Crime Book Review: A Red Death by Walter Mosley

Genre: Urban Crime

I had heard about Walter Mosley years ago and knew that one of his books, Devil in a Blue Dress, was adapted into a movie. When I decided to explore his catalog, to read and write my book review, I deliberately chose against that title since I'd already seen the film. Instead, I started with book two in the Easy Rawlins series, A Red Death, set in 1953.

I purchased the book on May 14th, 2025, and started reading it on May 19th. It took me about eight weeks to finish, an unusually long time for me. As I read, I found it difficult to stay engaged with the story. There were numerous moving parts and characters that I struggled to keep track of.

When I finally finished the novel, I was relieved it was over. I didn't DNF (did not finish) it, but I came close several times. I stuck it out primarily because I wanted to say I'd read a work by such a celebrated author.

Character Analysis

Easy Rawlins was mostly likable despite his flaws. One particularly noticeable flaw was his obsession with Etta, who happened to be the on-again, off-again girlfriend of his murderous, unpredictable best friend Mouse. Easy and Etta were sleeping together, and

Easy harbored delusions of running away with her, even though he knew in his heart she belonged to Mouse. While Easy was scared of Mouse, he wasn't so afraid that he wouldn't fight him if necessary, at least, that's what I believed.

Plot Overview

The story began intriguingly. Easy owned a small apartment complex, but he received a letter from the IRS for income tax evasion. Mofass managed the complex for Easy, collecting rent from tenants who didn't know Easy was the actual owner.

When Easy becomes suspected of murdering one of his tenants, a federal agent approaches him. The agent wants Easy to investigate a church and a man named Wenzler, whom the feds suspect of being a communist with ties to Russia. In exchange for his help, they would make Easy's tax evasion problems disappear.

After this setup, the story lost momentum for me, though I remained curious about the murder of his tenant and the subsequent murders of the pastor and the woman found with him at the church. This curiosity kept me reading, even though I could barely get through a chapter or two without putting the book down for the day.

What Worked and What Didn't

The novel didn't truly become interesting until the final five chapters. Once the murderer was revealed and received their comeuppance, I closed the book feeling irritated. I later identified the source of my irritation: the vernacular. I know it's wrong to feel this way, but since the novel took place in 1953, the dialogue reflected how Black people spoke during that era. While I still speak that way myself from time to time, in the novel it made some sentences difficult to parse.

I was also bothered by the constant fighting Easy encountered. He won his fights, but it seemed like he was always getting beaten up, and everyone appeared to hate him. Easy did come from a dangerous past in Texas before arriving in California, so word about him and Mouse may have preceded him.

Final Thoughts

I would rank this book three stars. However, I would still recommend Walter Mosley's work to others. Would I read another one of his books? I had to think about that question. Initially, I said no, but part of me feels compelled to read at least one more book in the Easy Rawlins series. I want to see if Easy can redeem himself in my eyes.