Leonid McGill Series by Walter Mosley

Bestselling mystery writer Walter Mosley's electric new novel introduces a brand new investigator - Leonid McGill - and a gripping new set of challenges. We follow former rule-breaker Leonid McGill as he's buffeted between the overlords of New York's underbelly, desperate to turn straight, but unable to say no to a nicely paid job. When we're introduced, he's calling in old favours and greasing NYPD palms to uncover seemingly harmless information for a high-paying client... moreBestselling mystery writer Walter Mosley's electric new novel introduces a brand new investigator - Leonid McGill - and a gripping new set of challenges. We follow former rule-breaker Leonid McGill as he's buffeted between the overlords of New York's underbelly, desperate to turn straight, but unable to say no to a nicely paid job. When we're introduced, he's calling in old favours and greasing NYPD palms to uncover seemingly harmless information for a high-paying client. But when the former schoolmates on his list are bludgeoned to death one by one, McGill realises that a friendly reunion wasn't quite what his taskmaster had in mind. And the awkward questions that follow seem almost welcome in comparison to a visit from Willie Sanderson, a trained killer and 'modern-day Frankenstein', now primed to ensure that McGill breathes his last. THE LONG FALL shows Walter Mosley at the height of his powers, breathing new life into American crime writing with sassy dialogue and unflinching social truths. Vividly capturing a city not nearly as cleaned up as its politicians would have us believe, this is new Mosley - and it's just as good as the vintage kind. less

Leonid McGill knows something suspicious is going on as soon as the phone rings—no one calls him at this number. Alphonse Rinaldo, New York City’s ultimate fixer, the one man with a hand in every dark decision made in the five boroughs, has a problem that he needs McGill’s help to handle. What Rinaldo can’t accomplish on his own, McGill doesn’t really want to know... moreLeonid McGill knows something suspicious is going on as soon as the phone rings—no one calls him at this number. Alphonse Rinaldo, New York City’s ultimate fixer, the one man with a hand in every dark decision made in the five boroughs, has a problem that he needs McGill’s help to handle. What Rinaldo can’t accomplish on his own, McGill doesn’t really want to know. But Rinaldo’s not a client a Manhattan private eye can say no to, so McGill runs uptown to check on the young woman Rinaldo is worried about. McGill’s hardly pleased, but not especially surprised, when he walks into the middle of a murder scene—and, thanks to his nefarious past, winds up as the NYPD’s prime suspect.Everyone’s motives are murky in McGill’s world; that, he’s used to. What he’s not quite accustomed to is his own recent commitment to the straight and narrow, a path that still seems to lead him directly to the city’s crookedest corners and down its darkest alleys. When Rinaldo won’t let McGill drop the case, or reveal his connection to the young woman in question—simply insisting that she must be found—McGill strikes a dangerous deal with himself: he’ll find the girl, but he’s not going to hand her over until he knows all there is to know about her, and why exactly Rinaldo’s so interested.And so McGill plunges deep into contemporary New York City as only Walter Mosley can expose it, navigating an underworld that—just beneath the glitz and glamour, hidden behind the safe, clean streets—pulses with danger and violence. This is where McGill plies his trade, and it’s from this that he’s determined to protect all that he’s come to love: his family, his friends, his soul—all of which seem determined to put themselves in harm’s way. To achieve all of this, he’ll have to make new alliances with the darkest, most dangerous acquaintances of his past. And if he can survive both his friends and his enemies with his charm and charisma intact, Leonid McGill will truly have earned his designation as the twenty-first century’s iconic noir hero. less

The economy has hit the private-investigator business hard, even for Leonid McGill. Lately, he is getting job offers only from the criminals he's worked so hard to leave behind... moreThe economy has hit the private-investigator business hard, even for Leonid McGill. Lately, he is getting job offers only from the criminals he's worked so hard to leave behind. Meanwhile, his personal life grows ever more complicated: his favorite stepson, Twill, drops out of school for mysteriously lucrative pursuits; his best friend, Gordo, has been diagnosed with cancer and is living on his couch; his wife has taken a new lover, and seems to be endangering the McGill family; and his girlfriend, Aura, is back in his life but intent on some serious conversationsSo how can McGill say no to the beautiful young woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash? She's an artist, she says, who escaped from poverty via a marriage to a rich art collector who keeps her on a stipend. But she tells McGill that she fears for her life, and that she needs his help to make sure she doesn’t meet the fate of her husband’s first two wives.McGill knows better than to believe every word a potential client says, but this isn't a job he can afford to turn away, even as he senses that—if his family's misadventures don't kill him first—sorting out the truth in her story will propel him to confront some surprising, even shocking, truths.As he did in his first two Leonid McGill mysteries, the bestselling The Long Fall and Known to Evil, Walter Mosley creates the vivid and engrossing world of a New York where motives are always suspect and nothing is as it seems. less

Zella Grisham never denied shooting her boyfriend. That’s not why she did eight years of hard time on a sixteen-year sentence. It’s that the shooting inadvertently led to charges of grand theft. Talk about bad luck. Leonid McGill has reasons to believe she’s innocent. But reopening the case is only serving to unsettle McGill’s private life even further—and expose a family secret that’s like a kick to the gut... moreZella Grisham never denied shooting her boyfriend. That’s not why she did eight years of hard time on a sixteen-year sentence. It’s that the shooting inadvertently led to charges of grand theft. Talk about bad luck. Leonid McGill has reasons to believe she’s innocent. But reopening the case is only serving to unsettle McGill’s private life even further—and expose a family secret that’s like a kick to the gut. As the case unfolds, as the truth of what happened eight years ago becomes more damning and more complex than anyone dreamed, McGill and Zella realize that everyone is guilty of something, and that sometimes the sins of the past can be too damaging to ever forget. Or ever forgive. less

From innovative bestselling novelist Walter Mosley comes the return of the beloved Leonid McGill detective series featuring a morally ambiguous P.I. who solves crimes and whose victims are society's most downtrodden. Leonid McGill's spent a lifetime building up his reputation in the New York investigative scene. His seemingly infallible instinct and inside knowledge of the crime world make him the ideal man to help when Phillip Worry comes knocking... moreFrom innovative bestselling novelist Walter Mosley comes the return of the beloved Leonid McGill detective series featuring a morally ambiguous P.I. who solves crimes and whose victims are society's most downtrodden. Leonid McGill's spent a lifetime building up his reputation in the New York investigative scene. His seemingly infallible instinct and inside knowledge of the crime world make him the ideal man to help when Phillip Worry comes knocking.Phillip "Catfish" Worry is a 92-year-old Mississippi bluesman who needs Leonid's help with a simple task: deliver a letter revealing the black lineage of a wealthy heiress and her corrupt father. Unsurprisingly, the opportunity to do a simple favor while shocking the prevailing elite is too much for Leonid to resist.But when a famed and feared assassin puts a hit on Catfish, Leonid has no choice but to confront the ghost of his own felonious past. Working to protect his client, and his own family, Leonid must reach the heiress on the eve of her wedding before her powerful father kills those who hold their family's secret.Joined by a team of young and tough aspiring investigators, Leonid must gain the trust of wary socialites, outsmart vengeful thugs, and, above all, serve the truth-- no matter the cost. less