Walter Mosley
has published about 50 books in his career but And Sometimes I Wonder about You is my first. His protagonist, Leonid McGill is a private
investigator in New York City with a flashback style. He is the hard-boiled, tough guy detective
type like a Ross MacDonald or Raymond Chandler character but set in modern
times.
Leonid has
had a rough life. His father was a
communist who abandoned him, his wife who he cares for but does not love is
suicidal, his mistress has pulled away from him in guilt, and his stepson who
is in business with him is taking unnecessary risks to prove himself. Plus Leonid is involved in a passionate
sexual relationship with a client. Yet
Leonid is a vehement defender of the underdog.
A former thug, he has a rocky relationship with the police but often
finds himself settling scores for clients where police cannot intervene. He is short in stature but as a former boxer
can physically over power larger and younger foe and is willing to do whatever
it takes to do so. All this makes Leonid
hard to like but impossible to ignore… his sense of morality seems complex and
conflicting at times… makes me crave to know more.
As a fan of
detective fiction, I don’t know how I’ve missed Walter Mosley. In And
Sometimes I Wonder about You (a quote in reference to Leonid’s depressed
wife), Mosley’s characters are fascinating and his plot complex. He reminds us that heroes aren’t squeaky clean
but are human and heroes nonetheless. I’m
inspired to explore more of Walter Mosley’s work… there are many to choose
from.
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