Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
In May, Traci Thomas chose Walter Mosley’s series starter for her podcast The Stacks, which hosts a monthly book club.
What Traci Thomas said about the pick: “We’re diving into the world of crime fiction in May by reading Walter Mosley’s debut novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. Written in 1990, this mystery is the first in the award-winning Easy Rawlins series. It follows Rawlins, as he is tasked with finding a missing blonde woman with a penchant for frequenting Black jazz clubs in 1940s Los Angeles. The book is not only a masterclass on mystery and suspense, but also on social commentary; which is why it was named one of “The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time” by Time Magazine.”
The podcast book club episode: Kara Brown joined Traci Thomas to “…share our thoughts on the story’s twists and turns, especially the big reveal. Then we dive deeper to discuss the significance of this book on the literary landscape, and what about the novel does and doesn’t hold up when viewed through a modern-day lens.”
Adaptation: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Beals starred in the same-titled 1995 film.