When the Thrill Is Gone

June 27, 2011
Mosley's most recent series hero, New York City PI Leonid McGill, is perhaps his most complexâintelligent and surprisingly thoughtful and philosophic for a man of action. Mirron Willis conveys McGill's every mood; his timbre, clarity, and precise elocution are of particular importance, where there is a surfeit of story elements to keep straight. The main plot involves a deceitful client and McGill's investigation of a powerful billionaire whose wives have died mysteriously. Not only is it tricky and filled with false leads, there are numerous subplots involving the detective's personal life. His son is running a con game. His stepson is under the spell of a beautiful sociopath. His friend is dying of cancer and a young boy he's helping is on the run from thugs. (And that's not the half of it.) Master storyteller Mosley smoothly gathers all the many threads into a tidy bow at book's end, but it's Willis's crisp delivery that keeps us on track until he does. A Riverhead hardcover.

Starred review from January 3, 2011
Mosley fills his third thriller featuring New York City PI Leonid McGill (after Known to Evil) with insights even deeper than the mysteries McGill is trying to solve. Chrystal Tyler, a potential new client, tells McGill that she's afraid her billionaire husband is having an affair and may kill her. While McGill realizes the woman is lying, he needs the case and agrees to see what he can do to make her husband back off. Meanwhile, McGill's wife of 24 years, Katrina, is having an affair; his favorite son, Twill, has a new scam working; and longtime boxing mentor Gordo Tallman is living in his apartment, fighting cancer. Then Harris Vartan, a dangerous organized crime figure, asks a favor that will lead McGill on a journey of self-discovery. Readers will encounter the full panoply of complex Mosley characters, from deceitful women to ruthless killers, but it's the often surprising bonds of love and family that lift this raw, unsentimental novel.

There's a calm confidence in Mirron Willis's narration of Mosley's latest mystery. Although the plot is not as riveting those in some of his prior efforts, Mosley remains a superb wordsmith who creates dialogue that seems designed for Willis. The plot focuses on P.I. Leonid McGill, who is hired by Chrystal Tyler, ostensibly to determine whether her rich husband is having an affair and plans to kill her. Once McGill determines that the wife is lying, the story takes off. As with other Mosley books, there are numerous subplots, which not only demonstrate his keen insight into human nature but also serve as opportunities for Willis to display his ability to define characters with a clear, measured cadence. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine