Mosley, Walter

(US, 1952– )

Nominated by US President Bill Clinton as his favourite mystery writer, Walter Mosley has used the traditional format of the private-eye novel to produce a revealing picture of the black experience in America. Spanning three decades, his series featuring Easy Rawlins and his psychopathic friend Mouse explores the racial and political tensions of Los Angeles, while remaining firmly in touch with the need to tell a good story. Devil in a Blue Dress (1990) is set in 1948. War-veteran Rawlins becomes embroiled in the search for a woman who has gone missing with someone else's cash. By A Red Death (1991) it's 1952 and Rawlins’ new-found prosperity comes under threat, forcing him to carry out an unwilling undercover investigation that puts him in the murder suspect's chair. In Black Betty (1994) it's 1961 and civil rights are in the air. But for Rawlins, it's mayhem and murder as usual.

Chester Himes, Raymond Chandler, Sara Paretsky. See CRIME  VM