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A review by nicovreeland
Every Man a King by Walter Mosley, Walter Mosley
3.0
This is a power fantasy/wish fulfillment type of detective novel. It reminded me a lot of Andrew Vachss's Burke novels, which last came out 15 years ago. It feels outdated, in much the same way I think Burke novels would feel today.
Mosley's hero, "King" Oliver, shares a lot of DNA with Burke: he is morally perfect, a put-upon vigilante angel; he is martially perfect, easily able to defeat multiple elite hit squads; he has a wide array of friends and "partners," who are more than willing to lend him any amount of money he might need, along with resources like hackers, bodyguards, information, etc.
The writing style is as earnest as can be, sometimes searing, sometimes wincingly cheesy, as earnestness usually is.
King has some sharp observations on race, but he's hopelessly old-fashioned with women, equating every woman's beauty with their level of respectability, even a 75-year-old woman who is obviously competent and powerful because she doesn't have many wrinkles, and still looks hot.
As for the case(s) in the book, King's involvement is pretty unbelievable. He takes a job basically defending a Proud Boy from a frame job, assigned by his grandmother's boyfriend, a white billionaire. King accepting and working this case used up my full allotment of suspension of disbelief. When King then takes another case--this one defending his ex-wife's obnoxious new man, an incompetent low-level criminal--I just couldn't believe it, especially when both the ex-wife the new man repeatedly insults and disrespects him.
That's tough, because this kind of book requires A LOT of suspension of disbelief, as hit men drop out of helicopters, and King uncovers web after web of sinister conspiracies that go all the way up into the highest echelons of law enforcement.
King lacks the righteousness of Burke. Burke's deal was protecting children from anybody who wanted to hurt them. He didn't care as much about adults, especially not low-level criminals pulling diesel fuel scams. King treats any case as life or death, willing to risk everything for anybody who needs his help. It makes listening to his self-important narration a bit tiresome.
The two cases are also, improbably but inevitably, related. The plot is good, but not great. I think if you know what you're getting into, basically a comic book in novel form, you might be able to focus on the story itself, and not how bombastically absurd every element is.
Mosley's hero, "King" Oliver, shares a lot of DNA with Burke: he is morally perfect, a put-upon vigilante angel; he is martially perfect, easily able to defeat multiple elite hit squads; he has a wide array of friends and "partners," who are more than willing to lend him any amount of money he might need, along with resources like hackers, bodyguards, information, etc.
The writing style is as earnest as can be, sometimes searing, sometimes wincingly cheesy, as earnestness usually is.
King has some sharp observations on race, but he's hopelessly old-fashioned with women, equating every woman's beauty with their level of respectability, even a 75-year-old woman who is obviously competent and powerful because she doesn't have many wrinkles, and still looks hot.
As for the case(s) in the book, King's involvement is pretty unbelievable. He takes a job basically defending a Proud Boy from a frame job, assigned by his grandmother's boyfriend, a white billionaire. King accepting and working this case used up my full allotment of suspension of disbelief. When King then takes another case--this one defending his ex-wife's obnoxious new man, an incompetent low-level criminal--I just couldn't believe it, especially when both the ex-wife the new man repeatedly insults and disrespects him.
That's tough, because this kind of book requires A LOT of suspension of disbelief, as hit men drop out of helicopters, and King uncovers web after web of sinister conspiracies that go all the way up into the highest echelons of law enforcement.
King lacks the righteousness of Burke. Burke's deal was protecting children from anybody who wanted to hurt them. He didn't care as much about adults, especially not low-level criminals pulling diesel fuel scams. King treats any case as life or death, willing to risk everything for anybody who needs his help. It makes listening to his self-important narration a bit tiresome.
The two cases are also, improbably but inevitably, related. The plot is good, but not great. I think if you know what you're getting into, basically a comic book in novel form, you might be able to focus on the story itself, and not how bombastically absurd every element is.