With Mouse and Christmas Black missing Private Investigator Easy Rawkins, sets out to find his friends who have are wanted by the cops, and wrongly accused of murder. Private Investigator Easy Rawlins, is trying to solve one of his toughest cases. He's heart broken as a man can be. Bonnie, the love of his life is gone. She's marrying the African diplomat who made it possible for Easy and Bonnie to save the life of their adopted daughter Feather. She needs a very expensive surgery, and the only parents the eleven-year-old has ever known don't have the money.
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Bonnie has an affair with the diplomat to cover the surgery costs and falls in love. Easy is beside himself with grief. In addition, the private detective has the added responsibility of keeping watch over his friend, Christmas Black's young daughter, Easter. He owes Black a favor for saving his life a few years before. Easy is the kind of detective that gets his money up front. A black private detective in Los Angeles in 1967, has to be extra careful. There are many forces trying to stop him from earning a living. The gamut runs from those trying to keep their hiding place secret, to the big crime bosses who are protective over their turf. Law enforcement doesn't look too kindly of the likes of Easy either. Add it up anyway that works, it isn't an easy job.
Mouse, Easy's right hand guy is missing along with Black, Easy doesn't know what to think. He assumes they may be together since they are friends. Easy knows, Black would never leave his little girl alone, he's far too protective over her safety. After Vietnam and returning to California things have been crazy for the big man with the large heart. His eight-year-old daughter Easter Dawn (E.D.). is comfortable with Easy and Feather and patiently awaits for Easy to find her dad. A satchel appears with Easter's medical records, past school records, and temporary guardianship papers for Easter. The bag also has two-thousand dollars cash in it.
Easy takes this to mean that Black is in more trouble than he could have imagined, and that he was now the sole protector of little Easter. He hopes to find Black so that Easter doesn't grow up without her dad. Black and Mouse are together trying to keep one step ahead of the law. Easy has been using his investigative skills non-stop for over four days.
He tracks down his friends who are wanted by the LAPD and goes to work to find the real killer so the murder does not get blamed Black or Mouse. The police were responsible for a man being dead. They shot up a house looking for two men and needed someone to take the fall. Since Mouse and Black both have military training, and Mouse has done hard time for murder. they seem like easy suspects to use in a police-murder cover-up.
Not likely to happen when Easy Rawlins is on the job as a top rate private detective. By messing with his closest friends or family, you mess with him.
Best part of story, including ending:
I love the descriptions in the scenes taken from the late 1960s from the vantage point of a black priviate investigator.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was when Easy turned down Miss. Goss. It wasn't time for romance, business had to be taken care of first.
Opinion about the main character:
I like Easy, Walter Mosley writes Easy's character as a tough but gentle lion, it makes Easy seem like your favorite uncle.