Charcoal Joe Audiobook By Walter Mosley cover art

Charcoal Joe

An Easy Rawlins Mystery

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Charcoal Joe

By: Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Michael Boatman
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About this listen

Walter Mosley’s indelible detective Easy Rawlins is back, with a new detective agency and a new mystery to solve.

Picking up where his last adventures in Rose Gold left off in L.A. in the late 1960s, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins finds his life in transition. He’s ready - finally - to propose to his girlfriend, Bonnie Shay, and start a life together. And he’s taken the money he got from the Rose Gold case and, together with two partners, Saul Lynx and Tinsford “Whisper” Natly, has started a new detective agency.

But, inevitably, a case gets in the way: Easy’s friend Mouse introduces him to Rufus Tyler, a very old man everyone calls Charcoal Joe. Joe’s friend’s son, Seymour (young, bright, top of his class in physics at Stanford), has been arrested and charged with the murder of a white man from Redondo Beach. Joe tells Easy he will pay and pay well to see this young man exonerated, but seeing as how Seymour literally was found standing over the man’s dead body at his cabin home, and considering the racially charged motives seemingly behind the murder, that might prove to be a tall order.

Between his new company, a heart that should be broken but is not, a whole raft of new bad guys on his tail, and a bad odor that surrounds Charcoal Joe, Easy has his hands full, his horizons askew, and his life in shambles around his feet.

©2016 Walter Mosley (P)2016 Random House Audio
African American Mystery Urban Fiction City Detective Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"Narrator Michael Boatman is no stranger to Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mystery series. His comfort with the author's style and the title character's swagger make Charcoal Joe a captivating listen.... The author's wit and sarcasm are enhanced by a narration that envelops the listener in 1960s Los Angeles. Both longtime Mosley fans and new ones will take another drive or walk around the block just to listen a little longer." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about Charcoal Joe

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Engaging Storyline Compelling Characters Unexpected Plot Twists Vivid Descriptions Intriguing Mysteries
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Vintage Easy with an unexpected assist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with several prominent Black Angelinos making appearances. Easy enjoys an assist from one of the baddest of his friends not named Raymond.

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THE GANGS ALL HERE.

I remember some of the characters but it was hard keeping up with the cast.

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Charcoal Joe- really good, not great.

I enjoyed the story. It was a little busy as usual with so many new and old characters jammed into the storyline, but that comes with the territory.

The maturation of Easy is enjoyable. Age has brought along some wisdom and he also got some of his swagger back from the early days. I also love the fact that he and Fearless Jones finally linked up in a story. I just wish Boatman didn't narrate Fearless as if he were Gomer Pyle.

Overall, I enjoy Michael Boatman's narration overall, but he has some quirks in his style that annoy me slightly.

My one gripe is that Mouse didn't even flash that .41 caliber once. I don't see him being completely out of the game, so hopefully it shows back up in book 15.

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EZ strikes again!

I truly do enjoy the easy Rawlins Mysteries. Mosley is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. I also like that he's bringing characters from his other books. It is definitely worth the read.

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Great comeback story in this series!

I could do this series forever. I'm still disappointed the movie series didn't continue. This book was worth the wait. The only thing I can complain about is that it wasn't long enough.

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Another impressive Easy mystery

I have read all of these, and they never disappoint. Mosley has created a character that I'm certain could exist in real life.

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Easy is back and better than ever.

Walter Mosley has done it again. This book makes another chapter in the LIFE of Easy Rawlins. I could not out this book down for one minute. I read the hardback first then listened to the audio book. Great Job.

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Classic Mosley at his best.

This is a superb story, well executed with perfect timing. An excellent performance.

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Easy Does It Again!

The narrator's ability to change voices and created mental pictures while listening help comprehend this storyline.

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My godness, I loved this book.

Walter Mosley is such a wonderful story teller. It was my first of his novels to read and now i am hooked, I will be reading the entire series.

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2 people found this helpful