Blood Grove (Easy Rawlins Series #14)

Blood Grove (Easy Rawlins Series #14)

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  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-02-05 04:22:05
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Walter Mosley
  • ISBN:9780316491181
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

"Master of craft and narrative" Walter Mosley returns with this crowning achievement in the Easy Rawlins saga, in which the iconic detective's loyalties are tested on the sun-soaked streets of Southern California (National Book Foundation) It is 1969, and flames can be seen on the horizon, protest wafts like smoke though the thick air, and Easy Rawlins, the Black private detective whose small agency finally has its own office, gets a visit from a white Vietnam veteran。 The young man comes to Easy with a story that makes little sense。 He and his lover, a beautiful young woman, were attacked in a citrus grove at the city’s outskirts。 He may have killed a man, and the woman and his dog are now missing。 Inclined to turn down what sounds like nothing but trouble, Easy takes the case when he realizes how damaged the young vet is from his war experiences—the bond between veterans superseding all other considerations。 The veteran is not Easy’s only unlooked-for trouble。 Easy’s adopted daughter Feather’s white uncle shows up uninvited, raising questions and unsettling the life Easy has long forged for the now young woman。 Where Feather sees a family reunion, Easy suspects something else, something that will break his heart。 Blood Grove is a crackling, moody, and thrilling race through a California of hippies and tycoons, radicals and sociopaths, cops and grifters, both men and women。 Easy will need the help of his friends—from the genius Jackson Blue to the dangerous Mouse Alexander, Fearless Jones, and Christmas Black—to make sense of a case that reveals the darkest impulses humans harbor。  Blood Grove is a novel of vast scope and intimate insight, and a soulful call for justice by any means necessary。 

Editor Reviews

11/09/2020

Early in MWA Grand Master Mosley’s strong 15th Easy Rawlins mystery (after 2016’s Charcoal Joe), Craig Kilian, a vet traumatized by combat experiences in Vietnam, arrives unannounced one day in 1969 at the L。A。 detective agency that employs Easy。 Craig, a white man, tells Easy he got into a fight with a knife-wielding Black man who was about to attack a white woman tied to a tree at a remote campsite。 After fatally stabbing the Black man, Craig was hit in the head and lost consciousness。 When he woke up, the body and the woman were gone。 WWII vet Easy feels sympathy for Craig, and agrees to help find out what happened at the campsite。 The upright detective soon becomes caught in a web of trouble involving stolen money, grisly murders, and weird sex clubs。 Amid all the twists and turns and double-crosses, Easy confronts racism, an enduring feature “of the America I loved and hated。” Mosley does a fine job highlighting a world of Black survivors who know how difficult their struggle remains, every day of every decade。 This marvelous series is as relevant as ever。 Agent: Gloria Loomis, Watkins Loomis。 (Feb。)

Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Walter Mosley is one of America's most celebrated and beloved writers。 A Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, he has won numerous awards, including the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and several NAACP Image Awards。 His books have been translated into more than twenty languages。 His short fiction has appeared in a wide array of publications, including The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, Los Angeles Times Magazine, and Playboy, and his nonfiction has been published in The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and The Nation。 He is the author of, most recently, Down the River unto the Sea。 He lives in New York City。

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Reviews

Mike Fowler

Slow going but once you get to the middle it becomes a real page turnerLike all the Easy novels, Mosley is a stickler for details and this one isn't any different。 The relationship between Easy and Feather is changing and any parent understands his anxiety。 The evolution of Raymond Alexander is fascinating and portends a shift in their lifelong friendship。 All of Mosley's characters come out: Fearless Jones, Christmas Black, Charcoal Joe, each has a part to play。 Racist law enforcement is a recu Slow going but once you get to the middle it becomes a real page turnerLike all the Easy novels, Mosley is a stickler for details and this one isn't any different。 The relationship between Easy and Feather is changing and any parent understands his anxiety。 The evolution of Raymond Alexander is fascinating and portends a shift in their lifelong friendship。 All of Mosley's characters come out: Fearless Jones, Christmas Black, Charcoal Joe, each has a part to play。 Racist law enforcement is a recurring theme。 Mosley might be greasing the skids for a happy ending to Easy's saga after failing to kill him off in Blonde Faith。 。。。more

William Padula

Always enjoy an Easy Rawlins tale。 The writing is compelling and the characters rich。 The point of view of the characters and the writer are informative。

Sonya

Easy is one of my faves and stays that way。 I enjoyed the storytelling and real perspective that easy always gives when speaking about the America that he lives in。

BDW

Blood Grove (Easy Rawlins #15) is a return to form, and it is very entertaining form。 Moseley has Rawlins deliver a pitch perfect LA noir detective story with all the usual trappings。 Thanks to Libro。fm and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review。

