. Now that Easy has learned Bonnie is to be married to the prince, Easy has to deal with his lingering feelings for her. He wants her back but his pride will not let him communicate his feelings for her. Now, if the emotional strain of his situation was not enough, Easter Dawn, child of Christmas Black, is placed into his care with no explanation of what to do with the child or what is going on. To add to that, his best friend of many years, Raymond "Mouse" Alexander, is wanted for murder by the police and they really want justice against the long-time killer who got away so many other times. So begins the journey of Easy Rawlins, off to save those in need but in the end, who will save Easy?

Walter Mosley makes number eleven shine with a sparkle that only he can create through prose. Blonde Faith is an intense mystery written magnificently. What readers will enjoy about this book the most, on top of Easy Rawlins doing what he does best, is the fact that there is such an emotional connection to Easy. There is a sense of the reader wanting him to focus on himself primarily more so than saving someone else. Easy is given chance after chance to save others and he will die trying to do this but when it comes to saving himself from emotional woes and getting back the woman he loves, he hesitates. Perhaps, it has to do with him not placing himself first, at least sometimes or when it is most needed. The ending of Blonde Faith was masterfully written and will definitely leave readers dangling in suspense for more! This book is recommended to fans of mystery novels, fans of the Easy Rawlins series, and fans who love to read good damn books.

Reviewer, Chantay W.
APOOO BookClub

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Good, November 7, 2007

By 

Richard Schulman (Bristol) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blonde Faith (Hardcover)

I stopped reading Blonde Faith because I do not want to finish it.
It is so good I am cherishing the last 50 pages. I have read
all of Mr. Mosley's Easy Rawlins series and this one is absolutely the best.
Mr. Mosley is coming to terms with a culture that has no regard
for human dignity particularily anyone that is different than those
who are in power. Combine that with the devastating difficulties in understanding what love is. The plot is moved along by Mouse's daring
personna and his illegal activities against the establishment.
Mouse is Robin Hood to Easy's confusion on who Easy is.
The struggle to find and know himself within this crazy culture makes
Easy an easy character to empathize with. The eternal quest to know why we act the way we do. Most of us are not going
to rob a bank or be a detective but it's comforting and exciting to know
that we all share the same distress. Mr Mosley honesty is startling and
freeing. Now lets get into the l970's. Self realization is a continual story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, but not far off . . ., October 15, 2007

By 

J. L. Utter (Monterey, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blonde Faith (Hardcover)

The story is a little unfocused, but Walter Mosley is such a good writer that it's still a cut above 90% of anything else in this genre. While I can't say if his is an accurate depiction of black life in L.A. at the time, it sure "feels" accurate. I've always felt that Mr. Mosley has granted me a window into the black experience, and I'm grateful for that.

I also want to say that there are passages in his work that are so profound and elegantly stated that they leave me awestruck. The only other writer I can say that about is James Lee Burke, and that's pretty good company.