However, Rawlins, who, it occurs to me, might well be characterized as experiencing post traumatic stress syndrome as a WWII vet, though nobody recognizes this possibility, soon realizes he has gotten more than he bargained for, as he finds himself entangled in a murder mystery, dealing with crooked, racist cops; ruthless politicians, and brutal thugs. He also comes to realize that Daphne Monet, the missing woman, is a key figure in the hotly contested upcoming LA mayoral race; she is the fiancée of a wealthy local blue blood, Todd Carter, who is one of the candidates.
This emotional, dark and gritty period piece, as well as launching the Rawlins series, introduced the menacing, though small of stature "Mouse" Alexander, psychotic old killer friend of Rawlins's, who would often reappear. The whodunit is racially charged, exploring the realities of being black in racist post-war LA., as well as a resonant portrait of its place and time, and the color line that people dared cross only at their peril.
The book's plot is multi-layered and complex. So much so that, even after repeatedly viewing the film based on it, and reading the book, both of which I love, and knowing who killed whom, I am never sure who killed whom ten minutes later. Some readers may dislike the book for its many characters and complex plot; its plentiful sex and violence, and use of the N-word, but I think it accurately reflects the world in which it is set. It makes race an equal influence (with money, power and connections) on the plot and the characters. It has always seemed to me that the conclusion of the book somewhat echoes Dashiell Hammett's great [[ASIN:0679722645 The Maltese Falcon]]. And I've always wondered about the possible influence of the 1966 song "Devil with a Blue Dress On," by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
The book, the series, which concluded in 2009, and Mosley's entire output, has clearly been influenced by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, the universally respected LA-based authors of hardboiled mystery novels. Mosley, who also credits Graham Greene as an influence, has become a prominent American novelist. He has penned more than 33 books in a variety of genres, but is most known for his crime fiction, specifically this best selling historical Rawlins series; of the ten entries, all but two have a color in their titles. The novel and the series are important in black/ethnic detective fiction, as they focus on a protagonist who begins as a day laborer but becomes a detective. It's also notable that Rawlins, although an educated man, often falls into the Black English of his community when thinking, or in discussion with others.
Mosley's mother, Ella (née Slatkin), was a Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor; his father, Leroy Mosley, was a WWII vet, and a black supervising custodian at a Los Angeles public school. (In later books of the Rawlins series, Mosley will give Rawlins this same day job). Mosley's parents tried to marry in 1951 but, although the union was legal in California where they lived, no one would give them a license. Mosley once took a writing course at City College in Harlem; one of his tutors there, the prize-winning Irish novelist Edna O'Brien, became a mentor to him and encouraged him, saying, "You're Black, Jewish, with a poor upbringing; there are riches therein". I have always thought DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS was unusually close to the author's bone; he'd never venture so close again. However, I can also recommend the deeply-felt [[ASIN:0743451783 Black Betty : Featuring an Original Easy Rawlins Short Story "Gator Green"]], about a black servant, and [[ASIN:0743451767 A Red Death : Featuring an Original Easy Rawlins Short Story "Silver Lining"]], about Jewish Holocaust survivors: both are powerful stuff.
Source:
http://www.memeread.com/book/0393028542-devil-in-a-blue-dress-easy-rawlins-mysteries.html