Natalie

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers。**AUDIO COPY**。Blood Grove is about a PI - Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins set in 1960's America。 Easy is working hard and juggling his investigative work along with his teenage daughter。The narrator did a fantastic job narrating this book, especially with the amount going on within it。 This book is jam packed with characters and a plot that isn't easy to keep tabs on。 I didn't en I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers。**AUDIO COPY**。Blood Grove is about a PI - Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins set in 1960's America。 Easy is working hard and juggling his investigative work along with his teenage daughter。The narrator did a fantastic job narrating this book, especially with the amount going on within it。 This book is jam packed with characters and a plot that isn't easy to keep tabs on。 I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping to unfortunately。 The characters all seemed quite one-dimensional and wooden and the plot was too all over the place。 I didn't get the twist until about 3/4 of the way in which is great but I just felt the book was a little rushed and thrown together。 。。。more

Shay

It's not often I read the 15th book in a long-running series before I read any of the previous releases, however here I am!Blood Grove by Walter Mosley centers around Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins, a hard-boiled Private Investigator juggling fatherhood to his teenage adopted daughter with his investigative work。 The book is set in 1969 in sun-soaked LA with all of the racial tension you might expect。Thankfully despite Easy's significant backstory, I didn't feel at all disadvantaged picking up this book It's not often I read the 15th book in a long-running series before I read any of the previous releases, however here I am!Blood Grove by Walter Mosley centers around Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins, a hard-boiled Private Investigator juggling fatherhood to his teenage adopted daughter with his investigative work。 The book is set in 1969 in sun-soaked LA with all of the racial tension you might expect。Thankfully despite Easy's significant backstory, I didn't feel at all disadvantaged picking up this book without having read the others。 While I could tell there was a lot of additional detail and nuance I had missed out on, Mosley did a great job of providing enough context to ensure I wasn't completely lost。In the beginning I was confused by the constant references to characters ethnicities。 It was only when I put together the timeframe and the location that it started to make more sense - of course a black PI in the late 60's would have been painfully aware of everyone's race。 Call it self-preservation or an occupational hazard - the man would have needed to be all over it。I enjoyed the breezy writing style but I had some trouble connecting to the other characters。 Despite clearly giving some effort to create a historically accurate account of the racial tensions of the day, the characters all felt a little one-dimensional。 The hippie uncle。 The bombshell。 The business-like and aloof secretary。 However it's possible this was a symptom of missing some vital pre-reading in the previous books。I struggled with the complicated plot, too。 There was a *lot* going on, with a lot of characters coming in and out。 I didn't pick the twist straight away which is always a plus, but I didn't feel any satisfaction at the culmination of the action。 I enjoyed the passages involving Feather (Easy's step-daughter) the most, perhaps an indication that I should go back to the beginning and start the books in their chronological order。There's no doubt Mosely is a talented writer。 The pages came to life with colour and movement almost instantly, and I appreciated the strong and nuanced central character of Easy。The narration was solid with great use of tone and cadence。 I feel the audiobook has an advantage over the written version due to the great delivery。All in all this was a solid detective mystery。 I came away with an appreciation for Mosley's work and his extensive fan base that have supported 15 Easy Rawlins tales (and counting)。 。。。more

Pamela

I kept forgetting that this novel is set in the late 60s, because much of what Easy observes about race in America still rings true。

Jo Dervan

Easy Rollins, the black Los Angeles detective, had a visit from a young war veteran suffering from PTSD。 The young man claimed that he had been camping in an orange grove outside LA when he hear a woman screaming nearby。 He discovered that the woman was tied to a tree and being abused。 So the man stepped in to help and ended up tussling with the abuser。 He claims he stabbed the abuser with that man’s gun and then was knocked out。 The young man came to and discovered that he was alone with no sig Easy Rollins, the black Los Angeles detective, had a visit from a young war veteran suffering from PTSD。 The young man claimed that he had been camping in an orange grove outside LA when he hear a woman screaming nearby。 He discovered that the woman was tied to a tree and being abused。 So the man stepped in to help and ended up tussling with the abuser。 He claims he stabbed the abuser with that man’s gun and then was knocked out。 The young man came to and discovered that he was alone with no sign of the woman or her abuser。 The young man wanted to hire Easy to find out if he had killed the abuser。The detective was not sure whether he believed the veteran’s story but the man suggested that Easy contact his mother。 After meeting the mother, Easy sets off to investigate and discovered several recently murders。 They included the young veteran and several of his associates。This well crafted mystery will keep the reader interested until the solution at the very end。 The author also uses the book to describe the plight of black men in the racist society of Los Angeles in the late 1960s。 Some would say that not much has changed in the last 50 years。 。。。more