“For once I would be as brave as my friend Fearless. I had never stood up to a bully in my life. So at least this one last time, in a back room in Watts, Paris Minton would show some backbone.”“Please don’t, brother.” My trembling words betrayed me. “I don’t know nuthin’.”
Paris Minton may not know "nuthin'" but author Walter Mosley knows a thing or two about writing best selling mysteries. It has been five years since Mosley has written a mystery novel but it is apparent time has not dulled Mosley’s writing edge. Dubbed a new mystery, Fearless Jones introduces new heroes and a new storyline; for those of us who are fans, Fearless Jones is vintage Mosley.
Protagonist/narrator Paris Minton is a loyal friend to Fearless Jones and despite bouts with self-doubt manages to rise to the occasion. Blurring the lines between hero and gangster has made Mosley's characters rise off the page. Mosley has the longtime distinction of creating heroes that although they are black manage to gain appeal across racial lines in ways other African American authors are just starting to do. Similar to Easy Rawlings mysteries with Easy and Mouse, the ruthless but trusted friend of Easy. Paris Minton has Fearless Jones, a gentleman ex-con who lives up to his name but not to the exclusion of his friendship with Paris. The two meet after WWII on the street, war hero and eager admirer fast become friends.
“I met Fearless in San Francisco after the war. His dress uniform was covered with metals. Around him were three young ladies, each hoping to be his friend that night. I brought him a drink, saying ... I respected a solider when really I just wanted to sit down ... with those girls. But Fearless didn’t care. He appreciated my generosity and gave me a lifetime of friendship for a single shot of scotch.”
Despite not having lived in L.A. since his childhood. Mosley draws on childhood memories of stories told by his parents and their friends living in post WWII L.A. to give vivid descriptions of 1950s L.A. Set in Watts, L.A., Fearless Jones as most Mosley novels have been and again the times are rough and as the saying goes, "rough times call for rough people." The two heroes traverse all over L.A. in and out of tight situations, investigating mysterious leads and all the awhile sidestepping death at every turn, it seems.
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