FEAR OF THE DARK

review by

Mike Nappa

FEAR OF THE DARK: A Novel

by Walter Mosley

(Little, Brown and Company)

Reader Appeal: Mature Teens and Adults

Genre: Mystery / Detective Suspense

In his Fearless Jones series, author Walter Mosley has earned a reputation for telling fast-paced, imaginative mystery stories peopled by colorful characters caught up in inexorable, unpredictable events. His third novel in this series, Fear of the Dark, is no exception and as such, is a thrilling, high-octane experience that caroms the reader from one moment to the next with delicious humor and heart-pounding suspense.

Now, before I get too far into my praise of this book, I should point out to parents that, while Mosley is a skilled, entertaining writer, his detective novels are not appropriate for younger teens or children. Fear of the Dark, for instance, contains several of the hallmarks of popular detective fiction including profanity, occasionally graphic (though not gory) violence, and semi-explicit sexual situations (including repeated admiration for the size of a main character's, um, manhood). Take that for what it means to you and act accordingly.

For those who are not offended by typical mainstream detective "grit," then Fear of the Dark will be a welcome adrenaline rush and a great way to blow a Saturday afternoon with a good book and a soda nearby. In this adventure we find Paris Minton, mild-mannered bookstore owner and sometime criminal just trying to stay out of trouble in 1950s Los Angeles. But when his no-good cousin, Ulysses "Useless" Grant shows up, trouble finds its way to Paris' doorstep - and in a hurry. First there's the jealous boyfriend, Tiny, out to give Paris a beating 'cause he caught the bookstore owner with his girl. Then there's Useless' mother, Three Hearts, out to LA from Louisiana on a mission to rescue her now-missing son. And there's the beautiful woman who's somehow mixed up in a big-money scheme with Useless, along with an assorted cast of hoodlums, pool hall players, gangsters, shady businessmen, bail bondsmen, and more who weave in and out of Paris' desperate attempts to find Useless and avoid becoming one of the dead bodies that seem to keep piling up in his wake. Fortunately for Paris, his best friend is the king of the streets, Fearless Jones, a man who will risk his life out of kindness - and just as easily take a life if the situation seems to call for it. Together they work through the myriad of clues and shady characters until the mystery is finally solved.

Not having read Walter Mosley before, I picked up this book out of boredom and decided to give it the standard "50-page test" - that is, I would read it for 50 pages and if I wasn't hooked by then, I'd toss it aside and go on to the next book in the stack. Needless to say, by the time I hit page 50 I was already racing through to find out what was going to happen next to Paris, Fearless, and the others. In fact, I don't think I even noticed when I hit the 50-page mark - a good sign, because it meant the story had captured my imagination and kept me moving along.

Is Fear of the Dark great literature? The English major in me has to say, probably not. Is it a deep, meaningful story of crime and racism rampant in urban America of the 1950s? No, not really (though it does deal with some of those issues). What this book is is just what it claims to be: a fun, fast-paced detective novel in the style of Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, or (more recently) Janet Evanovich. And as such, I found it to be immensely enjoyable and an easy one to recommend for adult fans of this kind of fiction.

FAMILYFANS RATING:  B+

 --MN