Fear Itself

Walter Mosley

Paris Minton is woken up in the middle of the night by his friend Fearless Jones. Paris owns a used bookstore in 1950's Watts area of Los Angeles and sleeps above the shop. Fearless is a black World War II veteran who has a heart for helping those weaker than him. When he is approached by a woman to help find her missing husband, Fearless agrees. Then he comes to Paris for help in the task.

Neither Paris or Fearless can begin to guess where this request will lead. The "missing husband" is the owner of a farm where Fearless has been helping with harvest deliveries. Fearless knew Kit Mitchell hadn't been around for a couple days.

Paris is approached by a white man who is looking for Fearless. Timmerman said he was sent by the bail bondsman, Milo Sweet. Milo then sends Paris and Fearless to see one of the richest black women in the country, Winifred Fine. She wants Fearless and Paris to find Kit Mitchell and her nephew, Bartholomew Perry. When the two men meet Timmerman again, he also is looking for Mitchell and Perry. The more they investigate, the more they uncover. Paris and Fearless may die before this mess is untangled.

Walter Mosley captures the feel of the Los Angeles Watts neighborhood of the 1950's. Paris is accepting of the role of the black man of the time. Fearless is an interesting mixture of tough man and soft touch, a great man to have for a friend and a dangerous one for an enemy.

Fear Itself twists and turns unexpectedly about every other chapter. The reader cannot guess in the first couple chapters where it will finally end up. It gets confusing because there are so many players in the situation, many of them off stage but referenced throughout the book. The book is tough without being too gory. This is a darker detective type novel that kept me going even when I was temporarily lost.

Notice: Non-graphic violence; Strong indecent language; Suggestive dialogue or situations

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