Book Review: When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley

Title: When the Thrill is Gone
Author: Walter Mosley
Publisher: Riverhead
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-1594487811
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

From the Publisher:

Leonid McGill is back, in the third-and most enthralling and ambitious-installment in Walter Mosley’s latest New York Times- bestselling series.

The economy has hit the private-investigator business hard, even for the detective designated as “a more than worthy successor to Philip Marlowe” (The Boston Globe) and “the perfect heir to Easy Rawlins” (Toronto Globe and Mail). Lately, Leonid McGill is getting job offers only from the criminals he’s worked so hard to leave behind. Meanwhile, his life grows ever more complicated: his favorite stepson, Twill, drops out of school for mysteriously lucrative pursuits; his best friend, Gordo, is diagnosed with cancer and is living on Leonid’s couch; his wife takes a new lover, infuriating the old one and endangering the McGill family; and Leonid’s girlfriend, Aura, is back but intent on some serious conversations…

So how can he say no to the beautiful young woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash? She’s an artist, she tells him, who’s escaped from poverty via marriage to a rich collector who keeps her on a stipend. But she says she fears for her life, and needs Leonid’s help. Though Leonid knows better than to believe every word, this isn’t a job he can afford to turn away, even as he senses that-if his family’s misadventures don’t kill him first-sorting out the woman’s crooked tale will bring him straight to death’s door.

My Review:

When the Thrill Is Gone by Walter Mosley is the third in his Leonid McGill series, and the first I have read. I found the book read just fine as a stand alone book, however, Mosley’s writing style is such a delight to read I am now adding his previous works to my shelves. When the Thrill Is Gone introduces the reader to 55-year-old Leonid McGill who is down, but not out. Katrina, his wife of 24 years is having an affair with his older son’s chum, Bertrand Arnold. His youngest son Twill is, for lack of a better term, a brilliant juvenile delinquent who at age 17 is running a scam via an online account through a Panamanian bank of Eastern European concern. Last, but most definitely not least, Leonid’s best friend and mentor, Gordo Tallman is dying of cancer and is being taken care of in his home by a private nurse and Katrina. While Leonid is busy enough worrying about the problems at home he is strapped for cash and accepts two jobs, neither of which he is particularly excited about. The first offer is from a woman pretending to be Mrs. Chrystal Tyler, he knows she is lying, but he needs the cash and he really wants to know why she is lying to him and what has happened to the real Mrs. Tyler. The second offer, in the same day, comes from his Uncle Harry or as he is better known, “the Diplomat”. Harry Vartan is a rather dangerous and high-ranking man in organized crime and Leonid knows he should turn him away, but he was his father’s friend.

Mosley has crafted a clever PI novel showing the many sides of PI Leonid McGill, an enigma, who grew up with a mobster “uncle” and a father who quoted communist manifesto. Mosley expertly creates multi-dimensional characters, which suit this story quite well and underscore corruption, greed, and the lengths people are willing to go through for love. From the first sentence Mosley had my full attention and I was unable to set the book down until it was concluded. My only regret, other than the book ending, was that I did not have other books written by Mosley to delve into. Mosley has a rather distinctive writing style that captivated me and made me ponder why I had not read his previous works. When the Thrill Is Gone will keep the reader invested in the characters along with trying to unravel what is true and what is not. Being a PI, Leonid knows most people only tell him at best half-truths and he is not wrong. I was utterly captivated by Mosley’s third Leonid McGill book and look forward to reading the previous two, The Long Fall and Known to Evil. I have a new author to catch up on, my shelves may never clear, but I am exceedingly thrilled to have been introduced to such an extraordinary author, which is high praise, my shelves are overflowing, not that I am complaining. I would highly recommend When the Thrill Is Gone to anyone who enjoys clever mysteries that are not tied up in neat bows.

About the Author:

Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated, beloved, and bestselling writers. His books have been translated into at least twenty-one languages, and have won numerous awards. Born in Los Angeles, Mosley lives in New York City.

For further information please visit the author’s website.

I received a complimentary ARC of When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley from Putnam to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

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