Last vacation I picked the perfect book to enjoy, because I started it on the plane out and finished it before we returned! I rarely achieve this on vacation. I either get one started or manage to complete something I was in the middle of.
I wanted to read Mosley’s debut since it was Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins’ (his iconic character) outing/origin story. When I went to the book signing in 2013, Mr. Mosley was promoting the latest mystery Easy had to solve sometime in the Sixties which would make the character getting on in years. The good news is, I loved the book so I will definitely pursue this private detective’s progression through Los Angeles. I just need to find out how many canon stories are between Devil and Little Green.
Most of you all I know probably saw the movie 20 years ago starring Denzel Washington, Tom Seizemore, Jennifer Beals and rather unknown Don Cheadle. Why read the book? Well, Hollywood takes short cuts for time, simplicity and they hate it when the protagonist’s moral compass isn’t ultra-squeaky-clean for a mainstream flick. I’m glad to say the film did stay pretty faithful to Mosley’s novel. Maybe he wrote it with the adaptation in mind. I had a hard time putting it down. Mosley shares the same, tight narrative style his contemporaries Ellroy and Hiaasen. He sticks to the first-person narrative through Easy instead but he does it well unlike Ellroy (trust me, White Jazz gets a tad annoying).
I do recommend Devil. It’s a light read, meaning you could probably accomplish the whole thing over a weekend. It’s definitely a must-read for my friends who love Ellroy. I still think Mosley and Ellroy should do a team-up covering the Black and White perspective of LA during the late Forties, the height of LA Noir. Otherwise I’ll probably have to imagine Easy Rawlins trying to solve a case alongside Sgt. Jack Vincennes or Lt. David Klein.
If you don’t dig reading such stuff, then watch the movie at your next opportunity. I remember it wasn’t as cliché as I feared. I only wished the film had as much punch as LA Confidential or Out of Sight.