In this 6th book in the 'Leonid McGill' series, the private detective runs into trouble when he agrees to deliver a letter. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Leonid McGill is a 60-year-old black man who runs a detective agency in New York City. Leonid's employees are his capable secretary/receptionist Mardi and his son Twill.
Mardi quickly assesses visitors to the agency, and uses a simple code to convey her observations to Leonid over the intercom. For example, when Mardi announces a caller and asks, "Do they have an appointment?"...….it means they're cops; and when Mardi asks "Shall I bring them back?".....it means they're okay.
And Twill - who's Leonid's favorite child - is a clever young man who scams and schemes in his spare time.
In some ways, the apple didn't fall far from the tree because Leonid himself was a career criminal until he changed his ways. In fact, Leonid still has associates on the wrong side of the law, like his friend Hush, who lends a hand when the detective needs a tough guy on his side.
Leonid's newest client is 92-year-old Catfish Worry, an African American blues guitarist from Mississippi.
Many years ago Catfish was the summer gardener for a rich white family, and the musician got involved with the daughter of the house. The girl gave birth to a baby boy called Charles Sternman, and Catfish went home to his wife and children.
Before Catfish left though, his lover gave him a letter to give their future granddaughter before she married.
Catfish's biological son - Charles Sternman - looks white, has no idea he's biracial, and is a vicious racist. Now Charles' daughter Justine is about to wed, and Catfish came to New York to give her the letter.
Unwisely, Catfish approached Charles first, and told him they were blood kin. The horrified bigot threw Catfish out and forbid him to contact Justine under penalty of death.....and he means it!
Now Catfish has hired Leonid McGill to deliver the letter. This turns out to be a tricky business because Charles hired vicious goons to keep Catfish, or anyone associated with him, from approaching Justine. Leonid is a clever guy though, with friends in the right places......so the battle is on!!
The book is a thriller, with Leonid's team trying to outmaneuver Charles' hitmen.....who are trying to murder Catfish. This leads to threats, shootings, abductions, standoffs, and so on.
Leonid McGill is a compelling character with an interesting past; an intimate knowledge of New York City; an unreliable wife; three beloved children; helpful friends; deadly enemies; and a taste for aged moonshine. The story's other characters are also engaging, especially Catfish, who's a loving and empathetic man.
Walter Mosley has a deft hand with description, and brings the city and its inhabitants to vivid life. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of thrillers.
Rating: 3.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment