Mystery Review: White Butterfly is the third of the Easy Rawlins novels, and just as good as its predecessors. It's 1956, Easy (short for Ezekiel) is married to Regina with an adopted son Jesus and a daughter Edna. But he's not talking with his wife, drinking too much ("I seen men turn old in six months under that bottle"), and a murderer is threatening the black community. Storm clouds are on the horizon. Something's gotta give. This signals the real strength of Mosley's novels: the plot is strong, descriptions are vivid, the characters are recognizable. And there is a constant awareness of racial politics in America: "I knew when he called me mister that the LAPD needed my services again." Easy is also one of the most well-rounded detectives in all of hard-boiled fiction, a flawed, real, sometimes misguided (even foolish) human being. At times in White Butterfly the reader will want to yell at him to get his head out and appreciate those around him: "The dictionary was on the coffee table. She'd looked up the words she couldn't spell."). We have a murder mystery and a detective with a real life, sharing space in an untenable coexistence. Mosley balances all the elements, there's a purpose and meaning to the story, his novels have a history and a future. The book is never over. If you liked any of the others, you'll enjoy White Butterfly as well. [3½★]
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