... a slim volume with the feel of a fable and the concision of a blues scale. Minor characters have marvelous names—Archibald Lawless, Dido Kazz, Mozelle Tot—and move with ageless grace. 'I felt a kinship to all of them,' Leonid thinks. So do we.
As McGill schemes to deliver the letter, the threat of violence looms over every page, but action fans may be disappointed that the gunplay, including a final act of retribution, occurs offstage. The charms of this short novel lie in Mosley’s memorable characters, his portrayal of the world McGill inhabits and the author’s uniquely lyrical writing style.
NYC fixer Leonid McGill, last seen in And Sometimes I Worry about You (2015), knows he’s in trouble when prospective client Catfish Worry throws out the name Ernie Eckles, a legendary hit man known as the Mississippi Assassin ... Spieled in a powerful, streamlined voice, this wrenching American noir will stick with readers long after the final page.
The seemingly unstoppable Mosley (John Woman, 2018, etc.) shifts his restless vision back to contemporary New York City and to McGill, the ex-boxer who’s as agile at navigating both sides of the law as he was in the ring. Here, Mosley delves into the murky waters of history and racial identity ... Even at less-than-peak performance, Mosley delivers enough good stuff to let you know a master’s at work.
MWA Grand Master Mosley’s easy-reading sixth Leonid McGill mystery ... If this were a spaghetti western, it would be all staring and no gunplay, to the dismay of action fans. Some readers may be disappointed that the violent pay-off at the end takes place way offstage.
