Devil in a Blue Dress

An Easy Rawlins Mystery

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Michael Boatman

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Los Angeles, 1948: Easy Rawlins is a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant. Easy is drinking in a friend's bar, wondering how he'll meet his mortgage, when a white man in a linen suit walks in, offering good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Money, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs.

Hear more of Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mysteries.

©2002 Walter Mosley (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Mystery and Suspense, 2010
• Top 100 Mysteries of All Time (Mystery Writers of America)
• 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century (Independent Mystery Booksellers Assn.)

"Richly atmospheric....Devil in a Blue Dress honors the hard-boiled tradition of Hammett/Chandler/Cain in its story line and attitude, but Mosley takes us down some mean streets that his spiritual predecessors never could have.... A fast-moving, entertaining story written with impressive style." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

"Ezekiel 'Easy' Rawlins, a young, tough black veteran living in 1948 Los Angeles, only wants respect and enough money to pay his mortgage. When fired from his factory job, however, he undertakes some paid errands for a shady white mobster who wishes to locate a light-haired, blue-eyed beauty. As Easy plumbs his usual hangouts for clues, he relays information to the mobster, runs afoul of the police, meets the mysterious woman, discovers a murder, then investigates in self-defense. An unusually refreshing protagonist...talented prose, and evocative, realistic descriptions of speech, manners, and social life make this an exceptional and welcome addition." ( Library Journal)

love it

I watch the movie several years ago. the book is much better. This is my first book from the author.

Modern Day Classic

If you could sum up Devil in a Blue Dress in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, Compelling, Timeless

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was EZ for sure he was a smart man just trying to do what was right.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite was when EZ was at the bar looking for Daphne and just talking about memories.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme emotions. I did laugh at some points and was shocked by how everything linked up.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book with an interesting story.

I'd like to meet Easy Rawlins.

A great Audio Book. It's one that you keep listening to at every opportunity you can find. It's well read and takes you on a journey your glad you only have to read about. And it's a journey you know others may have lived in that time. I must admit I was a little unsure about choosing this story as its far removed from anything I know. But I'm glad I did and I am sure I will listen to it again on a road trip sometime soon!

Black Noir at its finest

Wonderful story with fantastic characterization and dialogue. The narrator is amazing I think he captured the essence of the characters really well.

Real good

Good mystery and good character. The relationships are complexed. I enjoyed the old fashion detective mystery.

Excellent story! The narrator held me hostage.

Excellent story! The narrator held me hostage in a good way. If ALMOST straight through!

Scratched my detective noir itch

got this booknright after i hqd finished the latest Dresden files book and was lookingbfor something to fill that void. This story totally did the trick! not only did the plot keep menriveted but the themes about racial prejudice and discrimination are still so relevant today. totally woke 5/5

EZ is smart fun

I accidentally stumbled upon this series of books. Smart, well-written and complex motive arising out of base human desires. Plus, EZ solves the mystery without relying on superhuman reasoning, observation or intuition.

I'm definitely listening to more in this series.

Good story, well read by narrator.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book because it is well-written and centered in the African American community which is a perspective not covered enough.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was unpredictable and engaging, keeping us interested and eager to hear what came next. It was more violent than we expected and seemed more realistic in some ways, not your usual "turn the bad guys in to the authorities" ending.

What about Michael Boatman’s performance did you like?

Good dialect work. Easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

We listen as we drive across country so we listen to one or two books in each direction from California to Illinois. We definitely wanted to return to the book when we were comfortably on our way.

Summary

Great story!! The characters were amazing. The story flowed from the beginning to the end.