Fear itself : a novel

Paris Minton doesn't want any trouble. He minds his bookshop and his own business. But in 1950s Los Angeles, sometimes trouble finds him. When the nephew of the wealthiest woman in LA is accused of murder and goes missing, she enlists the help of Paris and his friend, Fearless Jones. In this eagerly anticipated follow-up to Fearless Jones (2001), Watts bookstore owner Paris Minton and the dangerous but principled Fearless Jones tread the familiar territory mapped so successfully by Mosley's original detecting duo, Easy Rawlins and Raymond "Mouse" Alexander. The author depicts 1950s Los Angeles with his usual unerring accuracy, but a somewhat different dynamic drives his heroes. When Fearless drags the reluctant Paris into helping him look for Kit Mitchell (aka the Watermelon Man), their quest turns quickly murderous. Timid bookworm Paris gets caught in a deadly game of hide-and-seek whose players deal in lead, money and lies and include members of the fractured and fractious family of millionaire black businesswoman Winifred L. Fine. Neither Fearless nor Paris is sure who or what the various seekers are after-the missing Mitchell, a fabulous emerald pendant or a family diary-only that it's valued more than the lives lost trying to find it. (From Publishers Weekly) 1......Page 5 2......Page 11 3......Page 18 4......Page 23 5......Page 29 6......Page 36 7......Page 42 8......Page 48 9......Page 58 10......Page 65 11......Page 73 12......Page 80 13......Page 87 14......Page 94 15......Page 103 16......Page 110 17......Page 115 18......Page 122 19......Page 132 20......Page 137 21......Page 144 22......Page 151 23......Page 162 24......Page 169 25......Page 176 26......Page 182 27......Page 188 28......Page 198 29......Page 207 30......Page 218 31......Page 225 32......Page 233 33......Page 241 34......Page 248 35......Page 255 36......Page 260 37......Page 268 38......Page 275 39......Page 281 40......Page 286 41......Page 292 42......Page 297 43......Page 305 44......Page 312 45......Page 317 SPECIAL EBOOK FEATURE: INSIGHTS AND EXCERPTS OF WALTER MOSLEY......Page 319 BAD BOY BRAWLY BROWN......Page 320 1......Page 322 2......Page 328 BLACK TO THE FUTURE......Page 332 THE WRITING OF FEARLESS JONES......Page 336 Paris Minton is a man who would just as soon walk away from trouble as stand up to it. But in 1950s Los Angeles, sometimes trouble just comes and gets you. "Fearless Jones shows up at Paris Minton's door one night with a simple request: an attractive woman has asked him to help her find her husband, a man Fearless worked for briefly, and Fearless wants Paris to take the case with him. The next morning, a suspicious stranger shows up at Paris's door, and he's asking after Fearless Jones.""A few short questions later, Paris is running for his life, tangled up with one of the wealthiest women in L.A., and wondering whom he should fear more - the people he's looking for or the people he's working for. One misstep at a time, he tumbles into the most complex and terrifying situation he's ever found - one that even his invincible friend Fearless may not be able to save him from."--..