Easy Rawlins has a steady job as supervisor of maintenance at Sojourner Truth Junior High School in LA. His adopted kids are doing well, and he'd like to keep living his ordinary life. Unfortunately, an unguarded moment with a needy woman promises to dump him right back into the streets, where he needs all his smarts to survive. I love Mosley's writing, as always, but there are a few too many peripheral characters to keep track of here, and the plot takes a little too long to develop. Still, good stuff to escape into; always fun to watch Easy work. Easy may have found a good woman this time, but he may also have lost his best friend Mouse, for which he will blame himself. But Mosley leaves us hanging in suspense on both those points at the end of the book.
February 2015

Easy gets involved with teacher and death of her husband

Easy Rawlins has given up liquor and the streets and has settled into his work as Supervising Senior Head Custodian of Sojourner Truth Junior High School happily drawing his paycheck and taking care of his kids, until, Mrs. Idabell Turner and her yapping little yellow dog come into his life bringing old passions and new murder with them.
A Little Yellow Dog is a powerful novel and Easy Rawlins is a strong man who is carrying a load Atlas could understand.

I'm gradually working my way through a pile of Mosley books. I have enjoyed them all so far and this one is around the average level of them, which, by anyone else's standards means it is pretty good. Easy is trying to stay out of trouble, but his instinctive desire to help leads him into trouble, deep trouble. Watching him trying to work his way out of the mess is thoroughly enjoyable, although this book doesn't quite reach the heights of some of the others. ( )

Compelling story, compelling characters -- Mr. Mosley took me back to a different place and time. Easy's relationship with his "kids" was heart-warming and made it "easy" to overlook his faults. Sad and poignant at times, it was a very good, satisfying read. ( )