The Tempest Tales

When Tempest Landry, a black man accidentally shot dead by police, stands before St. Peter at the pearly gates and is doomed to hell, he says, "Uh-uh." Narrator Ty Jones lets a cynical tone creep into his delivery as Tempest is returned to Manhattan, looking very different and being shadowed by an angel named Joshua. The heavenly emissary soon gets involved in one ethical dilemma after another as Jones leads the listener through a maze of debates over the nature of sin and Tempest's slippery explanations. Tempest eventually allies with Satan in his quest to get to heaven--with humorous results. A wonderful premise sometimes drags a bit through the philosophical debates, but the story's eventual payoff is worth the journey. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

March 17, 2008
Mosley, best known for his gritty Easy Rawlins mysteries, explores cosmic questions of justice and redemption in this odd tale of Tempest Landry, a black man shot dead by police when they thought he was pulling a gun. Landry throws the afterlife into turmoil by refusing to accept St. Peter’s judgment that he must spend eternity in Hell. Three years after his death, Landry is returned to Manhattan, with a new face and an angel named Joshua to watch over him. As Landry sets up one morally complex situation after another, Joshua engages him in discussions of situational ethics, trying to get Landry to accept that he is a sinner and deserves damnation. Eventually, Landry recruits Satan himself in his cause. The interesting concept is not matched by its execution, but some readers may find Landry a humorous creation and appreciate his eventual solution to his dilemma.