All I Did Was Shoot My Man

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Mirron Willis

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the latest and most surprising novel in the best-selling Leonid McGill series, Leonid finds himself caught between his sins of the past and an all-too-vivid present.

Seven years ago, Zella Grisham came home to find her man, Harry Tangelo, in bed with her friend. The weekend before, $6.8 million had been stolen from Rutgers Assurance Corp., whose offices are across the street from where Zella worked. Zella didn't remember shooting Harry, but she didn't deny it either. The district attorney was inclined to call it temporary insanity - until the police found $80,000 from the Rutgers heist hidden in her storage space.

For reasons of his own, Leonid McGill is convinced of Zella's innocence. But as he begins his investigation, his life begins to unravel. His wife is drinking more than she should. His oldest son has dropped out of college and moved in with an ex-prostitute. His youngest son is working for him and trying to stay within the law. And his father, whom he thought was long dead, has turned up under an alias.

A gripping story of murder, greed, and retribution, All I Did Was Shoot My Man is also the poignant tale of one man's attempt to stay connected to his family.

Crack another case with Leonid McGill.

©2012 Walter Mosley (P)2012 Penguin

I have fallen in love again!

Where does All I Did Was Shoot My Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Althrough Leonid is flawed and has a past he is still attractive in a clumsy hero sort of way. I love your voice Mirron WIllis and secretly wait for the day that you will read me 1000 page bookle based on the adventures of Leonid McGill!

What other book might you compare All I Did Was Shoot My Man to and why?

Any of the ohter book in this series The Long Fall was nice.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene when the would be robbers broke into what he thought was his safe home. BAD Idea.

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

When he talked to his father for the first time since he left him as a boy. Something about the rejection you feel for years only to learn that the person so near and never reached out to you. Tears.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful Story!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I really like this series!

What made the experience of listening to All I Did Was Shoot My Man the most enjoyable?

A good steady pace of not necessarily action, but interesting events.

What was one of the most memorable moments of All I Did Was Shoot My Man?

Two surprises, one concerning his dad and the other his wife.

What does Mirron Willis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His various voices. His transitions between character voices is smooth and fairly distinct.

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

No not really, but good for a few grins

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Perhaps the best of the series.

*NOTE: SPOILER INCLUDED (if you've read the previous book "When the Thrill", then it's not a spoiler)

I have long been a fan of Walter Mosley, and perhaps the only one I know of who liked Leonid McGill almost as much as Easy Rawlins from the start. This is because, though Easy tells a more base, raw story (having a racist, Civil-Rights world around him), Leonid is much more multi-faceted and complex, with a highly intelligent voice and dealing with many more problems than Easy. For this reason, McGill stands as the more relevant of the two heroes, if not the more popular. Hopefully (if Mosley gets his wish) Jeffrey Wright can bring McGill to HBO's small screen with all the intelligence Mosley has poured onto his pages. "All I Did" has been criticized as being too convoluted a story, but if you read it quickly, you won't get lost, and Mosley keeps you reading quickly. Every member of McGill's family brings problems for him to solve (the wife is a drunk, his oldest son moves out, his daughter is sleeping with an older married man, and his criminal genius youngest child works for him but makes his own decisions on his first case). Not to mention he has to solve a decades-old robbery, keep himself and his client alive, and is still searching for a father who has been resurrected*. And why should it not be this way? Don't we all have a myriad of trials and victories each day we live?
Mosley weaves his six or seven subplots better than most, and gives us a hero we can believe in, because despite his external windmills, this dark-skinned Quixote is a man from our time, seeking the same redemption we are all searching for (as Americans, as humans)...to be ever better than we were the day before.
Mirron Willis, though he emphasizes EVERY letter, reads clearly, with the intelligence deserving of Leonid McGill's voice.

With further character and story development, and leaving us with a cliff-hanger ending, this is the best of the series thus far.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Lone Wolf and Life

Good read...Good performance!
Mosely in his genre! Gritty with danger, anger and a heart beat rhythm.

Learn quick why she shot her man

I always enjoy Walter Mosley's stories. This one was good, but I feel as though the story is a transitional piece between two other books. There is much history behind this story and Mosley tries to make sure the listener knows some of it. Why Zella shot her man is revealed early in the story. Good for her. Mystery solved early. However, some other pieces of the story are not as clear. I am concerned about LT's wife. LT's father and his brother. No answers here, but perhaps possible storylines for other stories. Which is a good thing. Mirron Willis as narrator is outstanding. Love his voice which is perfect for LT. Makes me laugh when impersonating the wife though. The foreign accent is a hoot. LT is no EZ Rawlings but a nice substitute or change with a different kind of craziness. I will probably listen to the story again before moving on to the one in the series. Really good story if one does not try to analyze the heck of the motivations of the characters. Don't think, just sit back and enjoy. 4 stars because the ending bought no closure for me.

Walter never seems to disappoint me. Amazing!

Mirron Willis really knows how to bring the multidimensional characters to life. I can't get enough of Walter and the delivery of Mirron. Keep them coming.

Well Done!

I loved the entire performance . . . the narrator, the story line were absolutely riveting! Thank you!

Compelling and Confusing

The story was compelling, as I have come to expect from Walter Moseley, but recaps of previous McGill adventures are delivered with too little consideration for readers who, like me, have not visited McGill's world in awhile, or worse, those who might be starting the series out of sequence. This issue, coupled with the dysfunction in McGill's personal and professional lives, makes this book a challenging one with which to remain engaged.

GREAT! GREAT!

Where does All I Did Was Shoot My Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Mosely does it again.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was great from beginning to end.

Which scene was your favorite?

He has made me a McGill fan.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I love the title already.

Put me to sleep

Would you try another book from Walter Mosley and/or Mirron Willis?

I will always read Walter Mosley but there needs to be a change in the reader.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Leonid McGill

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mirron Willis?

I would but I would rather not.

Did All I Did Was Shoot My Man inspire you to do anything?

Read more audio books I guess.

Any additional comments?

Mirron Willis is not very good at performing in this venue. I would rather hear someone else even though the story is a good one.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful