And Sometimes I Wonder About You

And Sometimes I Wonder About You by Walter Mosley is the fifth novel in the Leonid McGill series and the character is compelling enough to make me want to go back and pick up the first four stories in this series. Moseley writes this novel with the easy groove of the music that McGill loves and the narrative by McGill brings you into his world with a unique and telling perspective.

In this fifth novel, the Private Detective finds himself in a precarious juggling act between the multiple cases he has going and a private life that seems to be at the best, uncontrollable. But McGill strolls through it all, though not in control, but seeming never completely out of control.

There is his depressed wife who is committed to an asylum, but not show more getting any better so that he wonders if it would be better if he brings her home. His on again and off again landlord lover who he is on a break from. Then there is the beautiful seductress who he meets and ends up in a torrid affair with. And then there is his son who following in his father's footsteps as a detective finds himself involved with a criminal mastermind who uses children and lost young people to commit crimes. A mystery man who something of a modern day Dickens' Fagan. There is the homeless man who tries to hire McGill to find his long lost relative and then ends up brutally murdered. The long lost relative who happens to hold onto a secret that the very rich will kill for. Then there is that seductress who seems to need protection when they are not in bed together. Add in McGill's long lost socialist father who has been either freedom fighting or in prison somewhere in South America after abandoning McGill, showing up to mend the broken relationship. All this and McGill has the wedding of his best friend and mentor to attend.

As you can tell, there is a lot going on in this book and as wonderfully as it is told, there is the simple fact that there is just so much going on that gets muddled from time to time. A large plate of jambalaya, where all the flavors fuse so much that they lose something of their own profile.

Mosley wields his pen well. The narrative of McGill is compelling and rhythmic. A strong story told by a flawed but strong man who is never totaling sure of his own sense of right. But does the best he can for all even then. It is a good story. And the character of Leonid McGill is one I will definitely follow, it just isn't good enough to rush out and pick up the next one right away. show less

Leonid McGill is a private eye who stays one step ahead of everyone. He is very careful in his professional life. In fact it takes seven keys just to open the outer door to his receptionist’s office, not to mention the seventeen number pass code on the keypad to unlock the metal door to his inner office. His personal life is not so well secured. When Leonid was thirteen, his Dad left the family to pursue a life as a Communist revolutionary in South America. Leonid’s wife, Katrina has been in a mental hospital since trying to kill herself. The woman Leonid loves, Aura, has been out of the picture for a while. Only one of the three children he has raised as his own is his biological child, although he will lay down his life for any of show more them in a heart beat. On this day, the drop dead beautiful woman who just sat down beside Leonid on the commuter train is about to cause a train wreck in his life both personally and professionally. His son Twill, who Leonid is training to be a private investigator like himself, has gotten himself into trouble with a criminal mastermind, who controls a city wide gang of thieves and killers comprised of kids raised to a life of crime. To top it all off, someone has blown a hole in the wall of McGill’s office in order to gain access to his files. Walter Mosley gives us a full cast of characters who are so real you could cut them with a knife. Mosley’s, P. I. Leonid McGill may be reaching fifty, but his boxer’s body still hasn’t lost it’s speed, sharpness, or deadly force. A great read. Book provided for review by Amazon Vine. show less

I love Mosley's writing, especially Easy, but have trouble when the book gets too New York gothic, frantically complicated (both in PI cases and women), and formulaic (the super competent girl friday, the web genius, the info snitch, the cop who hates McGill, the returning father, one god-awfully rich villain and one underground Fagin).
The themes are big: love vs lust, family responsibility vs adventure, police vs minorities--but are dwarfed by continuous, crazed action. McGill is getting tiring--Mosley must juice the plots and violence level to keep the series alive. Juice the relationships and juice the personalities, too, into something no longer human.
Please write me a good Easy mystery again.

A new Walter Mosley book is always a reason to celebrate. I love Leonid McGill and have wished there were more stories about this great character. Here is a man just trying to live his life the best he can and he is beset by all kinds of problems and people, especially in his family. He just wants to be a good man and take care of those around him. The reappearance of Leonid's father unsettles Leonid but is of unexpected help to his family, especially Leonid's wife. I would always welcome having Leonid on my side.

PI Leonid McGill is involved with a lot of things - murders, thefts, gangs, and women. He handles them all - some well, some not so. Fast paced, quick to read. This is the first book I have read by Walter Mosley, it will not be my last.