Rose Gold: An Easy Rawlins Mystery

In Rose Gold, Walter Mosley's latest book, private eye Easy Rawlins is hired by Roger Frisk, a cop, to track down Rosemary Goldsmith, the daughter of a wealthy munitions manufacturer. Rosemary has been kidnapped. Frisk thinks Rawlins has the skills and experience needed to help solve the case. And because Rawlins is a black man, Frisk feels this might be an advantage in areas where a white detective might be viewed with suspicion.

Although he is at first reluctant, an eight thousand dollar payment plus a bonus if he wraps up the case successfully convinces Rawlins to take the assignment, although he wryly notes that "no policeman had ever offered me money". This sets off a chain of events with the usual bumps and detours of many mysteries. But Mosley isn't just any mystery writer and Easy Rawlins has his own way of doing things not always going strictly by the book, depending on the situation .

Rose Gold is set in the 60s and there are sections centered on hippies, drugs, radical politics, and a revolutionary cell. While tracking down Rosemary is the main focus of this novel, there are several other mysteries as well: a stolen child, a friend's romantic obsession, and more. This plot moves at a smooth pace and this book can easily be read in a day or two.

Walter Mosley's sentences are a delight to read. He descriptions vividly evoke time and place and with tight prose. He doesn't waste a word. Having noted that, I have to confess that this isn't one of my favorite books by Mosley. In spite of the solid pacing, some sections seemed to drag a bit and I wasn't completely captivated by the plot. But even a less than stellar mystery written by Mosley is well worth the ride. I'd have preferred to give it 4 and 1/2 stars but rounded up to 5 stars because it merits a rating above 4 stars.