When the Thrill Is Gone

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Mirron Willis

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Leonid McGill is back, in the third-and most enthralling and ambitious-installment in Walter Mosley's latest New York Times best-selling series.

The economy has hit the private-investigator business hard, even for the detective designated as "a more than worthy successor to Philip Marlowe" (The Boston Globe) and "the perfect heir to Easy Rawlins" (Toronto Globe and Mail). Lately, Leonid McGill is getting job offers only from the criminals he's worked so hard to leave behind.

Meanwhile, his life grows ever more complicated: his favorite stepson, Twill, drops out of school for mysteriously lucrative pursuits; his best friend, Gordo, is diagnosed with cancer and is living on Leonid's couch; his wife takes a new lover, infuriating the old one and endangering the McGill family; and Leonid's girlfriend, Aura, is back but intent on some serious conversations....

So how can he say no to the beautiful young woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash? She's an artist, she tells him, who's escaped from poverty via marriage to a rich collector who keeps her on a stipend. But she says she fears for her life, and needs Leonid's help. Though Leonid knows better than to believe every word, this isn't a job he can afford to turn away, even as he senses that - if his family's misadventures don't kill him first - sorting out the woman's crooked tale will bring him straight to death's door.

©2011 Walter Mosley (P)2011 Penguin

No The Thrill is not Gone

I was first introduced to Leonid McGill about three weeks ago after hearing about this book on the Tom Joyner Morning show. I am so thrilled to have been listening because I have not been able to get enough of this character. A man who knows that he must make up for his past by doing what he can to help people is such an attractive man!

Mr. Willis is an EXCELLENT narrator. He moves with ease when changing characters. I'm not sure if I am in love with Leonid McGill, Walter Mosley or Mirron Willis.

Start from the first bood to know and appreciate who Mr. McGill and his family are.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Out of place/Out of time

I enjoyed this book. More than the other McGill books I've read so far.

But something about the story kept bugging me. I didn't realize what it was until I got near the end.

I grew up in NY, living there throughout the 2000s. The dialogue (or maybe the voice interpretation), vernacular, and slang used by the characters are not what you would find in 21st century New York.

This story, and the two before it, felt like it would be more at place set in the 1950s along side Easy Rawlings.

Again, enjoyed the story, but the dialogue feels out of place for the era the story is set.

Enjoyed but too many names

I love both Eazy and Lenoid stories but this story had too many characters to keep track of. If you go a day or so without listening, more than likely you have to go back to understand. This book was the most confusing.

great book

Walter Mosley has done it again I don't know which one his characters I like best, Easy or Leonard.

Interesting and Captivating.

Leonid McGill is intelligent and savvy, but he's no Easy Rawlins! But still a great character. The narrator's different voices got better and better as the dirty
story progressed. Great job Mr. Mosley.

thrill

it was drawn out. it was ok. i have heard better. still like Walter mosley books

I dig it

This was a nicely paced book. The reader has a humorous way of expressing character emotions. I keep on listening

Can't get enough....

What made the experience of listening to When the Thrill Is Gone the most enjoyable?

It drew me in... Willis's voice, combined with the vivid descriptions and the fluidity of the story line COMPLETELY drew me in...

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

The plot was engaging, as is Mosely's newest character - almost doesn't make me miss Easy anymore...

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

I'm not sure, but he definitely brings McGill to LIFE

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

I'm not sure what the tagline would be, but I'd LOVE to see a movie depicting this character...

Not his best, but mediocre Mosley is still strong

This, the third of Mosley's McGill mysteries, isn't his best work (and I'm not even comparing this to Easy Rawlins like COUNTLESS other readers still do)...in my opinion it's his 2nd book "Known To Evil" that stands the strongest. This one reads like a weekly TV series entry and there is no huge plot twist or involving mystery. With Mosley, there never is...he's no Jeffrey Deaver...but it's his beautiful prose and character depth that always shines and it does here. The best thread running through this book is the subplot "favor" that McGill is doing for his "Uncle" and the revelation it leads to, along with Leonid's new take on his hatred for his father. This one is a great character study for Leonid, but not a superb mystery. Loyal fans (like myself) will love it, newcomers may sulk.

Another Hit

Do yourself a big favor and attend a book signing by Walter Mosley, who is candidly outspoken and unafraid to take any question. Then listen to his latest book, recalling all the while who wrote it, why he wrote it, and whether he made his point [which he typically does!]. He often speaks at Murder by the Book in Houston, and may be available in your locale. This third Leonid McGill book expands on earlier subplot themes, while detailing searches for killers and missing men. It is a treat.