Reviews

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

slipybeans's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

stevem0214's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a great book from I author I just learned about.  A detective novel, like so many I read, but from a black perspective in the 40's.  Great story and the extra challenge of the main character being of a black detective in the 40's was eye opening.  Walter Mosley has written a few more in the Easy Rawlins series and I'll be getting into those soon!

adamwh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

lydiajohnson's review against another edition

3.0

3.5/5.

hsieh's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I never say this, but I think the movie might be better than the book. Mosley's novel is entertaining and, yes, a page-turner... but the plotting is sloppy and the motivations often unclear. I can see a twinge of brilliance in his explorations on the themes of racial identity and American belonging, and I do think Mosley spending time on these is something missing from the film. Sadly, the film's streamlining of the plot and cast makes it a better story.

lauraborkpower's review against another edition

3.0

This is a quick, enjoyable noir-ish read. The world Mosley has created is rich and interesting, and the bad-guy body count is high, which almost always makes for good reading. Michael Boatman does a nice job narrating and if he reads the next in the series I might check it out.

anniejmelody's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

booksunderthewoods's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

mcmoon's review against another edition

5.0

1948, Los Angeles, racism. This detective novel is required reading for any LA resident. The plot is good and the character descriptions are brilliant. I taught the book this year and my students loved it. A writer who manages disturbing and magical in the same space. The writing casts a spell with his "voice"...I love *The Voice*

vonny3492's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5