Walter Mosley is definitely his own man. He could probably make great bushels-full of money by giving his adoring (and expanding) public an Easy Rawlins book every year, like clockwork. It's not happening. He meanders off into other areas, even occasionally dabbling close to the science-fiction genre, but always --- always --- providing first-rate genre fiction for those who take the time to hunt it down. The relative rarity of the issuance of his Easy Rawlins novels makes BAD BOY BRAWLY BROWN all the more welcome.

BAD BOY BRAWLY BROWN is the first Rawlins novel in six years, and the seventh in the series; Mosley continues to move Rawlins forward in real, if historical, time. The setting is Los Angeles in the early 1960s, and the Civil Rights movement provides an uneasy backdrop for the story, as Rawlins becomes caught up in the machinations of a black pride group that is sandwiched between a hostile police department and a group of subversives who are seeking to hijack the group for their own nefarious ends. Rawlins has found stability in his life, proud of his position as a high school custodial supervisor and the foundation it is providing for his two children and the love of his life. He has left his problem solving days behind, but those days continue to find him. When Rawlins's lifelong friend John approaches him for help, Rawlins, in spite of himself, cannot refuse.

John's stepson, Brawly Brown --- a well meaning giant of a young man --- has left home and gotten involved with The Urban Revolutionary Party, whose professed aim is to make life better for the citizens of Los Angeles. John, at a loss, asks Rawlins to help find Brawly and to try to persuade him to come home. Rawlins, attempting to obtain a lead on Brawly's whereabouts, almost immediately finds himself embroiled in death and violence, with everyone from the police to Party members attempting to use him for their own purposes. Rawlins, in the meantime, tries to maintain a balancing act between fulfilling a promise to an old friend while maintaining steady employment and being a father to his children. It's a juggling act that, quite realistically, he isn't always able to completely perform as he attempts to compartmentalize the various elements of his life. And while Rawlins fulfills his promise to his friend, the denouement is hardly a tidy one. Endings, in that place, and that time, rarely were.

Mosley, as he has done so well with his previous Rawlins books, utilizes Rawlins as a metaphorical Everyman in the City of Los Angeles during a period of historical, roiling turbulence. Mosley does so with an even, balanced hand; not all the villains are white, nor are all of the heroes black. Those seeking a jaundiced, politically correct account of those times will have to go elsewhere. And Mosley's portrayal of Rawlins, as he tries and by turns succeeds and fails at walking the path of righteousness, is all the stronger for it.

Mosley has received a great deal of recognition for his work of late but he still has not, ultimately, quite received what he is due. The publication of BAD BOY BRAWLY BROWN will undoubtedly spark renewed interest in Rawlins and in Mosley. And if such interest moves Mosley to revisit Rawlins more frequently in the future, all the better.

   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.