Title: All I Did Was Shoot My Man
Author: Walter Mosley
First published January 24, 2012
326 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781594488245 (ISBN10: 159448824X)
Rating: 3.94
Overview
Warning: Zeke Powers is not your average guy. He’s a straight-up bad boy with a devil-may-care attitude and a wicked smile that’ll make your knees weak.
He’s the kind of guy you know you shouldn’t mess with, but you can’t help but be drawn to him. When he walked into my life, I knew he was going to be trouble.
He was everything I didn’t need, but everything I wanted. I had my life all planned out, and he wasn’t part of the equation.
But Zeke had other plans. He was determined to show me that sometimes the things we want the most are the things we need.
Join Zeke and me on this wild ride of passion and self-discovery. New adult.
Not recommended for readers under 17.
About the Author
Meet Walter Mosley, a prolific author whose works span various genres from mystery to science fiction, young adult novels and political monographs. You may know him from his bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, or perhaps you’ve read some of his widely published short fiction.
Mosley’s nonfiction has also graced the pages of prestigious publications like the New York Times Magazine and the Nation. His impressive body of work has earned him several awards, including an O.
Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. When he’s not writing, Mosley calls New York City home.
Editoral Review
Walter Mosley has a reputation for writing crime fiction that is gritty, dark, and chilling, and his novel All I Did Was Shoot My Man is no exception. Published on January 24, 2012, the book combines elements of classic noir and contemporary social commentary to create a compelling and thought-provoking read.
With this novel, Mosley continues to cement his place in the pantheon of modern crime writers, and readers will be hard-pressed to put the book down once they start. The novel follows the story of Leonid McGill, a private detective who is trying to rebuild his life after a long period of incarceration.
When a wealthy client hires him to investigate a recent break-in at her home, McGill uncovers a web of lies, betrayals, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has worked so hard to regain. As he delves deeper into the case, McGill must confront his own demons and decide whether to take the law into his own hands in order to protect himself and his loved ones.
Mosley’s writing style is characteristically sparse and efficient, but also very evocative. He paints vivid pictures of the seedy underbelly of New York City, and his descriptions of McGill’s struggles with addiction, poverty, and racism are both poignant and insightful.
The dialogue is sharp and edgy, and the plot twists and turns at a breakneck pace, keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout. One of the most impressive aspects of All I Did Was Shoot My Man is the way Mosley blends the traditions of the noir genre with modern-day social issues.
The novel deals with topics such as gentrification, police brutality, and wealth inequality, and Mosley uses his characters to explore these problems in a nuanced and thoughtful way. He shows how these issues affect people’s lives on a personal level, and how they can lead to desperation, violence, and tragedy.
Of course, no book is perfect, and there are a few flaws in All I Did Was Shoot My Man that are worth mentioning. Some readers may find the plot overly complex or convoluted, and there are a few instances where Mosley’s characterizations feel somewhat shallow or one-dimensional.
However, these issues are relatively minor, and they don’t detract from the overall impact of the novel. In the end, All I Did Was Shoot My Man is a powerful, gripping, and affecting novel that will appeal to fans of classic noir as well as those who are looking for contemporary crime fiction with a social conscience.
Mosley’s writing is stylish and confident, and he has a gift for creating characters that are both flawed and sympathetic. Overall, this is a book that is well worth reading, and it is an excellent addition to Mosley’s impressive body of work.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
