Cinnamon Kiss-Walter Mosley

I picked up Cinnamon Kiss at a library book sale-one of those deals where you fill up a bag of books for $2. I’ve read one of Walter Mosley’s books previously and enjoyed it, and I've read good reviews of his Easy Rawlins series, so I knew I would be happy with my find.

The main character in this book is Easy Rawlins, a sometimes private detective. Coming into the middle of the series, I didn’t realize that the book is not set in present day Los Angeles, but the 1966 L.A. When you take into account that Easy is black, the time and place take on a different meaning. Easy experiences things differently than a white man would-he is thrown in jail after a car accident, he is assumed to be a deliveryman even though he’s wearing a suit and tie, and the police stop and question him while he and a friend are using a pay phone. Details like this make the story more compelling and real.

The story starts with Easy contemplating armed robbery in order to raise the money to send his daughter Feather to Switzerland for treatment for a potentially fatal infection. While he is deciding whether or not to take this job, he receives an offer to track down Axel Bowers and his girlfriend Philomena Cargill (AKA Cinnamon). The case quickly turns into something more than a missing couple and Easy gets in over his head. He gets help from his friend Mouse (who was plotting the armed robbery), and other assorted characters.

I found myself reading the story not just for the plot (which kept me guessing), but also for the characters themselves. Easy is the “hero” of the story, but he’s not your typical story character. Rather, he’s the typical guy. He has to make tough choices and he’s not perfect. He’s trying to do the best he can, but sometimes he gets sidetracked. And Mr. Mosley makes it very easy to keep you turning the pages even when your eyes are starting to droop. The chapters are fairly short, so I found myself thinking “just one more”.

Whether or not you’re a fan of the mystery genre, I would recommend this as a good read. I’m going to visit our new library and see if I can catch up to the rest of the series.