The Long Fall

Finished May 27
The Long Fall by Walter Mosley, read by Mirron Willis

I enjoyed the last Walter Mosley book so much that I sought out another of his series. This one feature the private detective Leonid McGill and is set in New York City, mostly. This is the first book in this series and the time is 2008. Leonid has a shady background, one where he did a lot of looking for people for on the criminal side, without asking questions about why they wanted that information. He has also planted information on people he deemed as "not good," to fit his own or others' narratives. That is, in fact, how he got his current office space.
He is trying to go straight, to do legitimate work, but it is harder to disentangle himself from his past than he thought. He does a seemingly simple job of looking for four men based on their descriptions and nicknames in their youth, but begins to grow suspicious of the motive behind the search when he locates the final man of the four. But he needs the money, and the story seems believable, so he provides the information.
The characters introduced here are interesting. Leonid's wife, come back to him after an ill-fated separation, but now untrustworthy. His landlord representative, for whom he has more than professional feelings. His old clients, who still want his expertise and won't take no for an answer. The cop who knows he's done some sketchy things, and has his eye on him for good. His former associates, some of who he still relies on for their expertise and connections. Those who owe him something and are willing to do him favours because of that. His younger son, who has a good heart and immense charm, but who doesn't always make the best choices.
I will definitely be looking for more in this series.